The Mysterious Turner Global Foundation

It’s worth noting that liberal billionaire philanthropist Ted Turner has been putting much of his personal resources into the virtually unknown Turner Global Foundation Inc. According to philanthropy databases, in 2006 alone it gave away at least $14,495,000 to causes. Almost all of that money went to environmentalist groups. Founded in 2004, it’s based in Lamont, Florida. In 2006 Turner Global Foundation Inc. reported assets of $322,479,841 at the end of 2006.

Turner himself is the sole member of the charity’s board. Oddly, the foundation has no website and its 2006 tax return reports that it has no employees. It also apparently receives no publicity.

Perhaps Turner envisions Turner Global Foundation Inc. as a kind of nonprofit holding company. This would help to explain the foundation’s low profile.

Comparatively, Turner’s Turner Foundation Inc. is not well-funded. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, the charity, which was founded in 1991, gave away $10,180,417 in grants in tax year 2005, the latest year for which grant data is available. The charity reported assets of $7,784,899.

Turner has also played a major role in the K-12 environmentalist indoctrination charity Captain Planet Foundation (founded 1992, 2005 assets of $960,893 and made grants that year of $177,206), the United Nations Foundation (founded 1998, 2006 assets of $45,222,699 and made grants that year of $227,675,435), and the pro-UN Better World Fund (founded 1998, 2006 assets of $18,521,350 and made grants that year of $16,199,908).

Turner still appears to be behind in his promised payments to the New World Order. In 1997 the media magnate pledged to give $1 billion to the United Nations over 10 years. After he made that promise, however, his $10 billion personal fortune plummeted to $2 billion when the stock market fell in September 2001. As of late 2007, he had given only $655 million to the United Nations Foundation and its affiliates. His personal fortune currently stands at about $2.3 billion, a number that earned him the 195th spot on the 2007 Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans.

Turner told the William J. Clinton Foundation’s Clinton Global Summit in September 2007 that “outside of a nuclear exchange, global warming is the greatest threat humanity has ever faced.” (Foundation Watch, February 2008) Along with former Senator Sam Nunn (D-Georgia), Turner is a co-founder of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), which gives grants to study and combat nuclear proliferation, chemical weapons stockpiles, and bioterrorism. NTI produced a short movie called Last Best Chance, which starred former Senator Fred Thompson (R-Tennessee) as a fictional president of the United States who has to deal with a case of nuclear terrorism involving al-Qaeda. NTI, founded in 2001, reported assets of $16,333,462 in tax year 2005 and reported making $4,544,864 in grants that year.

Turner has also been focusing on ranching and conservation lately. He owns 2 million acres in 11 states, which makes him the largest private landowner in America. It has been rumored he has been working with the UN to build a massive wildlife refuge in Nebraska, but his spokesman has denied the allegation. His latest venture is Ted’s Montana Grill, a restaurant chain specializing in bison livestock.

Capital Research Center’s most recent comprehensive profile of Ted Turner’s philanthropy and activism was “Ted Turner: Down, But Not Out,” by Sally Torbert. (Foundation Watch, November 2004)