See the accompanying press release.
Appendix I: Foundation Financing Project – Middle East Forum
Over the last few years, the Middle East Forum (MEF) has investigated the last 20 years of donation histories of America’s most prominent corporate, community, donor advised, and private foundations.
Searching through 990 disclosure forms, we identified donations to seven Islamist organizations: Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Relief (IR), the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the Muslim American Society (MAS), the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and its charitable wing, ICNA Relief.
These seven Islamist groups received a total of $5,832,267.30, given by 51 corporate foundations, 8 community foundations, 1 donor-advised fund, and 9 private foundations.
| CAIR | $588,347 |
| IR | $3,935,898 |
| ICNA | $43,345 |
| ICNA Relief | $51,976 |
| ISNA | $649,153 |
| MAS | $118,975 |
| MPAC | $444,573 |
MEF wrote to these 69 foundations, asking them to end funding to these extremist organizations and instead support moderate Muslim groups. The foundations were sent dossiers on CAIR and Islamic Relief that outlined both groups’ links to extremism and terror; as well as summaries of the other Islamist organizations’ histories of promoting hate speech. In addition, many foundations received a copy of a letter from 17 Muslim leaders and activists explaining why their funding was hampering moderate Muslim efforts to free their faith from the grip of extremism.
Corporate Foundations
Most donations from corporate foundations are made through an “employee matching gifts” program, in which a foundation matches an employee’s donation to any 501c3 organization. In almost all cases, the foundation requires only an active 501c3 status for a nonprofit to qualify. Prominent examples include:
1. GE Foundation – $537,159
In March 2017, GE Foundation agreed to stop funding Islamic Relief Worldwide (the charity’s headquarters in Birmingham, UK), but decided to continue donations to IR’s U.S. branch.
2. Intel Foundation – $415,862
Failed to respond.
3. Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies Contribution Fund - $329,608
Refused to stop funding.
4. Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation – $201,594
Failed to respond.
5. Medtronic Foundation – $151,821
Refused to stop funding; cited inclusion on Guidestar, a directory of all 501c3s, as the only necessary qualification to receive donations
6. Verizon Foundation – $139,213
Refused to stop funding; stated they will donate to any 501c3.
Community Foundations
For the most part, community foundations specifically choose Islamist organizations as grant recipients. Prominent examples:
1. Silicon Valley Community Foundation – $330,524
Refused to stop funding; reaffirmed support for CAIR and IR.
2. California Community Foundation – $286,633
Failed to respond.
Donor-Advised Funds and Independent Foundations
A donor-advised fund holds ultimate legal control over which nonprofits receive donations, but by-and-large will accede to the directions of the donor. Prominent examples:
· Schwab Charitable Fund – $452,315
Refused to stop funding.
· Foundation to Promote Open Society – $625,000
Failed to respond.
· Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – $1,382,925
Refused to commit an end to funding, but stated that no future grants were planned.
For extensive data and further information, see the Daily Caller article: “Major US Foundations Gave MILLIONS To Islamic Groups With Ties To Terror”
Appendix II: Islamist Money in Politics Project – Middle East Forum
The Islamist Money in Politics (IMIP) project monitors the political donations of prominent Islamists in the United States and studies their attempts to influence American politics.
To be included in the list of prominent Islamists, a figure must first be associated with one of eighteen different Islamist organizations. These include national groups such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) or the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), both of which have been linked by federal prosecutors to the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as several known fronts for terror groups such as the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP) or the SAAR Network.
For each of the included organizations, figures with prominent positions, such as board members, executive officers, or frequent invited speakers are identified and added to the list. This strategy excludes minor personnel such as low-level volunteers. At present, the resulting list includes over 1,300 people.
Once a person is added to the list, his or her political contribution history is then examined, using data from the Federal Election Commission along with external databases such as OpenSecrets.org. Considerable effort is spent confirming that a given donation was made by the IMIP individual, rather than someone else with the same name. Once a donation is confirmed, it is added to the IMIP database and published on our website. At present, we have catalogued over 3,500 donations, with a combined value of over $1.6 million.
IMIP research has contributed to many articles and op-eds in major national media, such as the Independent Journal Review, the Daily Caller, and National Review, including several prominent articles and media appearances regarding the political influence of the SAAR Network. Additionally, a “Top-Ten Recipients” webpage published in the closing days of the 2016 election was widely circulated and cited in other articles. More recently, IMIP research contributed to the case against Rep. Keith Ellison’s campaign for the chairmanship of the DNC.
The Middle East Forum promotes American interests through activist, intellectual, and philanthropic efforts.
For immediate release
For more information, contact:
Gregg Roman, Director
Roman@MEForum.org
215-546-5406
