Disagree Wisely

Civility Nonprofit

Background

Disagree Wisely is the umbrella company for the controversial AI civil discourse program, “Sway,” released in March 2025 by co-creators Simon Cullen and Nicholas DiBella. DiBella described it this way: “If you send a message that’s not civil…Sway will provide a suggestion of a more constructive way of expressing the thought.” According to this January 2026 article on HxA’s website, Sway has been used by “Thousands of students at 80+ universities.” In July 2024, following several months of pro-Palestine campus demonstrations, Inside Higher Ed reported that Cullen hoped administrators would view Sway as a way to “stabilize their campuses.”

Notable People

Simon Cullen

Sway co-creator

Cullen is a faculty research fellow with Heterodox Academy. Cullen is currently a visiting research professor of AI and civil discourse at UNC's controversial civics center, the School of Civic Life and Leadership.

See also: Chapman University.

Nicholas DiBella

Sway co-creator

DiBella served as an AI research scientist with Heterodox Academy from October 2025 to June 2026. According to DiBella’s CV, he has received grants from a number of conservative and/or pro-Israel funders, some of whom are listed below.

Notable Funders

Arthur Vining Davis Foundations

~$375,000 (to DiBella, 2024, 2025; the 2025 grant was administered through Heterodox Academy)

AVDF has made significant grants to Hillel International (an explicitly anti-BDS organization) and Tablet magazine (a self-described “Jewish, Zionist publication” whose editor-in-chief has called on Jewish communal groups to replace leaders who do not explicitly support Israel). Refer to UNCIVIL’s June 2026 Funder Analysis for more details on AVDF’s giving.

U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence and U.S. Department of Energy

$297,000 in the form of a postdoctoral grant to Nicholas DiBella, with Simon Cullen listed as an advisor (2022-2025)

The Snider Foundation

$75,000 (to DiBella, 2025)

Established by the late billionaire Ed Snider. The foundation makes significant grants to right-wing and pro-Israel advocacy groups such as the David Horowitz Freedom Center (described by SPLC as a sponsor of “anti-Muslim fear mongers”) and the Lawfare Project (described by the National Lawyers Guild as a “right-wing anti-Palestinian group”; not to be confused with Lawfare, the nonprofit online publication focused on national security issues). Current and former Snider Foundation board members, including Craig Snider and Tina Snider, have documented ties to the Koch Network. See UNCIVIL’s June 2026 Funder Analysis for more details on Snider’s giving.

Ben Delo Foundation

~$38,000 (to DiBella, 2024)

Founded by British cryptocurrency billionaire Benjamin Delo. In 2022, Delo pleaded guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act. President Trump later pardoned him. According to a March 2026 report in the The Guardian, Delo finances and operates a Westminster political and media hub providing support to a range of organizations, including right-wing and “anti-woke” groups and organizations whose leaders have advocated hardline positions on migration and abortion.

Mike and Sofia Segal Foundation

Cullen is a fellow at Heterodox Academy’s Segal-funded Center for Academic Pluralism

Established by billionaires Mikhail (“Mike”) and Sofia Segal. The Segal Foundation has made significant grants to groups such as Aleph Institute (which has a formal partnership with Israel Defense Forces), as well as American Israel Education Foundation (an affiliate of AIPAC). Segal’s philanthropic advisor and media contact, Misha Galperin, co-authored a November 2024 op-ed arguing that higher ed is one “front” in a larger “war against antisemitism.” In the piece, Galperin and his co-author called for “something like a campaign to promote legislation on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism” (a definition that has been criticized by human rights groups and scholars for the risk that its Israel-related examples can be used to suppress criticism of Israel); they also recommended “educating corporate leaders, using research on current DEI that indicates that such policies hurt corporate culture and profits, and that there is a positive impact when companies reverse policies that are based on these neo-Marxist, racist and antisemitic underpinnings.” For reference, see the Segal Foundation’s tax filings for 2024, 2023, and 2022.