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Saturday, June 27, 2026
RACE RESULT
Antonelli Sets Pace in Both Austrian GP Practice Sessions
Kimi Antonelli delivered a commanding Friday double at the Austrian Grand Prix, setting the fastest time in both practice sessions at the Red Bull Ring. The championship leader posted a 1m07.796s in FP1 — beating teammates George Russell and Oscar Piastri — before pulling further clear in FP2 with a 1m07.014s, 0.237 seconds ahead of Piastri, with Lando Norris third. Russell fell over six tenths behind Antonelli in FP2, raising questions about the British driver’s race weekend pace. McLaren showed strong long-run performance and positioned itself as the closest challenger to Mercedes. With qualifying on Saturday afternoon and the race on Sunday, Antonelli enters the session as favourite.
Ferrari Admits Difficult Austrian GP Practice After Heat Hampers Performance
Ferrari’s Austrian Grand Prix began in difficult fashion as both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc struggled in sweltering conditions, finishing fifth and eighth respectively in FP2 — more than six tenths behind pacesetter Kimi Antonelli. Despite arriving with a new power unit upgrade this season, Ferrari’s car failed to match Mercedes or McLaren across single-lap or race-pace simulations. Team principal Fred Vasseur conceded the squad had struggled with the conditions and described Friday as difficult, saying Ferrari was far away from its potential. Track temperatures cleared 50 degrees Celsius as a European heatwave gripped the Red Bull Ring, with Hamilton also conceding the team was not as competitive as hoped.
Red Bull Seven-Part Austria Upgrade Marred by Reliability Problems
Red Bull arrived at their home Austrian Grand Prix with a seven-part upgrade package for the RB22 — including revised sidepod inlets, floor modifications, rear suspension changes, and a new rear wing — but the upgrades’ debut was clouded by reliability problems. Max Verstappen stopped twice in the pit lane in the opening 20 minutes of FP1 due to a software issue, while Isack Hadjar required a complete engine change after a problem was discovered late in the session. Team principal Laurent Mekies warned the upgrades alone will not close the gap to Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren, but expressed confidence in the team’s continued improvement path.
Cadillac’s Biggest 2026 Upgrade Hit by Fire and Chaos on Austrian GP Friday
Cadillac brought their most substantial upgrade package of the 2026 season to the Red Bull Ring — a 10-part overhaul of the MAC-26 targeting sidepods, floor, diffuser, and rear wing — but the weekend opened disastrously. Sergio Perez triggered red flags in FP1 with a mechanical failure, then caused a Virtual Safety Car in FP2 despite a complete ECU replacement between sessions. Valtteri Bottas retired mid-session after an apparent suspension failure caused his floor to scrape the track surface and catch fire. Bottas had suggested the revised floor package could be worth a few tenths per lap. Cadillac used a curfew exemption on Thursday evening to install the components.
McLaren Shelves Experimental McMacarena Wing Before Austrian GP Practice
McLaren shelved plans to test an experimental rear wing at the Austrian Grand Prix before it ran a single lap in practice. The team had intended to fit the concept — nicknamed the McMacarena — to Lando Norris’s car for FP1 at the Red Bull Ring. Designed to flip and shed significantly more drag on straights than a conventional wing, the concept was intended as a development run. Pre-session garage checks uncovered issues, prompting McLaren to remove the wing before running. The team confirmed no further attempt would be made this weekend, with the experimental design not set to return until after the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
FIA Formally Bans Ferrari-Style Exhaust Wings From 2027
The FIA has formally ratified a ban on Ferrari-pioneered exhaust wings for 2027, approved by the World Motor Sport Council meeting in Macau. Ferrari developed the concept early in the 2026 season — using exhaust gases to supply airflow to a small winglet above the tailpipe — by repositioning the differential to exploit a loophole in the technical regulations. Rival teams including Mercedes later developed their own variants using tailpipe brackets as winglets. The updated 2027 technical regulations, published Friday, impose an exclusion zone around the exhaust exit area. Additional 2027 restrictions on floor body stays, suspension design, and damper behaviour were also ratified at the same WMSC meeting.
