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Philanthropy Roundtable

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{{#badges:Koch Exposed}}The '''Philanthropy Roundtable''' was established with funding from the [[Bradley Foundation]] and the [[Institute for Educational Affairs]] in 1987 as a 501(c)(3) organization to help facilitate and coordinate conservative grant-makingand foundations. The organization describes itself as "America’s leading network of charitable donors working to strengthen our free society, uphold donor intent, and protect the freedom to give." <ref>The Philanthropy Roundtable, "[http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/who_we_are/about_us/ About Us]", "Philanthropy website", accessed June 10, 2013.</ref> In 1999, Philanthropy Roundtable spun off the Koch-funded [[DonorsTrust]] (DT) and [[Donors Capital Fund]] (DCF), two "donor-advised funds" that create separate accounts for individual donors, who then recommend disbursements from the accounts to different non-profits. The identity of the original mystery donors is therefore cloaked because the funds are then distributed in the name of DT or DCF, contributing another step to what has been called a "murky money maze."<ref>John Mashey, [http://www.desmogblog.com/sites/beta.desmogblog.com/files/fake2.pdf Fake science, fakexperts, funny finances, free of tax 2], ''DeSmog Blog'' report, updated October 23, 2012, p. 19.</ref> [[Whitney L. Ball]], Philanthropy Roundtable's former executive director,<ref>Philanthropy Roundtable, [http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/topic/excellence_in_philanthropy/whitney_ball Whitney Ball: The Future of Donor-Advised Funds], interview from ''Philanthropy'' magazine, September/October 2005.</ref> co-founded the Donors funds and is president and CEO of DT<ref>DonorsTrust, [http://www.donorstrust.org/AboutUs/DirectorsStaff.aspx Directors & Staff], organizational website, accessed July 2014.</ref> and a director of DCF.<ref>Donors Capital Fund, [http://www.donorscapitalfund.org/AboutUs/DirectorsOfficers.aspx Directors & Officers], organizational website, accessed July 2014.</ref>
In 2012, Philanthropy Roundtable recorded an annual revenue of $6,850,567, and $6,109,817 in total expenses, while issuing $250,000 in grants.<ref name="2012 990">Philanthropy Roundtable, [http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2012/132/943/2012-132943020-096bcb2c-9.pdf 2012 IRS form 990], organizational tax filing, April 23, 2013. Accessed July 3, 2014.</ref>
:"Grantmakers, Fink argued, would do well to invest in change along the entire production continuum, funding scholars and university programs where the intellectual framework for social transformation is developed, think tanks where scholarly ideas get translated into specific policy proposals, and implementation groups to bring these proposals into the political marketplace and eventually to consumers."<ref>National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, [http://www.ncrp.org/index.php?option=com_ixxocart&Itemid=41&p=product&id=7&parent=3 Moving a Public Policy Agenda: the Strategic Philanthropy of Conservative Foundations], organizational report, July 1997, [https://web.archive.org/web/20120310131911/http://old.mediatransparency.org/pdaconservativephilanthropy.php quoted here].</ref>
==Background== According to the Institute for Policy Studies, "The Philanthropy Roundtable arose as part of a strategy to build a rightwing funding base to contest the power of the "liberal establishment." The organization was initially financed by the Koch brothers also fund [[Lynde and Harry Bradley FoundationDonorsTrust]] and the [[Institute for Educational AffairsDonors Capital Fund]] and founded , which the Philanthropy Roundtable spun off in 1978 by 1999. The obscure [[Irving KristolKnowledge and Progress Fund]] and former U.S. Treasury Secretary and , controlled by [[Olin FoundationCharles G. Koch]] president , with [[William SimonRichard Fink]]as president, two key figures in shaping the strategies of corporate and rightwing philanthropyhas given only to Donors since 2005.<ref name="mashey">John Mashey, [http://www.desmogblog.com/sites/beta.desmogblog.com/files/fake2. Under their directionpdf Fake science, the IEA aimed to funnel millions fakexperts, funny finances, free of dollars into the "war of ideas" with what they called the "adversary culture"—meaning liberalstax 2], ''DeSmog Blog'' report, updated October 23, progressives2012, and secularistsp. 71. </ref> <ref name="PRW">Connor Gibson, Greenpeace, [http://www.rightweb.irc-onlineprwatch.org/profilenews/2012/Philanthropy_Roundtable Institute For Policy Studies Philanthropy Roundtable Profile], accessed 10/2011819/2011 meet-network-hiding-koch-money-donors-trust-and-donors-capital-fund Meet the Network Hiding the Koch Money: "Donors Trust" and "Donors Capital Fund"], ''PRWatch.org'', originally published by Greenpeace, October 29, 2012.</ref> Each year the Roundtable convenes an annual conference drawing together presenters from conservative advocatesIt gave $1.25 million to Donors in 2007, $1.25 million in 2008, and then $2 million in 2010, media commentators - such as David Brooks from the according to PBS ''New York TimesFrontline'' - and mainstream .<ref>[[non-government organization]]shttp://www. Its November 2004 annual conference at Palm Beach, Florida, USA included a special pre conference environmental meetingpbs. The after dinner speaker was Danish org/wgbh/pages/frontline/environment/climate-of-doubt/robert-brulle-inside-the-climate -change denier [[Bjorn Lomborg-countermovement/ Robert Brulle: Inside the Climate Change “Countermovement”]] while other feature sessions were on oceans and aquaculture policy, the fate of the Amazon forestsPBS ''Frontline'', October 23, environmental education and water policy in Florida2012.</ref>
