Conservative Causes
J.D. Vance Has Set His Sights on Philanthropy Before. What Should the Sector Expect?
Julia Koch Has a New Foundation. What Can We Expect From the Family’s Future Giving?
In the last few years, Walmart heiress Alice Walton and Julia Koch — the widow of David Koch — have been sitting at the top of Forbes’ America’s Richest Women list. Julia Koch is currently worth $64.3 billion and someone with the potential to become … [Read more...] about Julia Koch Has a New Foundation. What Can We Expect From the Family’s Future Giving?
This Couple Just Won One of Conservative Philanthropy’s Top Prizes. What Are They Into?
Each year, the Philanthropy Roundtable awards the Simon-DeVos Prize for Philanthropic Leadership to a living donor or donor couple seeking to “advance the principles of personal responsibility, resourcefulness, volunteerism, scholarship, individual … [Read more...] about This Couple Just Won One of Conservative Philanthropy’s Top Prizes. What Are They Into?
The Wealthy Donors Behind the Assault on Affirmative Action
It wasn’t a surprise that the Supreme Court ended its term by pulling the plug on affirmative action in college admissions — but the decision promises to resonate for years to come. In their dissents, Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sandra … [Read more...] about The Wealthy Donors Behind the Assault on Affirmative Action
Education Voucher Policies Are on the Rise Nationwide. What Role Is Philanthropy Playing?
Education vouchers are on the move. Florida just expanded its voucher program, Arizona did the same last year, and Utah, Iowa and Arkansas recently passed new voucher laws. In all, Republican lawmakers in 34 states have proposed various versions of … [Read more...] about Education Voucher Policies Are on the Rise Nationwide. What Role Is Philanthropy Playing?
Jeff Yass Is One of America’s Biggest Political Donors. What Does His Philanthropy Look Like?
There’s a cadre of ultra-rich Wall Street billionaires — Ken Griffin, Stephen Schwarzman, Charles Schwab — whose libertarian, free-market convictions have proved a massive boon for GOP politicians over the years. Pairing copious Republican political … [Read more...] about Jeff Yass Is One of America’s Biggest Political Donors. What Does His Philanthropy Look Like?
What a Big Gift to the Heritage Foundation Says About the State of Conservative Philanthropy
In case you missed it, the Heritage Foundation, arguably the nation’s most influential conservative think tank, just got what it described as “one of the largest gifts in [its] 50-year history” last month: $25 million over five years from the Diana … [Read more...] about What a Big Gift to the Heritage Foundation Says About the State of Conservative Philanthropy
Arts, Education, Conservative Policy and More. How the Kovners Are Tapping a Hedge Fund Fortune
Bruce Kovner, worth $6.6 billion at age 77, has come a long way since his boho days driving taxi cabs in New York City while writing and taking classes at Juilliard. The Harvard grad changed career paths and ended up founding a hedge fund in the … [Read more...] about Arts, Education, Conservative Policy and More. How the Kovners Are Tapping a Hedge Fund Fortune
In the Climate Fight, Who’s Funding the Eco-Right? More Big Names Than You Might Expect
Recently, two prominent, pro-climate-action Republicans — Carlos Curbelo, former U.S. representative for Florida, and Neil Chatterjee, former commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission — were in the pages of the Chronicle of … [Read more...] about In the Climate Fight, Who’s Funding the Eco-Right? More Big Names Than You Might Expect
Billionaire Paul Singer Is an Activist Investor, GOP Megadonor and Philanthropist. What Does He Fund?
If you’ve heard of the activist investor Paul Elliott Singer, it might be for his infamous 14-year legal fight to force Argentina to repay sovereign debt he had acquired at fire sale prices, at one point even attempting to seize a vessel from the … [Read more...] about Billionaire Paul Singer Is an Activist Investor, GOP Megadonor and Philanthropist. What Does He Fund?
“Crisis Pregnancy Centers” Mislead Patients. They May Also Be Misleading Some Donors
“Crisis Pregnancy Centers” (CPCs) exist to stop people from receiving abortion care. To that end, their tactics can include masquerading as legitimate abortion providers online, giving false information about the supposed dangers of abortion care, … [Read more...] about “Crisis Pregnancy Centers” Mislead Patients. They May Also Be Misleading Some Donors
Think Tank Leaders Don’t Lack for Ideas, But Fundraising Can Still Be Brutal
A lot of money is sloshing around in the nonprofit world these days, but there are distinct differences in how donors from the right and left approach philanthropy — especially when it comes to trying to change public policy. Consider the giving … [Read more...] about Think Tank Leaders Don’t Lack for Ideas, But Fundraising Can Still Be Brutal
Five Causes We’d Like to See Conservative Funders Support More Often
It’s no secret we tend to lean to the left here at Inside Philanthropy, and that viewpoint informs our coverage of promising developments in the sector, like more robust critiques of systemic racism and moves toward more trust-based giving. Still, we … [Read more...] about Five Causes We’d Like to See Conservative Funders Support More Often
Philanthropy Is Backing a Data Hub on Schools and COVID. Critics Fear an Agenda
COVID has been an accelerant for political battles that were already smoldering, and schools are on the front lines. Differences over vaccines, mask mandates and school closures are intensifying education-based culture wars and long-standing … [Read more...] about Philanthropy Is Backing a Data Hub on Schools and COVID. Critics Fear an Agenda
As Conservatives Stoke the Critical Race Theory Culture Wars, Where Is Philanthropy?
