Conservative Causes
With Support from Right-Wing Funders, This Group Fuels Trump’s Education Agenda
Tracking Liberal Money: A Conversation with CRC’s Scott Walter
This article is being co-published with Inside Political Money. Last month, the Capital Research Center (CRC) — which has tracked the left’s philanthropic and political money since the mid-1980s — got the kind of publicity hit that think tanks … [Read more...] about Tracking Liberal Money: A Conversation with CRC’s Scott Walter
How to Stop the Antichrist on $4 Million a Year: What Peter Thiel Funds
Inside the Push to Privatize Education in a New Gilded Age
Who Are the Donors Contributing to Donald Trump’s Ballroom Project?
The Philanthropy-Backed Think Tank Behind Trump’s Soros Investigation
Backed by Conservative Funders, PragerU May Soon Offer Lessons at a School Near You
The Stoic Philanthropist: Robert Rosenkranz on His Giving
Now Is Not the Time for Climate Philanthropy to Retreat from Washington
The America First Policy Institute’s Deep Ties to the Trump White House
What Is Project Esther and What Does It Mean for Funders — and Civil Society?
Looking Back at Bernie Marcus’ Giving — and What’s Next
Report: Taxpayers Subsidize Billions of Dollars in Funding for Climate Disinformation Groups
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?
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on April 2, 2024. 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 … [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?






