Red Bull Confirms Verstappen Exit Clause as McLaren Talks Reports Emerge
Max Verstappen’s Formula 1 future took centre stage at his home race weekend as reports emerged of secret talks between Verstappen and McLaren about a potential switch. Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies confirmed the existence of a performance-related exit clause in the Dutchman’s contract through to 2028, which is expected to activate at the summer break if he sits outside the top two in the championship. Verstappen currently lies seventh, 101 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli. Mekies said this weekend that Verstappen wants a fast car, pointing to the Austrian upgrade package as evidence of the team’s commitment to closing the gap ahead of the contract decision.
Alonso Points to Dutch or Italian GP for F1 Decision Timeline
Fernando Alonso provided the clearest indication yet of his decision timeline at the Austrian Grand Prix weekend, saying he expects to decide on his Formula 1 future around the Dutch or Italian Grand Prix, after the summer break. Three options remain open for the 44-year-old two-time world champion: re-signing with Aston Martin, a return to Alpine, or retirement from the sport. Aston Martin’s chief trackside officer Mike Krack expressed confidence that Alonso would remain, praising his speed despite the team’s struggles. Alonso has scored just one championship point from seven race weekends in 2026 as Aston Martin have battled persistent reliability problems throughout the season.
Williams Confirms Curfew Breach to Install Mercedes Updates at Austrian GP
Williams breached the FIA-mandated overnight curfew at the Austrian Grand Prix to install Mercedes power unit reliability updates ahead of the race weekend, the team has confirmed. Alex Albon also switched to a different FW48 chassis for Spielberg, having harboured doubts about his previous car’s handling in recent races. Williams was not alone in working through the night: Cadillac also used a curfew exemption on Thursday evening to complete installation of their extensive 10-part upgrade package on both cars before Friday morning’s first practice session. Curfew exemptions, commonly known as jokers, are available to each team a limited number of times across the F1 season.
Racing Bulls Denies Signing F2 Driver for 2027 Season
Racing Bulls has denied reports claiming it has already agreed a deal for an F2 driver to join for the 2027 Formula 1 season, issuing a statement at the Austrian Grand Prix weekend. The team has become the focus of paddock speculation regarding its future driver lineup, amid expected changes across both Racing Bulls and Red Bull Racing’s 2027 grids. Racing Bulls currently fields Liam Lawson and rookie Arvid Lindblad, who sit 10th and 13th in the Drivers’ Championship with 28 and 13 points respectively after the opening seven rounds. The specific identity of the rumoured signee was not disclosed in the reports the team sought to address.
Drivers' Championship
1. Kimi Antonelli — 156 pts
2. Lewis Hamilton — 115 pts
3. George Russell — 106 pts
4. Charles Leclerc — 75 pts
5. Lando Norris — 73 pts
6. Oscar Piastri — 58 pts
7. Max Verstappen — 55 pts
8. Pierre Gasly — 41 pts
9. Isack Hadjar — 34 pts
10. Liam Lawson — 28 pts
11. Oliver Bearman — 18 pts
12. Franco Colapinto — 16 pts
13. Arvid Lindblad — 13 pts
14. Carlos Sainz — 6 pts
15. Alex Albon — 5 pts
16. Esteban Ocon — 3 pts
17. Gabriel Bortoleto — 2 pts
18. Fernando Alonso — 1 pts
19. Nico Hülkenberg — 0 pts
20. Sergio Pérez — 0 pts
21. Valtteri Bottas — 0 pts
22. Lance Stroll — 0 pts
Constructors' Championship
1. Mercedes — 262 pts
2. Ferrari — 190 pts
3. McLaren — 131 pts
4. Red Bull Racing — 89 pts
5. Alpine — 57 pts
6. Racing Bulls — 41 pts
7. Haas — 21 pts
8. Williams — 11 pts
9. Audi — 2 pts
10. Aston Martin — 1 pts
11. Cadillac — 0 pts
DRAFT
Maple Leafs Select Forward Gavin McKenna First Overall in 2026 NHL Draft
The Toronto Maple Leafs selected 18-year-old forward Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft on Friday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. Pop star and Maple Leafs fan Justin Bieber announced the selection at the podium, in the same arena where Toronto chose Auston Matthews first overall in 2016. McKenna, a native of Whitehorse, Yukon, posted 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 35 games with Penn State this season, ranking tied for fifth in NCAA scoring at 1.46 points per game. He is the third player in Maple Leafs history selected first overall, joining Matthews (2016) and Wendel Clark (1985).
