Kresge Foundation

The Private Investments of Private Foundations: Philanthropy’s “Dark Money”?

The IRS instructs private foundations to attach a detailed schedule of investments to their annual publicly available Form 990-PF. Some, however, do not include meaningful detail on how their vast…

by Robert Stilson on February 17, 2022

Foundation Watch

The Private Investments of Private Foundations: Incongruous Investments

Investment portfolios shouldn’t be battlefields for ideological conflict, but many foundations—and particularly the activist groups they fund—are increasingly choosing to make them so. This can result in a marked disconnect…

by Robert Stilson on February 17, 2022

Foundation Watch

The Private Investments of Private Foundations: Capitalism for Me, But Not for Thee

The specifics of a given foundation’s investments—indeed, whether those investments are properly disclosed and itemized at all—is rather less relevant when that foundation’s grantmaking evidences wholesale antagonism to market capitalism…

by Robert Stilson on February 17, 2022

Foundation Watch

The Private Investments of Private Foundations: Depoliticize Philanthropy

The point here is not that foundation investments should be politicized. They should not. Foundations should, however, abide by what appear to be unambiguous IRS transparency instructions and be prepared…

by Robert Stilson on February 17, 2022

Foundation Watch

The Left’s Campaign for Socialized Housing

For the increasing unaffordability of housing in much of America, observers offer a variety of explanations and remedies. Numerous factors are at play. The housing market is, after all, a…

by Robert Stilson on August 26, 2021

Organization Trends

Planned Parenthood Under Fire

(PDF here) Summary: Whatever your view of abortion, it’s hard not to be appalled by the recent undercover videos of Planned Parenthood personnel casually discussing how they can profit…

by Jeanne Mancini on September 29, 2015

Foundation Watch