Not long ago, few people had heard of critical race theory. Then, all of a sudden, the relatively obscure legal theory was leading cable news stories and ripping through school board meetings. It’s been a particularly hot topic on conservative … [Read more...] about As Conservatives Stoke the Critical Race Theory Culture Wars, Where Is Philanthropy?
Who’s Funding the Climate Counter-Movement?
The ExxonMobil representative on the Zoom call was bragging, listing a series of tactics his company had used over the decades to foil attempted responses to the climate crisis.“Did we join some of these ‘shadow groups’ to work against some of the … [Read more...] about Who’s Funding the Climate Counter-Movement?
After Trump, What’s Happening at DonorsTrust, the Right’s Favorite DAF?
When it comes to philanthropic support for right-leaning policy groups, it’s hard to get around the fact that year after year, a growing cascade of donor dollars is flowing through one outfit: DonorsTrust. Often criticized on the left as a channel … [Read more...] about After Trump, What’s Happening at DonorsTrust, the Right’s Favorite DAF?
Abortion Foes Are Scoring More Wins. Here’s Who is Funding a Powerful Movement
As the coronavirus pandemic sweeps the country, one of its many secondary victims appears to be reproductive rights. Some states are banning nonessential medical procedures, and several (including Ohio, Alabama, Texas and Oklahoma) have applied these … [Read more...] about Abortion Foes Are Scoring More Wins. Here’s Who is Funding a Powerful Movement
Stand Together: The Koch-Backed Anti-Poverty Group Starting off 2019 with a Bang
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on January 24, 2019.Stand Together, a nonprofit backed by the Koch family and its network, plans to give $10 to $15 million in grants in January to mark “Poverty Awareness Month.” The organization … [Read more...] about Stand Together: The Koch-Backed Anti-Poverty Group Starting off 2019 with a Bang
The Private Money Shaping Public Conversation About Restricting Immigration
For years, the think tanks and organizations that pushed for tougher immigration restrictions operated on the fringes of public policy debates. Now, with a powerful friend in the White House, they are enjoying new influence. Promises to build a wall … [Read more...] about The Private Money Shaping Public Conversation About Restricting Immigration
Man Bites Dog? Not Quite. But Koch Support for Criminal Justice Reform is Pretty Interesting
If you’re an avid reader of Inside Philanthropy, you have no doubt read about various criminal justice research grants and reform initiatives funded by the Charles Koch Foundation. Most recently, Stand Together, a Koch-backed nonprofit, announced a … [Read more...] about Man Bites Dog? Not Quite. But Koch Support for Criminal Justice Reform is Pretty Interesting
7 Tips for Using Tax-Exempt “Charitable” Gifts to Get Your Candidates Elected
Editor’s Note: This article was first published in August 2016. If you have some extra cash, and you want to give your political candidates a boost this fall—while also getting a nice tax break—you’ve come to the right place.We know what you’re … [Read more...] about 7 Tips for Using Tax-Exempt “Charitable” Gifts to Get Your Candidates Elected
Levers of Influence: How These Top Donors Back Conservative Causes
Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein started shipping supply distributor Uline in their basement in 1980. Since then, it’s grown into as much as a $2 billion company, according to Forbes. Lately, the couple have attracted attention as GOP … [Read more...] about Levers of Influence: How These Top Donors Back Conservative Causes
War of Ideas: Conservative Intellectuals Have a Friend in This Foundation
When cybercriminals broke into the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation in 2016, documents came to light laying out the funder’s national strategy: work state-by-state on conservative infrastructure and turn the nation’s overall political culture to … [Read more...] about War of Ideas: Conservative Intellectuals Have a Friend in This Foundation
Extremist: What the Right’s Most Influential Philanthropist Really Thinks
There is no admissions test to join the ranks of top philanthropists. Anyone with enough money can start giving on a large scale and more of the super-wealthy have been stepping forward to do exactly that.Cheerleaders for philanthropy tend to see the … [Read more...] about Extremist: What the Right’s Most Influential Philanthropist Really Thinks
Fortress Mentality: Which Funders Are Working Against Immigration?
The Trump administration’s actions against immigrants and refugees might appear chaotic and impulsive, but over the past eight months they’ve had real impact. From January through July, arrests of undocumented immigrants without criminal histories … [Read more...] about Fortress Mentality: Which Funders Are Working Against Immigration?
A New Challenge to Koch Gifts on Campus Raises Larger Issues About Transparency
Private citizens and foundations donate to universities all the time. It’s not unusual for donors to attach strings to those funds. Maybe the money funds a specific school within a university, or endows a professorship. But finding where the line is … [Read more...] about A New Challenge to Koch Gifts on Campus Raises Larger Issues About Transparency
The Dark Side of Philanthropy: A Look at Tax-Exempt Donations to White Supremacists
Two weeks before the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, about 300 white supremacists converged outside Nashville with far less fanfare. The occasion was the annual American Renaissance conference, where speakers celebrated the rising … [Read more...] about The Dark Side of Philanthropy: A Look at Tax-Exempt Donations to White Supremacists
Inside DonorsTrust: What This Mission-Driven DAF Offers Philanthropists on the Right
If you want to understand the core appeal of DonorsTrust — the top donor-advised fund for conservative and libertarian philanthropists — start with its name. It telegraphs that this is a place that will honor the intent of its clients in terms of how … [Read more...] about Inside DonorsTrust: What This Mission-Driven DAF Offers Philanthropists on the Right