San Jose Sharks Lead the Pack as Trade Frenzy Highlights NHL Draft Opening Night
The San Jose Sharks emerged as one of the standout teams from Friday's first round of the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo, selecting playmaker Ivar Stenberg second overall and defenseman Keaton Verhoeff ninth. The back-to-back top-10 picks give San Jose a blue-chip defensive prospect to pair alongside Sam Dickinson. Toronto took McKenna first and Vancouver selected center Caleb Malhotra third. The St. Louis Blues headlined draft-night trades, acquiring Mason McTavish from Anaheim using two first-round picks, while the New York Rangers landed Pavel Dorofeyev from Vegas. All 32 first-round selections were made Friday evening at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.
Blues Acquire Center Mason McTavish from Ducks for Two First-Round Picks at Draft
The St. Louis Blues acquired center Mason McTavish from the Anaheim Ducks on Friday in exchange for the No. 15 and No. 29 picks in the 2026 NHL Draft. McTavish, 23, recorded 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) in 75 games for Anaheim this season and added six points in 10 playoff games. He has five seasons remaining on a six-year contract signed with the Ducks in September 2025. Anaheim used the No. 15 pick to select forward Nikita Klepov. St. Louis entered the draft holding four first-round picks and moved two of those selections to acquire a proven young center for their rebuild.
Rangers Acquire Dorofeyev from Golden Knights, Sign Winger to Seven-Year, $77M Contract
The New York Rangers acquired forward Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday and signed the restricted free agent to a seven-year, $77 million contract. Vegas received the No. 26 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, a third-round pick (No. 92), and a conditional first-round selection in 2028. Dorofeyev set NHL career highs this season with 37 goals, 27 assists, and 64 points in 82 games for the Golden Knights. New York moved ahead of July 1 free agency to lock up Dorofeyev before open bidding could begin on a winger who had established himself as one of Vegas's most consistent offensive contributors.
NHL Draft Rounds 2 Through 7 Underway Saturday in Buffalo to Complete 2026 Classes
The 2026 NHL Draft resumes Saturday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo with rounds two through seven beginning at 11 a.m. ET, as all 32 teams complete their selections following a trade-filled opening night. Friday's first round saw Gavin McKenna go first overall to Toronto, Ivar Stenberg second to San Jose, and Caleb Malhotra third to Vancouver, with player trades reshuffling the board throughout the evening. Teams holding extra picks from pre-draft deals, including St. Louis, San Jose, and Ottawa, enter Saturday with multiple selections in later rounds. The draft features 224 total picks across seven rounds, with the remaining 192 scheduled to wrap up Saturday.
NHL Free Agency Opens Wednesday with $104M Cap and a Star-Studded Unrestricted Market
NHL free agency begins Wednesday with the salary cap rising to $104 million for 2026-27, an $8.5 million increase fueling an active open market. Defensemen Rasmus Andersson (47 points this season) and veteran John Carlson (60 points with Anaheim) headline the available field. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is also set to become an unrestricted free agent when his Florida contract expires. Alex Ovechkin, 40, scored 32 goals and 64 points in 82 games and is expected to seek a new deal. Alex Tuch came off the board this week in a sign-and-trade to Washington worth eight years and $84 million.
