Deason Foundation
The Deason Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Dallas, Texas that is primarily concerned with criminal justice reform. Although the foundation does not have a significant online presence, other organizations have described the foundation’s mission as working “with charities and directly with politicians at the state and federal levels on initiatives to empower the poor to lift themselves from poverty through criminal justice reform, education reform and free enterprise programs.”[1]
The Deason Foundation has made high-profile donations to criminal justice reform efforts, yet it also provides substantial grant funding to conservative, free-market think tanks; astroturf operations such as the Koch’s Americans for Prosperity; and medical research.
The Deason Foundation’s president, Douglas Deason, also directs Deason Capital Services (DCS), an investment firm also based in Dallas. DCS has approximately $1.5 billion in assets under management. Its portfolio includes public equity and debt securities, hedge funds, private equity that includes direct and fund-based holdings, private debt, oil and gas, and real estate.[2]
Contents
News and Controversies
Founding
The Deason Foundation was founded by billionaire Darwin Deason and is currently managed by his son, Douglas.[3] The family’s fortune comes from Darwin Deason’s involvement in the tech industry: he eventually bought the Dallas data-processing firm MTech, sold it in 1988, and started Affiliated Computer Services (ACS). ACS handled computer and other business process services for E-ZPass, 7-Eleven, UPS and other clients. In 2010, Deason sold his company to Xerox for $6.4 billion.[4]
Partnership with the Koch Foundation
In 2012, Douglas Deason became aligned with Charles Koch, which led to work with Right on Crime, a national campaign of the Texas Public Policy Foundation that “supports conservative solutions for reducing crime, restoring victims, reforming offenders, and lowering taxpayer costs.”[5][6]
The Deason Foundation was one of the founding donors of the Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center, which is housed at Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law in 2016 alongside the Charles Koch Foundation. The Koch Foundation and the Deason Foundation each gave $3.5 million to establish the center.[7]The Deason Center primarily focuses on three criminal justice reform issues: right to counsel; the inclusion of small, tribal and rural (STAR) communities in reform efforts; and prosecutorial discretion. The Deason Center’s director is Pamela R. Metzger, a professor at SMU Dedman School of Law.[8] “The Kochs and I firmly believe this [criminal justice reform] is an important part of our efforts to give everyone — especially the least fortunate — the best shot at a better life,” Deason wrote in an op-ed.[9]
(In 2014, Darwin Deason founded the Darwin Deason Institute for Cyber Security at Southern Methodist University.[10])
Douglas Deason has described his interest in criminal justice reform as stemming from his own minor experiences with the criminal justice system when he was a teenager.[11] “At my family’s company, we have made it a policy to hire qualified nonviolent criminals in the businesses we manage. It doesn’t matter to us if you made a mistake earlier in life — it matters to us whether you can do your job and do it well,” he wrote.
Grants Distributed
A review of the Deason Foundation’s tax filings from 2018 through 2022 found that the nonprofit distributed grants to the following organizations over the following years:
2022
In 2022, the Deason Foundation distributed $2,825,000 in grant funding to the following organizations:
- America First Policy Institute: $100,000
- Blexit Foundation Inc: $120,000
- First Liberty: $20,000
- Goodwill Industries of Dallas Inc: $25,000
- Mike Page: $2,000
- National Medal of Honor Museum: $250,000
- NRA-FAF: $50,000
- SM Wright Foundation: $25,000
- Southern Methodist University: $1,000,000
- Stand Together Foundation: $900,000
- The Steamboat Institute: $5,000
- Turning Point USA: $250,000
- UT Southwestern: $75,000
- Winners for Life: $3,000
2021
In 2021, the Deason Foundation distributed $3,621,430 in grant funding to the following organizations:
- America First Policy Institute: $100,000
- Blexit Foundation Inc: $120,000
- Goodwill Industries of Dallas Inc: $25,000
- MD Anderson Cancer Center: $250,000
- NRA-FAF: $50,000
- SM Wright Foundation: $25,000
- Southern Methodist University: $1,321,430
- Stand Together Foundation: $1,400,000
- Turning Point USA: $250,000
- UT Southwestern: $75,000
- Winners for Life: $5,000
2020
In 2020, the Deason Foundation distributed $3,261,665 in grant funding to the following organizations:
- Americans for Prosperity Foundation: $50,000
- Blexit Foundation: $190,000
- Goodwill Industries of Dallas Inc: $25,000
- MD Anderson Cancer Center: $250,000
- One San Diego: $5,000
- SM Wright Foundation: $15,000
- Southern Methodist University: $1,821,665
- Stand Together Foundation: $650,000
- Turning Point USA: $250,000
- Winners for Life: $5,000
2019
In 2019, the Deason Foundation distributed $2,790,195 in grant funding to the following organizations:
- Americans for Prosperity Foundation: $50,000
- Goodwill Industries of Dallas Inc: $25,000
- MD Anderson Cancer Center: $250,000
- SM Wright Foundation: $25,000
- Southern Methodist University: $1,321,445
- Stand Together Foundation: $650,000
- Texas Public Policy Foundation: $200,000
- Turning Point USA: $260,000
- Winners for Life: $5,000
- Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation: $3,750
2018
In 2018, the Deason Foundation distributed $1,572,500 in grant funding to the following organizations:
- American Cancer Society Cattle Baron's Ball: $35,000
- Anti-Defamation League: $10,000
- Constituting America: $4,500
- MD Anderson Cancer Center: $250,000
- One San Diego: $5,000
- SM Wright Foundation: $50,000
- Summit for Stem Cell: $2,000
- Susan G Komen: $1,000
- Texas Public Policy Foundation: $200,000
- The Seminar Network Trust: $750,000
- Turning Point USA: $250,000
- WB Carrell Clinic Shoulder and Elbow Foundation: $10,000
- Winners for Life: $5,000
Core Financials
2022
- Total Revenue: $10,643,340
- Total Expenses: $3,030,007
- Net Assets: $55,040,907
According to its tax filings, the Deason Foundation received $9,000,001 in noncash contributions from Darwin Deason (again, in Xerox common stock), as well as $1,000,000 in cash.
