Sean Fieler
/SOURCE OF WEALTH: President of Equinox Partners
FUNDING AREAS: Reproductive Health, Education, Religion & Religious Liberty, Policy
OVERVIEW: Sean and Ana Fieler conduct their philanthropy through the Chiaroscuro Fund (formerly the Chiaroscuro Foundation), a DAF administered by the Catholic-oriented Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund. The couple has interests in anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ legislation, reproductive health, education, religion and religious liberty, policy, and more. Available tax filings indicate that the foundation awarded around $3.25 million in grants in 2017. Fieler chairs the American Principles Project and is a member of the board of Witherspoon Institute, the Manhattan Institute, and the Dominican Foundation, among others. Fieler also funds the Chiaroscuro Institute.
BACKGROUND: Sean Fieler graduated from Williams College with a degree in political economy in 1995. Upon completion of his undergraduate studies, he joined Equinox Partners. In 2001, he was named a managing member of Equinox Partners and Kuroto Fund. Fieler is currently president of Equinox Partners and lives with his family in Princeton, New Jersey.
ISSUES:
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH: The Chiaroscuro Fund's website states that it aims to "defend those who lack the protection of the law and are unable to protect themselves. We offer the poor healthcare and educational opportunities that they need to thrive. We offer the saving grace of Jesus to all while defending everyone’s unalienable right to exercise the religion of their own choosing." Two of the foundation's grantmaking areas are reproductive health and anti-abortion advocacy. From 2014 to 2017, the Chiaroscuro Foundation gave a $3.1 million over multiple grants to Fertility Education & Medical Management (FEMM)—an organization that teaches women to be aware of their hormonal cycles, for those who are against contraception and rely instead on the "rhythm method." The Fielers have recently supported the National Abstinence Education Foundation and Susan B. Anthony List Education Fund, a "political action committee helping pro-life women gain election to Congress." Sums have also gone to Love & Fidelity Network which "builds the next generation of leaders for marriage, family, and sexual integrity."
EDUCATION & POLICY: The fund's website states that it "supports efforts to emphasize parents’ primary responsibility for their children’s education and minimize state interference." Fieler has long been opposed to the Common Core, which he sees as part of the nationalization of K–12 education. To fight it, he has mobilized the American Principles Project (APP), a think-tank and advocacy organization. Fieler has supported outfits such as School Choice Foundation, EdChoice, formerly the Foundation for Educational Choice, and Common Core Watch. Fieler also aims to advance his views through policy institutes, including Witherspoon Institute in Princeton, an "independent research center that works to enhance public understanding of the moral foundations of free and democratic societies," William F. Buckley’s National Review Institute, and the Howard Center for Family, Religion, and Society, among many others.
RELIGION & RELIGIOUS LIBERTY: Fieler is a devout Catholic, and his foundation has a specific funding area called "evangelization," and another called "religious liberty." Between 2016 and 2017, the foundation awarded $360,000 over multiple grants to the Sophia Institute, a nonprofit "that nurtures the spiritual, moral, and cultural life of souls and spreads the Gospel of Christ in conformity with the authentic teachings of the Roman Catholic Church." Other funding has gone to Catholic Voices, Dominican Foundation, Catholic University School of Business, Thomas Aquinas College, and more. The foundation has also supported the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, and the Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund, whose mission is to "defend religious freedom by providing protective legal services at the trial level to persons whose religious liberty and free-speech rights have been attacked."
OTHER: Between 2012 and 2016, around $770,000 went to the African Mission Health Foundation, which supports the "effective efforts of faith-based health workers across Africa." The Fieler’s have also supported the Blas F. Ople Policy Center & Training Institute, which handles "labor and migration concerns and develops programs to empower overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)" and their families.
LOOKING FORWARD: Fieler is running a unique philanthropic operation and is clear about his convictions. It is unclear, however, how much Fieler is worth or whether he will step up his spending in future years. But expect him to continue to support his interest areas in the coming years.
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