Ottawa Senators Add Defenseman Zellweger and Forward Burakovsky in Draft-Day Transactions
The Ottawa Senators completed two draft-day acquisitions Friday to deepen their roster heading into an active offseason. Ottawa acquired defenseman Olen Zellweger from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Anton Wahlberg and the No. 45 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and picked up forward Andre Burakovsky from the Chicago Blackhawks for a sixth-round selection in 2027. The moves add experienced pieces for a Senators organization that also received multiple draft picks, including two first-round selections this year, when it traded Brady Tkachuk to Florida earlier in June. Ottawa continues to accumulate assets and depth while pushing toward a return to playoff contention.
RECAP
White Sox Score 22 Runs, Rout Royals 22-1 Behind Tristan Peters Grand Slam
The Chicago White Sox erupted for 22 runs Friday night, routing the Kansas City Royals 22-1 in their most lopsided victory of the season. Tristan Peters hit a grand slam and drove in six runs, while Miguel Vargas homered and added five RBI. The White Sox sent 14 batters to the plate in a historic 10-run third inning. Rookie David Sandlin, called up from Triple-A Charlotte earlier that day, earned the win by allowing just one run across six innings with six strikeouts. Jacob Gonzalez, Andrew Benintendi, and Kyle Teel also homered. Chicago scored its most runs since a 22-13 win at Boston on May 31, 1970.
Mets Fire Manager Carlos Mendoza After 34-47 Start, Name Andy Green Interim
The New York Mets dismissed manager Carlos Mendoza Thursday after the team stumbled to a 34-47 record at roughly the season's midpoint. The move came after the Mets were swept in a four-game series by the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field earlier in the week. Andy Green, who had been serving as senior vice president for player development, was named interim manager for the remainder of the 2026 season. Green will return to his front-office role after the season, when the club will launch a search for a permanent manager. The Mets ranked last in the NL East, 16 games behind the Atlanta Braves.
Zack Wheeler Dominates Mets Again as Phillies Win 2-1 in Green's Debut
Derek Hill robbed Juan Soto of a two-run homer with a spectacular catch, and Zack Wheeler tossed seven strong innings as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Mets 2-1 Friday night in Andy Green's managerial debut. Trea Turner drove in Hill with a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning, handing New York its seventh consecutive defeat. Wheeler improved to 8-1 with a 2.03 ERA, allowing four hits including Jared Young's run-scoring single in the fourth. He struck out five and recorded two pick-offs in the same game — a career first. Jhoan Duran closed out the game for his 20th save. The contest finished in 2 hours, 20 minutes.
Max Meyer Improves to 9-0, Blanks Cardinals to Tie Marlins Franchise Record
Max Meyer held the St. Louis Cardinals to two infield hits across seven innings Friday, leading the Miami Marlins to a 4-0 victory and improving his record to 9-0. Meyer issued two walks and struck out five while tying Livan Hernández's 1997 mark for the best record to open a season in Marlins franchise history. Meyer remains the only qualified starter in the major leagues without a loss this season. The Marlins' offense broke through late: Graham Pauley and Kyle Stowers each drove in a run in the eighth, and Jakob Marsee's two-out single off Max Rajcic in the ninth scored two more to complete the shutout.
Walker Buehler Beats Former Team as Padres Top Dodgers 7-1 for Fourth Straight Win
Walker Buehler pitched into the sixth inning against his former team, Ty France hit a three-run homer, and the San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-1 Friday night for their fourth consecutive win. Buehler, who spent his first decade in professional baseball with Los Angeles, yielded three hits and three walks with five strikeouts. Mookie Betts gave the Dodgers a brief 1-0 lead with a second-inning homer before France launched a three-run shot off Roki Sasaki to flip the score. San Diego piled on with four more runs in the eighth inning on RBI singles from Sung-mun Song, Arturo Durán, and Fernando Tatis Jr.
