Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg Donates Nearly $100 Million

Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg gave 590,000 shares of Facebook stock valued at $98 million to charity on July 31, according to a Security and Exchange Commission document filed Thursday. The money will go to her donor-advised fund and benefit a number of nonprofits and causes important to Ms. Sandberg, according to a source familiar with the philanthropist’s plans.

Among those charities is the Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation, which backs two groups Ms. Sandberg created — LeanIn.org, and OptionB.org.

Ms. Sandberg started LeanIn.org in 2013 to foster female leadership around the world. In April, she launched OptionB.org, an interactive website aimed at helping people facing grief and other types of personal adversity.

Both organizations have grown significantly. LeanIn.org now has membership groups in 150 countries, and more than 350,000 people use OptionB.org’s resources and tools.

The new gift will also benefit charities that help women and girls, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds; anti-hunger groups like Second Harvest Food Bank, whose Stand Up for Kids program Ms. Sandberg co-chairs; and education and scholarship programs that help young people attend and complete college.

The donation is the technology tycoon’s third big gift to her donor-advised fund in the last two years. She gave nearly $107.2 million last year, landing her in 11th place on The Chronicle’s Philanthropy 50 ranking of America’s most generous donors, and $31.1 million in 2015.

There are likely to be many more such gifts in the coming years. Forbes has pegged Ms. Sandberg’s wealth at $1.6 billion, and in 2014 she and her late husband, Dave Goldberg, signed the Giving Pledge, an effort created by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates to encourage billionaires to commit to give at least half of their fortunes to charity.