Singularity Challenge donation drive of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute (then known as the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence). Additionally, he joined the Institute's advisory board and participated in the May 2006 Singularity Summit at Stanford as well as at the 2011 Summit held in New York City. In May 2007, Thiel provided half of the $400,000 matching funds for the annual Singularity Challenge donation drive. The organization was a participant in the Breakthrough Philanthropy conference (November 2010) and the Fast Forward conference (December 2011). Anti-aging research: SENS Foundation In September 2006, Thiel announced that he would donate $3.5 million to foster anti-aging research through the Methuselah Mouse Prize foundation. He gave the following reasons for his pledge: "Rapid advances in biological science foretell of a treasure trove of discoveries this century, including dramatically improved health and longevity for all. I’m backing Dr. [Aubrey] de Grey, because I believe that his revolutionary approach to aging research will accelerate this process, allowing many people alive today to enjoy radically longer and healthier lives for themselves and their loved ones." The Thiel Foundation supports the research of the SENS Foundation, headed by Dr. de Grey, that is working to achieve the reversal of biological aging. The Thiel Foundation also supports the work of anti-aging researcher Cynthia Kenyon. Seasteading On April 15, 2008, Thiel pledged $500,000 to the new Seasteading Institute, directed by Patri Friedman, whose mission is "to establish permanent, autonomous ocean communities to enable experimentation and innovation with diverse social, political, and legal systems." In February 2010 he provided a subsequent grant of $250,000, with an additional $100,000 in matching funds. In 2011, Thiel was reported as having given a total of $1.25 million to the Seasteading Institute. Other organizations The Thiel Foundation is also a supporter of the Committee to Protect Journalists, which promotes the right of journalists to report the news freely without fear of reprisal, and the Human Rights Foundation, which organizes the Oslo Freedom Forum. Thiel has also supported the life extension group, the Methuselah Foundation, founded by Aubrey De Grey. References External links Foundations based in the United States