Misiorowski Touches 105.5 MPH, Improves to 9-3 as Brewers Beat Cubs 6-2
Jacob Misiorowski reached 105.5 mph with his third pitch and delivered yet another dominant outing Friday, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a 6-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs for their fifth straight win. Misiorowski improved to 9-3 with a 1.45 ERA, retiring the first 15 batters before allowing Seiya Suzuki's leadoff home run in the sixth. He finished with eight strikeouts over six innings, allowing two hits, two walks, and two wild pitches. Garrett Mitchell and William Contreras hit two-run homers for Milwaukee. Contreras went deep off Jayden Murray in the seventh while Christian Yelich added an RBI double in the eighth to cap the Brewers' offense.
Royce Lewis Walk-Off Single in 10th Saves Twins After Bullpen Blows 7-Run Lead
Royce Lewis slipped an RBI single up the middle in the 10th inning for the first walk-off hit of his career, lifting the Minnesota Twins to a 9-8 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Friday after nearly squandering a seven-run lead. The Twins led 7-0 through seven innings behind starter Taj Bradley, but the bullpen collapsed in the ninth. Jake McCarthy hit a three-run homer and Hunter Goodman launched a two-run shot to cap a five-run Colorado rally that put the Rockies ahead 8-7. Byron Buxton tied the score with a wicked-hop grounder in the bottom of the ninth before Lewis delivered the decisive blow in extras.
Red Sox Beat Yankees 6-1 at Fenway, Take 2-0 Series Lead Over AL East Leaders
The Boston Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 6-1 Friday night at Fenway Park, taking a 2-0 series lead over the AL East leaders. Phil Tolle improved to 4-5 with the victory, scattering three hits while the Boston offense roughed up Will Warren, who fell to 7-3. The Red Sox entered the series as a long shot against the first-place Yankees, who carry a 48-33 record and a 13.5-game lead over Boston. Friday's loss snapped a two-game winning streak for New York. The Yankees dropped back-to-back games to the last-place Red Sox for the second time this season.
Arozarena, Ben Brown, Robert Suarez Among Multiple Players Hitting the Injured List
The Seattle Mariners placed outfielder Randy Arozarena on the 10-day injured list Friday, removing a key offensive piece from their lineup. In Chicago, Cubs starters Ben Brown and Edward Cabrera both landed on the injured list the same day — Brown to the 15-day IL with a neck strain, with the club also designating Eduarniel Núñez for assignment, and Cabrera sidelined by a hamstring strain. The Atlanta Braves placed setup reliever Robert Suarez on the 15-day IL, retroactive to June 23, with forearm tightness. In Cleveland, the Guardians promoted top catching prospect Cooper Ingle and designated outfielder Stuart Fairchild for assignment.
American League
1. New York Yankees — 48–33, —
2. Tampa Bay Rays — 46–33, 1.0
3. Toronto Blue Jays — 39–43, 9.5
4. Baltimore Orioles — 39–44, 10.0
5. Boston Red Sox — 34–46, 13.5
1. Chicago White Sox — 42–38, —
2. Cleveland Guardians — 42–40, 1.0
3. Minnesota Twins — 39–44, 4.5
4. Detroit Tigers — 35–47, 8.0
5. Kansas City Royals — 34–49, 9.5
1. Seattle Mariners — 42–41, —
2. Athletics — 40–42, 1.5
3. Texas Rangers — 40–42, 1.5
4. Houston Astros — 40–44, 2.5
5. Los Angeles Angels — 34–49, 8.0
National League
1. Atlanta Braves — 49–31, —
2. Philadelphia Phillies — 46–36, 4.0
3. Miami Marlins — 43–39, 7.0
4. Washington Nationals — 41–42, 9.5
5. New York Mets — 34–48, 16.0
1. Milwaukee Brewers — 50–29, —
2. Chicago Cubs — 44–38, 7.5
3. St. Louis Cardinals — 42–37, 8.0
4. Pittsburgh Pirates — 41–41, 10.5
5. Cincinnati Reds — 38–42, 12.5
1. Los Angeles Dodgers — 52–30, —
2. San Diego Padres — 43–37, 8.0
3. Arizona Diamondbacks — 41–40, 10.5
4. San Francisco Giants — 33–48, 18.5
5. Colorado Rockies — 32–50, 20.0
ANALYSIS
A Century of Radio History Ends as BBC Silences 198 kHz Long Wave
A century of radio history came to an end today as the BBC permanently silenced Radio 4 on 198 kHz longwave. The transmitter at Droitwich, UK — the last of its kind — has been decommissioned after manufacturers discontinued the high-power vacuum tubes that kept it running. The BBC first began longwave broadcasting in the mid-1920s, and the 198 kHz frequency became a beloved institution, serving mariners, night-shift workers, and shortwave enthusiasts. It was home to the Shipping Forecast and the original radio premiere of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The band (153–279 kHz) was also widely used as a precision frequency standard.
