Scaife Foundations

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The Scaife Foundations consist of a trio of philanthropic foundations directed by billionaire Richard Mellon Scaife, whose wealth was inherited from the Mellon industrial, oil, aluminum and banking fortune.[1]

  • Sarah Scaife Foundation
  • Carthage Foundation
  • Allegheny Foundation

In addition, two other foundations are also associated with the Richard Scaife and controlled by members of his family:[2]

  • Scaife Family Foundation — previously controlled by Richard Scaife and now under the direction of his children since the early 2000s.[3]
  • Colcom Foundation — established and previously managed by Richard Scaife's late sister, Cordelia Scaife May.[4]

All of these foundations have been heavily involved in financing various conservative causes.[3]

The Scaife foundations

The Scaife family’s foundations, set up by Richard Scaife’s mother, Sarah, were relatively apolitical until her death in 1965, "when Richard assumed greater control of the family fortune and was able to direct his wealth toward the growth of a conservative infrastructure."[5] By 1976, over half of the Scaife foundations’ grant money went to conservative organizations and causes.

Allegheny Foundation

According to its website, the foundation "concentrates its giving in the Western Pennsylvania area and confines most of its grant awards to programs for historic preservation, civic development and education." [6] As a philanthropic organization, Allegheny is officially dedicated to supporting nonpolitical causes. However, the foundation has heavily supported some of the most prominent right-wing institutions, including the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (nearly $2.7 million between 1992 and 2004), the Heritage Foundation (including a $1.25 million donation in 2010), the David Horowitz Freedom Center ($1.2 million since 2000), and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) (more than $1.7 million since 1985).[2]

As of 2011 the foundation was worth $52 million (fair market value).[7]

In 2009, with $28,045,655 in assets (book value), it gave out grants worth over $4 million, including a grant to ALEC.[8]

Carthage Foundation

According to its website, the Carthage Foundation's "grant program is primarily directed toward public policy programs that address major domestic and international issues...[with] no geographical restrictions."[9]

Carthage directs its funding to smaller conservative groups, such as $2.4 million since 1985 to the the Baltimore-based Maldon Institute and $2.2 million since 1995 to the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy.[10] The foundation also gives to larger conservative organizations, such as: the Free Congress Research and Education Foundation (over $5 million since 1985), Judicial Watch ($4.6 million since 1997), the Heritage Foundation ($2.6 million since 1985), and the Washington Legal Foundation ($1.78 million since 1985).[10] It has also given over $1.5 million since 1995 to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which has been designated as an anti-immigrant hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.[10]

As of 2011, the foundation was worth over $29 million (fair market value).[11]

Sarah Scaife Foundation

With over $255 million in assets as of 2010, the Sarah Scaife Foundation is the largest of the foundations currently under Scaife’s control, giving away over $14 million in 2010[5] According to its website, its funding is “primarily directed toward public policy programs that address major domestic and international issues.”[12] In practice, the programs that benefit from the foundation’s grants usually seek to shift public policy to the right.[5] "The foundation’s biggest recipient over the last several decades has been the Heritage Foundation, which got over $23 million between 1985 and 2010 and probably much more in years prior to available records."[5] More big recipients are the Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Hoover Institution, all prominent right-wing think tanks. Others include the American Enterprise Institute (which has received nearly $9 million), and the Media Research Center (which has received over $4 million) as well as millions to organizations like FreedomWorks, the Cato Institute, and the Center for Immigration Studies.[5]

As of 2011, the foundation was worth over $263 million (fair market value).[13]

Scaife became chairman, commenced right wing funding

During the 1960s, Richard Mellon Scaife inherited an estimated $200 million from his mother, Sarah.[citation needed] The Foundation commenced funding "New Right" causes in 1973 when Richard became the foundation's chairman. His net personal worth was estimated at $800 million by Forbes magazine, which made Richard the 38th richest person in the United States.

Grants from 1985-2001

Between 1985 and 2001, the Sarah Scaife Foundation donated $15,860,000 to the Heritage Foundation; $7,333,000 to the Institute for Policy Analysis; $6,995,500 to the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace; $6,693,000 to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS); $4,411,000 to the American Enterprise Institute; $2,575,000 to the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research; $1,855,000 to the George C. Marshall Institute; $1,808,000 to the Hudson Institute; and $1,697,000 to the Cato Institute.[14]

Scaife affiliated foundations

Scaife Family Foundation

( $70 million (fair market value) in 2009) [15]

Transition to daughter's control shifted focus

Recently, however, the Scaife Family Foundation came under the control of Scaife's daughter Jennie and has changed focus. It continues to give some money to conservative causes, but most of its funding now goes to nonpolitical projects such as medical programs, treatment for substance abuse (a problem for several family members) and animal welfare. Jennie Scaife said that her father doesn't support her spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on Planned Parenthood, which supports abortion rights. However, the Charlotte Observer reported in July 2003 that Scaife donated money to Children Requiring A Caring Community, which pays poor women, especially those addicted to drugs, either to be sterilized or to undergo long-term birth control.[16]

Grants from 1985 to 2001

For the years 1985-2001, the Scaife Family Foundation donated $702,640 to the Heritage Foundation; $590,000 to the American Enterprise Institute; $275,000 to the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University; $200,000 to the CSIS; and $175,000 to the New Citizenship Project, Inc., alone.

