Zuckerberg will announce the contribution Friday on The Oprah Winfrey Show, where he will be joined by Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
The New York Times broke news of Zuckerberg's educational fund shortly before Forbes revealed that the Facebook founder and CEO had climbed to the 35th position on its annual list of wealthy Americans. Forbes estimates that Zuckerberg is now worth $6.9 billion, putting him seven spots above Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who is estimated to be worth $6.1 billion, ranking 42 on Forbes's list.
Some will call the donation calculated. The timing of the announcement is in sync with the October 1 release of The Social Network, based on Ben Mezrich's book The Accidental Billionaires, neither of which portrays Zuckerberg in the most favorable manner. The donation could also be aimed at counteracting any negative stigma that could arise from his new rank on the Forbes 400.