3D-Printed Case Squeezes Mini-ITX Hardware Into Steam Machine Footprint
Valve’s 2026 Steam Machine uses a custom non-standard PCB that can’t be swapped for off-the-shelf components — but maker [3DCatt] found a way around that limitation. Working in cooperation with AMD’s Jacob Terkelsen, 3DCatt designed a 3D-printed enclosure (Printables model #1493449) that matches the Steam Machine’s footprint while accommodating a standard Mini-ITX motherboard, SFF power supply, and even a full-size discrete GPU — including the RTX 5060. The biggest hurdle was cooling: Valve’s design shares a heatsink between CPU and GPU, so the DIY version required extra ventilation cutouts to keep temperatures in check.
Swift Comes to the Apple II via a Custom 6502 Bytecode VM
Software engineer Yeo Kheng Meng has achieved an improbable first: a working Swift development environment targeting the Apple II platform. Swift — Apple’s modern programming language introduced in 2014 as an Objective-C successor — now compiles to bytecode interpreted by a custom virtual machine running on the 6502 CPU. The Apple II, launched in 1977 with a 1 MHz processor and just 4 KB of RAM, requires at least 48 KB once upgraded. The implementation works on the original Apple II through the IIe. Yeo used Claude Code and GPT 5.5 Codex to help piece together the bytecode interpreter.
This Magic 8-Ball Draws Its Answers From Real Quantum Randomness
David Noel Ng has built what might be the world’s most philosophically defensible magic 8-ball: one powered by genuine quantum randomness. The device attenuates light down to roughly one photon at a time, then passes each photon through a beam splitter. A photon that passes through reaches photomultiplier A; one that bounces reaches photomultiplier B — a binary outcome governed by quantum mechanics rather than classical statistics. The output was validated with the NIST Statistical Test Suite across 1.6 billion bits, passing all tests. The device also exposes a live public API at quantumlever.stream/api/magic-8-ball, so you can query the quantum oracle from anywhere.
Science Settles It: Metal-Roofed Birdhouses Are Not Ovens
Do metal-roofed birdhouses turn into ovens for their occupants? Builder [Of Human and Nature] — part of a 500-birdhouse marathon — decided to find out empirically. Using thermocouples and a calibrated heat lamp, the setup held the metal roof at a sustained 70°C for four hours. The interior temperature, however, barely budged — staying comfortably in the mid-20°C range throughout. The key factor is the air gap between the metal roof and the wooden box, which allows convective airflow to carry heat away before it reaches the interior. Conclusion: metal roofs pose no thermal threat to cavity-nesting birds.
Discounted Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Surfaces at 1.25 GHz Clock Speed
A lower-binned variant of the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B is now appearing online at a discounted price — sold as a 1.25 GHz unit, compared to the 1.5 to 1.8 GHz range of standard Pi 4 boards. The chip binning practice — common in the semiconductor industry — refers to sorting processors by their verified maximum stable clock speed before sale. Units that don’t quite reach the standard threshold get sold at a lower frequency and a reduced price. For makers running less demanding workloads, this offers a budget-friendly entry to the Pi 4 ecosystem without sacrificing compatibility.