Colcom Foundation

The Colcom Foundation was directed by Richard Scaife's sister, Cordelia May, until her death in 2005.[4] May was a dedicated conservationist concerned with population growth and a close friend of John Tanton, another conservationist turned an anti-immigration activist, responsible for the creation of a network of anti-immigrant groups, such as Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) and Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).[17][18]

Colcom has given tens of millions of dollars to Tanton's groups, including FAIR, CIS, and NumbersUSA since 2001.[19] From 2008-2010 alone, Colcom gave over 25 million dollars to these and other anti-immigrant organizations.[18]

Funding Islamophobia in the United States

Research from the Center for American Progress (CAP) indicates that a Scaife foundation has funded various organizations and individuals contributing to anti-Islamic sentiment in the United States. The organization contributed $7,875,000 to Islamophobic groups between 2001 and 2009. Some of the main recipients included the Center for Security Policy, the Counterterrorism & Security Education and Research Foundation, and the David Horowitz Freedom Center.[20]

Financial summary

In 1993 alone, the Scaife and Carthage foundations donated more than $17.6 million to conservative think tanks.

Scaife's foundations' grants by 1999

By 1999, the Washington Post reported that Scaife's foundations had given $340 million to conservative causes and institutions.[3] By 2002, they held more than $320 million in assets, and in that year alone they gave away more than $22 million.[4][5][6] Grant recipients included:

Contact information

Scaife Foundations
One Oxford Center
301 Grant Street, Suite 3900
Pittsburgh, PA 15219-6401
Phone: (412) 392-2900
Web: http://www.scaife.com

Articles and resources

References

  1. ↑ Michael Joseph Gross, "A Vast Right-Wing Hypocrisy", Vanity Fair, February 2008
  2. ↑ Jump up to: 2.0 2.1 Bridge Project profile on: "Allegheny Foundation", organizational website, accessed May 2013
  3. ↑ Jump up to: 3.0 3.1 Right Web profile on: "Scaife Foundations", organizational website, accessed May 2013
  4. ↑ Jump up to: 4.0 4.1 Colcom Foundation, "History", organizational website, accessed May 2013
  5. ↑ Jump up to: 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Bridge Project profile on: "Sarah Scaife Foundation", organizational website, accessed May 2013
  6. ↑ Scaife Foundations, "Allegheny Foundation: Application Guidelines", organizational website, accessed 2013
  7. ↑ Economic Research Institute, Nonprofit Organization Information for: "Allegheny Foundation", organizational website, accessed May 2013
  8. ↑ Allegheny Foundation. Media Matters Action Network. Retrieved on 2011-04-25.
  9. ↑ Scaife Foundations, "The Carthage Foundation: Application Guidelines", organizational website, accessed 2013
  10. ↑ Jump up to: 10.0 10.1 10.2 Bridge Project profile on: "The Carthage Foundation", organizational website, accessed May 2013
  11. ↑ Economic Research Institute, Nonprofit Organization Information for:"Carthage Foundation", organizational website, accessed May 2013
  12. ↑ Scaife Foundations, "Sarah Scaife Foundation: Application Guidelines", organizational website, accessed 2013
  13. ↑ Economic Research Institute, Nonprofit Organization Information for: "Sarah Scaife Foundation Inc", Nonprofit Organization Information
  14. ↑ Sarah Scaife Foundation grant recipients (1985-2005). Media Transparency (old site). Retrieved on 2011-10-21. “Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis, Inc. - 9,698,000 (1985-2005)”
  15. ↑ [1]
  16. ↑ [2]
  17. ↑ Katie Lorenze, "Scaife-Funded Network Works Hard to Kill Immigration Reform", PRWatch, May 31, 2013
  18. ↑ Jump up to: 18.0 18.1 Stephen Piggott, "Quiz Time: Which Single Foundation Almost Solely Bankroll’s the Entirety of the John Tanton Network?", Imagine 2050, September 1, 2011
  19. ↑ Bridge Project profile on: "Colcom Foundation", organizational website, accessed May 2013
  20. ↑ Wajahat Ali, Eli Clifton, Matthew Duss, Lee Fang, Scott Keyes, and Faiz Shakir, Fear Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America, CAB, August 2011.

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External resources

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