Foundation Watch

Foundation Watch
97% of Political Contributions by Employees of Top Foundations Went to Democrats in 2019-20
Progressive philanthropists now regularly admit to politicized charitable contributions. But to our knowledge, no one recently has examined how professional philanthropic elites—those who work at the nation’s largest foundations—spend their…
by Kristen Eastlick on August 9, 2022

Foundation Watch
Congressional Questions About Politicized Philanthropy Almost Half a Century Ago
Citing the Ford Foundation and some of its grantmaking specifically, President Richard Nixon’s pugilistically populist advisor Patrick J. Buchanan told a Senate Watergate Committee hearing in 1973 that “tax exempt multimillions have…
by Michael E. Hartmann on July 26, 2022

Foundation Watch
Omidyar’s Political Machine: From Tech Billionaire to Mega-Donor
Pierre Omidyar is hardly a household name, but he fits the typical mold of left-wing billionaire. He’s a tech mogul turned philanthropist, whose “charity” flows to hundreds of groups involved…
by Hayden Ludwig on June 30, 2022

Foundation Watch
Omidyar’s Political Machine: The Omidyar Nexus
For whatever reason, the Omidyar Family Foundation proved insufficient and was replaced in 2004 by the Omidyar Network, a philanthropic investment firm, and Omidyar Network Fund, a foundation. These were…
by Hayden Ludwig on June 30, 2022

Foundation Watch
Omidyar’s Political Machine: Funders Committee
Pierre Omidyar’s most political spending is channeled through the Democracy Fund and its “sister,” Democracy Fund Voice. The former is a member of the Funders Committee for Civic Participation, which…
by Hayden Ludwig on June 30, 2022

Foundation Watch
Omidyar’s Political Machine: Democracy Alliance
Since 2004, major liberal donors, foundations, and special interest groups have met regularly at Democracy Alliance conferences to develop and coordinate the “activities of a permanent ‘left[-wing] infrastructure,’” to quote…
by Hayden Ludwig on June 30, 2022

Foundation Watch
Omidyar’s Political Machine: Funding the Left
We’ve traced millions of dollars in grants flowing to other pass-through funders, including NEO Philanthropy, the Proteus Fund, and the Tides Foundation (including their (c)(4) arms). As with Arabella, these…
by Hayden Ludwig on June 30, 2022

Foundation Watch
Foundations Destroying American Public Education: The Hydra
The world of K–12 education policy has long been dominated by philanthropic foundations. Much of the education “reform” sweeping across America has been financed and pushed by elite, well-heeled foundations.
by Luke Rosiak on May 20, 2022

Foundation Watch
Foundations Destroying American Public Education: Equity Initiatives
The 1619 Project, Nikole Hannah-Jones’s 2019 New York Times series turned grade school curriculum, might never have seen the light of day if not for the MacArthur Foundation. In 2014,…
by Luke Rosiak on May 20, 2022

Foundation Watch
Foundations Destroying American Public Education: Education
The world of K–12 education policy has long been dominated by philanthropic foundations. It was the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that pushed for Common Core, the national education standards…
by Luke Rosiak on May 20, 2022