Changpeng Zhao secretly transferred $2 million for prisoner education: Cryptalist analysis
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) has been anonymously transferring funds to educational programs for prisoners in the United States over the past two years. The total amount of donations, which have only now come to light, has reached $2 million. It turns out that the entrepreneur sent $500,000 four times to the organization Prison Professors, which focuses on rehabilitating convicts.
All transfers went unnoticed by the press and the public. Zhao explained that he sent the money every six months and only recently decided to make this information public. Representatives of Prison Professors confirmed receipt of all funds and expressed gratitude to the philanthropist, emphasizing the critical importance of such initiatives for federal prisons.
What the $2 million will be used for
The organization Prison Professors, founded by former inmate Michael Santos, produces educational materials, books, and self-study courses. Volunteers help convicts plan their lives after release. The new multi-million dollar injections will allow for a significant expansion of the project's technical infrastructure. The foundation's leadership plans to provide access to online lessons for every federal inmate across the country.
Key areas for spending the received funds include:
- Creating and distributing free educational content.
- Integrating materials from partners, including useful courses from Binance Academy.
- Developing a convenient digital system for tracking student progress.
- Collecting detailed statistics on learning outcomes in correctional facilities.
Personal experience behind bars
The prison theme is not unfamiliar to Zhao. In the spring of 2024, he himself spent four months behind bars after pleading guilty to violating U.S. money laundering laws. The exchange itself paid a colossal fine of $4.3 billion. Later, in the fall of 2025, President Donald Trump pardoned the well-known businessman, which sparked mixed reactions in the crypto community. Many experts linked the pardon to the platform's investments in Trump's family stablecoin USD1, calling the decision a straightforward payment for forgiveness.
Cryptalist Analysis: This move by CZ is not just charity, but a well-thought-out strategic step. By investing in prisoner rehabilitation, he not only demonstrates social responsibility but also shapes a positive narrative around his persona after a high-profile scandal. For the crypto industry, which often suffers from reputational risks, such stories are a powerful tool for legitimization in the eyes of regulators and society.