Meta is allocating $1 billion to towns with data centers, citing a tax from 1968 as its justification.
Mark Zuckerberg revealed a $1 billion Future Is For Everyone Fund on Monday, aimed at investing directly in the American communities where Meta develops data centers. This announcement is part of a 6,500-word letter titled "The Future is for Everyone: The Path to a Positive AI Future," which Meta released simultaneously.
The memo briefly states, “We are launching a Future Is For Everyone Fund to support each community we work in directly.” Meta plans to collaborate with communities to tailor investments to their local needs. Axios reported that funds will support teachers, first responders, as well as energy and water infrastructure, while Fox Business mentioned teachers, law enforcement, and local infrastructure.
Peter Kafka from Business Insider pointed out what the announcement lacks: no specific number of communities, no figures on the number of people affected, and no timeline for when the funds will be disbursed. A source familiar with the initiative informed him that the fund is in addition to Meta’s existing expenses, meaning construction, staffing, and taxes are accounted for separately.
The evidence cited by Meta doesn’t stem from its own funds. Zuckerberg references a specific case: “Teachers received a $50,000 bonus this year because of the increased tax revenue from our investment,” referring to Richland Parish, Louisiana. Meta's own post in July highlighted a 400% increase from the previous year’s tax revenue of $10,000.
Examining the details reveals a different narrative. The Shreveport Bossier Advocate traced the bonuses to a one-cent sales tax the parish enacted in 1968. Meta's first sales tax contribution amounted to $22.4 million, surpassing the parish's regular collection for an entire year, with approximately half allocated to the local school board.
Superintendent Sheldon Jones informed the outlet that the board collected over $36.5 million this fiscal year, with $16.2 million stemming from that designated tax. General sales tax revenues exceeded $43 million by March, compared to $21.3 million for the entirety of the previous year.
Three key aspects underlie that financial windfall. The sales tax is levied on construction expenditure, thus it remains active during the building phase and ceases once completed, which is projected for 2030. Louisiana exempted data centers built before 2029 from sales tax for a duration of 20 years. Furthermore, the site received its own reductions in sales and property taxes, and some local officials signed nondisclosure agreements during negotiations.
Thus, Meta’s justification for the philanthropic fund rests on a tax receipt derived from a long-standing local levy, connected to a construction timeline that has a set end date, and in a parish that had already lowered Meta's tax obligations.
In addition to the bonuses, the community faced other changes. According to Redfin data cited by Moneywise, home prices in the parish surged nearly 63% year-on-year, with the median price climbing from around $105,000 in November 2024 to roughly $295,000 by May 2026. NPR reported a more than 600% increase in car crashes on roads near the facility.
TNW explored the area in July, noting that the Hyperion campus ballooned from $10 billion to over $50 billion within two years, in a parish with about 20,000 residents. This disparity has divided the town, with some benefiting while others are priced out. One local resident expressed frustration by stating there are no options for those unable to afford skyrocketing prices.
Meta also details larger investments made in the region, reporting over $50 billion invested and more than $1 billion committed to local infrastructure improvements since breaking ground in December 2024.
Two commitments outlined in the memo carry greater significance than the monetary aspect. Meta asserts that every project must yield benefits for the communities involved, including “high-paying local jobs, investment in schools and public services, and ensuring stable energy prices.”
The memo clarifies how they plan to achieve this. “We help keep electricity prices low by building our own energy-generating infrastructure wherever we invest.” This infrastructure relies on natural gas, with a commitment to constructing 10 natural gas plants for Hyperion, in addition to a 200MW gas facility in Ohio. The Climate Group confirmed in July that Meta had withdrawn from RE100, unable to meet the technical requirements, despite having been a member since 2014.
The second major commitment relates to water usage. Meta pledges to restore more water than it consumes by 2030. In July, Cheyenne halted all data center wastewater discharge after a contractor inadvertently released a multidrug-resistant bacterium into the local system.
The timing of the fund's announcement appears to respond to growing backlash. More than 500 jurisdictions in the U.S. are now imposing restrictions or bans on new data centers, with over 150 of those bans instituted in July alone. A Gallup poll found that 71% of Americans oppose data centers being established in their communities, leading to the cancellation
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Meta is allocating $1 billion to towns with data centers, citing a tax from 1968 as its justification.
Zuckerberg is allocating $1 billion to towns with data centers. His sole successful instance, which involved $50,000 bonuses for teachers in Louisiana, originated from a sales tax enacted in 1968.