Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is planning to fund new primary and secondary schools and a university in Austin, Texas, according to newly obtained tax filings from one of his charities.
The filing from 2022—an application to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) seeking tax-exempt status—shows that Mr. Musk plans to donate $100 million to one of his charities called The Foundation, which will be used to build primary and secondary schools in Austin that teach science, technology, engineering, and math, as well as physics.
The Epoch Times was not able to independently verify the authenticity of the filing and has contacted a spokesperson for Mr. Musk for further comment.
According to the filing, the school’s primary function will be the “presentation of formal instruction and curriculum by a regular facility to a regularly enrolled student body in or near Austin, Texas, as well as using distance education technologies.”
The school will primarily be funded through donations and tuition fees.
“The school does not want the inability to pay tuition or fees to be a barrier for students. Thus, if a student is admitted to the school, tuition and financial support will be provided to the extent of available resources,” the tax filing states.
The school is currently hiring an executive director, teachers, and administrators, according to the filing.
It is anticipated that approximately 50 students will initially be enrolled in the school, although this will likely increase over time, The Foundation said.
‘Hands-on Learning Experience’
Once the school is fully operational, the donation will also be used to build a university “dedicated to education at the highest levels,” the filing states.
The university will employ “experienced faculty” in an array of subjects and will provide a standard curriculum alongside “hands-on learning experience including simulations, case studies, fabrication/design projects, and labs,” according to the application.
The Foundation plans to seek accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges before opening the university and school, the filing notes.
Students will also be selected based on merit, which extends to foundation trustees, officers, employees, or their family members, according to the filing.
The Foundation has raised roughly $100 million in contributions under the current tax year for the new school, the filing shows.
The Foundation’s application with the IRS seeking tax-exempt status was approved in March of this year, Bloomberg reports.
Mr. Musk moved his home to Texas in 2020 following a turbulent relationship with California, which included a feud with local authorities over COVID-19 pandemic-related shutdowns, restrictions, and high taxes.
‘DEI Must DIE’
Tesla later moved its corporate headquarters from Fremont, California, to Austin, Texas, in 2021.
At the time, Mr. Musk said the decision was based in part on California’s soaring housing costs which were hindering Tesla’s ability to scale up in the Bay Area.
The electric vehicle maker, however, announced in February this year that it would be establishing its global engineering headquarters in California.
This is not the first time that the industrialist, worth an estimated $253.2 billion, has established a school.
In 2014, the X owner launched the Ad Astra school at SpaceX’s California headquarters for a small number of students whose parents worked at the firm. The school, which includes “a small team of dedicated educators and entrepreneurs who work with around 200 students across our programs,” has since expanded to an online education program, according to its website.
Mr. Musk has not yet commented on the newly published filing, but on Thursday he wrote on X that “DEI must DIE,” referring to controversial political ideologies known as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
“The point was to end discrimination, not replace it with different discrimination,” the businessman wrote.
Texas is among a number of states, including Florida, that have signed into law bills banning public funding of DEI in colleges and universities amid concerns that such programs teach critical race theory and promote social justice activism aimed at race and gender across schools.
From The Epoch Times