A feature session of the main conference agenda was a discussion on what to do about teachers unions. [http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/conf_agenda.html].  ===Lack of Transparency===
According to Media Matters database on conservative funders, the Roundtable is outspoken in its opposition to transparency. "The Philanthropy Foundation fights what it considers the increasingly growing public view that foundations should be accountable to the public. The group is opposed to more efforts at transparency, believing that "foundations are private organizations that should be free to make their own governance and grantmaking decisions so long as they operate with integrity and use their assets for genuinely charitable purposes."" <ref> [http://mediamattersaction.org/transparency/organization/Philanthropy_Roundtable/funders?year=- Media Matters Action Network: Conservative Transparency], accessed 10/20/2011 </ref>
===Education Reform a Priority===
In an interview with the ''Chronicle of Philanthropy'', the President of the Philanthropy Roundatble, [[Adam Meyerson]], indicated that education 'reform' was one of the key priorities for the organisation during [[George W. Bush]]'s second term, "President Bush has the potential to be the most important president in the history of American education -- the president who finally solves our crisis in the education of low-income children. But he cannot achieve this breakthrough simply through the federal [[No Child Left Behind]] law, the focus of his first term. Reform of education is going to come primarily from the ground up -- from state and local government, and from philanthropists and social entrepreneurs," he said.[http://philanthropy.com/free/articles/v17/i03/03000701.htm]
===Links to Neoconservatives===
According to the [[Institute for Policy Studies]], the Roundtable has well-established links to prominent neoconservatives:
===2013 Finances and Donations===
 In 2013 , the Philanthropy Roundtable received grants from the following organizations:<ref>American Bridge 21st Century Foundation Conservative Transparency Project, [http://conservativetransparency.org/recipient/philanthropy-roundtable/ Philanthropy Roundtable TransactionsFinancials], ''ConservativeTransparency.org'', accessed July 7, 2014.</ref> 
*[[John William Pope Foundation]] - $25,000
*[[Tepper Family Foundation]] -$1,000
*[[Armstrong Foundation]] - $2,500
*[[The Roe Foundation]] - $2,500
*[[DonorsTrust]] -$13,100
*[[Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation]] - $5,000
*[[Jaquelin Hume Foundation]] - $40,000
===2011 Finances and Donations===
 
In 2011, Philanthropy Roundtable received funding from the following right-wing organizations that comprise the '''[[State Policy Network]]''' (SPN):<ref>American Bridge Foundation Conservative Transparency Project, [http://conservativetransparency.org/recipient/philanthropy-roundtable/ Philanthropy Roundtable Transactions], accessed July 7, 2014.</ref>
===2010 Finances and Donations===
In 2010, Philanthropy Roundtable received funding from the following right-wing organizations that comprise the '''[[State Policy Network]]''' (SPN):<ref name="BridgeProject_Finances"/>:
In 2010, Philanthropy Roundtable received funding from the following right-wing organizations that comprise the '''[[State Policy Network]]''' (SPN):<ref name="BridgeProject_Finances">American Bridge 21st Century Foundation, [http://conservativetransparency.org/recipient/philanthropy-roundtable/?order_by=donor_name+ASC#grants Philanthropy Roundtable Financial Record], "ConservativeTransparency.org", accessed July 2014.</ref> :[[DonorsTrust]]: $2310023,100:[[Roe Foundation]]: $25002,500:[[Thomas B. Fordham Foundation]]: $1000010,000
:[[Donors Capital Fund]]: $248,400
Other major right-wing organizations that contributed grants to the Philanthropy Roundtable in 2011 include:
 :[[Diana Davis Spencer Foundation]]: $1000010,000
:[[Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation]]: $260,000
:[[Scaife Family Foundation]]: $2000020,000:[[Gilder Foundation]]: $10000 10,000 :[[Earhart Foundation]]: $1000010,000:[[William E. Simon Foundation]]: $5550055,500:[[Challenge Foundation]]: $5000050,000:[[Earhart Foundation]]: $1500015,000:[[Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation]]: $50005,000
:[[William E. Simon Foundation]]: $360,000
:[[JM Foundation]]: $2500025,000:[[Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation]]; $2500025,000:[[Joyce and Donald Rumsfeld Foundation]]: $10001,000:[[Jaquelin Hume Foundation]]: $2500025,000:[[Deramus Foundation]]: $50005,000:[[Castle Rock Foundation]]: $6000060,000:[[Allegheny Foundation]]: $1500015,000:[[Lillian S. Wells Foundation]]: $5000050,000
:[[Philip M. McKenna Foundation]]: $500
:[[Vernon K. Krieble Foundation]]: $25002,500:[[Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation]] : $1000010,000:[[Walton Family Foundation]]: $150,000:[[Colcom Foundation]]: $50005,000
:[[Searle Freedom Trust]]: $100,000
==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Koch Connection]]
Rebekah Wilce
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