The Brown Institute funds research through awarding annual "Magic Grants" to projects which develop applications that create technologies which foster journalistic pursuit, and through direct support to several Brown Fellows at both institutions.
Gurley Brown, an author, publisher, and businesswoman, who served as editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine for over three decades, partially endowed the institute in memory of her husband, David Brown, who produced the films Jaws, The Sting, and The Verdict, among others, and attended both Stanford and Columbia.
Speaking of the institute's purpose, Gurley Brown stated, "David and I have long supported and encouraged bright young people to follow their passions and to create original content.
It's time for two great American institutions on the East and West Coasts to build a bridge.”[3] The Brown Institute's directors are Maneesh Agrawala and Mark Henry Hansen.
The advisory board consists of Frank A. Bennack Jr., Chief Executive Officer, Hearst Corporation; Eve Burton, Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Hearst Corporation; William Campbell, Chairman of the Board, Intuit, Inc.; Mary Meeker, General Partner, Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers; and filmmaker Steven Spielberg.