Facebook co-founder Saverin donates $20m to Singapore American School
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Billionaire Eduardo Saverin moved to Singapore in 2009 and renounced his US citizenship in 2011.
PHOTO: BT FILE
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SINGAPORE - The family of billionaire Eduardo Saverin, who co-founded Facebook with Mark Zuckerberg, has made a $20 million donation to the Singapore American School (SAS), the institution announced.
The donation is the largest gift in the school’s history, superintendent Tom Boasberg wrote in a weekly e-mail sent on Sept 20, saying it would have a “transformative” effect on the institution, which serves students from pre-kindergarten through high school.
“The Saverin family gift will support the creation of world-class play spaces, cutting edge Stem (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) labs” and other improvements at a new elementary school, currently under construction, Mr Boasberg wrote. It will also aid a Chinese immersion programme and “other strategic priorities”, he said.
The announcement cited Mr Saverin’s wife, Mrs Elaine Saverin, as saying she hoped the donation would aid thousands of current and future students at SAS. She said the gift “is a significant and meaningful way for our family to demonstrate our commitment to the school”.
The Straits Times has contacted SAS for more information.
Born to a wealthy Brazilian family, Mr Saverin, 42, moved to Singapore in 2009 and renounced his US citizenship in 2011, ahead of Facebook’s initial public offering. His wealth, still almost entirely linked to his holdings in the social media company now called Meta Platforms, is estimated at about US$30.5 billion (S$39.4 billion), according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Founded in 1956, SAS has an expansive campus for about 4,000 students in Woodlands. The school charges current high school students about $49,000 per year, not including transport, taxes and other costs. BLOOMBERG