2021
- Total Revenue: $12,601,628
- Total Expenses: $3,725,663
- Net Assets: $3,725,663
According to its 2021 tax filings, the Deason Foundation received $7,562,800 from Darwin Deason by way of 518,000 shares of Xerox common stock.
2020
- Total Revenue: $12,174,033
- Total Expenses: $3,389,763
- Net Assets: $64,447,252
According to its 2020 tax filings, the Deason Foundation received $10,004,372 in noncash contributions from Darwin Deason by way of 437,063 shares of Xerox common stock.
2019
- Total Revenue: $11,936,595
- Total Expenses: $2,905,178
- Net Assets: $85,653,674
According to its 2019 tax filings, the Deason Foundation received $10,028,640 in cash contributions from Darwin Deason.
2018
- Total Revenue: $11,620,402
- Total Expenses: $1,759,335
- Net Assets: $50,014,583
According to its 2018 tax filings, the Deason Foundation received $10,003,246 in cash and noncash contributions from Darwin Deason by way of 663,890 shares of Xerox common stock.
Personnel
Douglas Deason — a conservative activist and donor from Dallas — previously served as the president of the Deason Foundation.[1] He has served in board or leadership positions for the Dallas County Republican Party, the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), Lone Star Justice Alliance, and Texans for Free Enterprise.[1] He also served as an advisor to the White House on criminal justice reform issues from May 2017 to January 2021, and was appointed to the Florida Foundation of Correctional Excellence by Governor Ron DeSantis in 2021.[12]
Current
- Douglas Deason, President
- Darwin Deason, Treasurer
- Scott Letier, Advisory Employee
- Asher Ladner, Vice President and Secretary – Partial
- Nick Foster, Vice President and Secretary
Contact Information
EIN: 75-2715549
Deason Foundation
3953 Maple Avenue #150
Dallas, TX 75219
Resources and Articles
ExposedbyCMD Articles
- Alex Kotch, Koch Foundation Criticizes Turning Point USA Even as Koch Network Funds the Group, ExposedbyCMD, April 1, 2020.
- Alex Kotch, Trump’s “Social Media Summit” Allies Spread Propaganda Attacking Impeachment, ExposedbyCMD, November 18, 2019.
IRS Filings
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lone Star Justice Alliance, Doug Deason, Lone Star Justice Alliance organizational page, Accessed January 23, 2024.
- ↑ Doug Deason, Doug Deason, Ryan, Accessed January 24, 2024.
- ↑ Inside Philanthropy, Darwin Deason, Inside Philanthropy, Accessed January 24, 2024.
- ↑ Inside Philanthropy, Darwin Deason, Inside Philanthropy, Accessed January 24, 2024.
- ↑ Right on Crime, About, Right on Crime, Accessed January 24, 2024.
- ↑ Christine Perez, Working to Fix a Broken System, D Magazine, September 11, 2023.
- ↑ Philanthropy News Digest, SMU Receives $7 Million for Criminal Justice Reform Center, Philanthropy News Digest, Accessed January 24, 2024.
- ↑ SMU Dedman School of Law, SMU Deason Center Receives Combined $5 Million From Local and National Philanthropies for Continued Legal Defense Research and Advocacy, SMU Dedman School of Law, Accessed January 24, 2024.
- ↑ Douglas Deason, Ruining Lives With Criminal ‘Justice’, New York Times, July 30, 2015.
- ↑ SMU Lyle School of Engineering, Darwin Deason Institute for Cyber Security, SMU Lyle School of Engineering, Accessed January 24, 2024.
- ↑ Douglas Deason, Ruining Lives With Criminal ‘Justice’, New York Times , July 30, 2015.
- ↑ Florida Foundation of Correctional Excellence, Team, Florida Foundation of Correctional Excellence, Accessed January 24, 2024.