Makerfabs MaTouch ESP32-P4: 10.1-Inch HMI with 4G LTE, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi 6
Makerfabs has launched the MaTouch ESP32-P4, a 10.1-inch HMI display board packing serious connectivity into a maker-friendly package. The board pairs an ESP32-P4 dual-core RISC-V processor (400 MHz) with an ESP32-C6 for wireless, delivering Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5, and 802.15.4 alongside a SIMCom SIM7670G 4G LTE Cat 1 module and 10/100 Mbps Ethernet. The 1280×800 IPS display is joined by a 2MP MIPI camera, 32 MB PSRAM, 16 MB flash, and six USB-C ports. Compatible with ESP-IDF, Arduino, PlatformIO, and LVGL, it targets industrial HMI and IoT applications. Available for $79.80 at the Makerfabs store.
PHILANTHROPY
Are Wealthy Donors Giving Big Again? Yes. But It's Complicated
Seven wealthy philanthropists each made gifts of $100 million or more to nonprofits in May 2026—the first time this year so many nine-figure donations were announced in a single month. But advisers who work with major donors tell the Chronicle of Philanthropy that political and economic uncertainty continues to complicate wealthy donors’ giving decisions. Some donors are pivoting away from programs that explicitly name racial equity, choosing instead to support organizations serving low-income communities broadly, to avoid drawing federal attention. Others have abandoned multi-year plans for new programming, redirecting gifts to keeping nonprofits afloat amid federal funding cuts. Advisers say fundraisers should focus right now on their longest-tenured supporters, make honest asks to accelerate existing pledges, and invest in sincere stewardship before requesting new gifts. The pipeline of major giving is re-emerging, but requires patience and a relationship-first strategy.
OpenAI Foundation Opens $50 Million Grant Fund for Nonprofits Adopting Artificial Intelligence
The OpenAI Foundation announced on June 24 the launch of the 2026 People-First AI Fund, a $50 million grant program open to U.S.-based nonprofits seeking to responsibly explore and implement artificial intelligence in their work. Grants are unrestricted and sized at up to 10 percent of an applicant’s annual operating budget, with eligibility limited to 501(c)(3) public charities with budgets under $15 million. The fund targets organizations using AI to expand access to information, strengthen community services, preserve cultural expression, and support local journalism. Community foundations and regranting intermediaries are eligible for the first time in 2026. Applications are open through July 15, with award notifications expected in October. The foundation—a separate entity from OpenAI’s commercial operations—is also finalizing more than $130 million in additional grants focused on biosecurity, cybersecurity, model safety, and the effects of AI on children.
Can a $350 Million Gift Change AI's Trajectory?
In 2018, billionaire Stephen Schwarzman gave the Massachusetts Institute of Technology $350 million to reshape how universities train the next generation of AI leaders. Eight years on, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that MIT’s Schwarzman College of Computing has hired nearly 50 faculty across 19 departments, creating unprecedented collaboration between computing, the humanities, and social sciences. An initiative called SERC—Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing—has reached more than 300 students across 25 departments, with over 1,000 MIT students annually taking ethics-integrated courses. The article asks whether philanthropy can counterbalance the commercial AI industry’s competitive instincts. Experts say independent university research is essential when political gridlock makes federal AI ethics funding unlikely. The Schwarzman gift represents a long-term bet that educating more thoughtful technologists today can shift corporate decision-making a generation from now.
Nonprofit Quarterly Analysis Calls Sector’s Reliance on Heroic Executive Leadership a Justice Issue
An analysis published June 26 in Nonprofit Quarterly challenges the sector’s longstanding assumption that strong individual executive leadership is the foundation of organizational health, arguing that the “myth of heroic leadership” is a structural failure with equity consequences. The piece contends that overreliance on executive directors concentrates power in ways that mask institutional weakness, reduce organizational resilience, and reproduce inequity by making an organization’s fate dependent on the endurance and judgment of a single person. When that person leaves, burns out, or errs, the piece argues, organizations built around heroic leadership have no system to absorb the loss. The authors call for distributed governance, genuine staff capacity, and shared decision-making as the true sources of organizational resilience. The critique arrives as the nonprofit sector faces compounding pressures from federal funding cuts, rising service demand, and record rates of executive burnout.
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