DonorsTrust and its sister organization Donors Capital Fund have been dubbed the "dark-money ATM of The Right" and have acted as middlemen between anonymous wealthy donors and right-wing causes since the late 1990s.
DonorsTrust and its affiliate organization, Donors Capital Fund, are two of the most influential conservative donor-advised funds in contemporary American politics. In 2013, Mother Jones dubbed DonorsTrust the “dark-money ATM of the right.” Donors Capital Fund functions like DonorsTrust but is intended for individuals who plan to contribute large sums of money to right-wing causes. An initial gift of at least $1 million is required in order to open a donor-advised fund with Donors Capital Fund, whereas DonorsTrust accepts first-time contributions of $10,000 or more.
In 2002, just three years after its founding, DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund reported disbursing $1.4 million in grants. By 2010, the two groups had distributed more than $63 million. As of 2021, the most recent year reported, the combined disbursement from DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund topped $188.1 million.
Contributions to Donors Trust in 2021 amounted to nearly $1.1 billion, the group’s largest annual intake of donations on record. The income included closely held common stock in a C-corporation with an end-of-year market value of more than $431 million.
Federal law protects most contributors to DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund from disclosing their identities. However, conservative foundations have disclosed accounts with DonorsTrust in their tax filings. These include the Searle Freedom Trust, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the John M. Olin Foundation, and the Castle Rock Foundation (the Coors family foundation). Tax filings have also tied the Koch family to DonorsTrust – for example, the Knowledge and Progress Fund, whose board included Charles Koch, reported giving $4.85 million to DonorsTrust in 2013.
Over the years, DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund have financed numerous organizations advancing a number of conservative and far-right causes. They include:
DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund were founded in 1999 by libertarian activists Whitney Ball and Kimberly Dennis, who both previously worked for Philanthropy Roundtable. A predecessor of DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund, Philanthropy Roundtable continues to act as a middleman between wealthy conservatives donors and organizations by advising donors on how best to distribute their money. Unlike Philanthropy Roundtable, DonorsTrust has sought more direct control over donations, taking contributions directly from donors and distributing them anonymously to organizations that share the group’s conservative worldview.
Lawson Bader has served as president and CEO of DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund since 2015. Prior to joining the funds, Bader was president of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, vice president of the Mercatus Center, and on the board of State Policy Network. All three nonprofits are linked to the Koch family and have received multiple donations from DonorsTrust.
Outside of his work at Koch-backed organizations, Bader has worked as the manager of government relations at SRI International; a legislative analyst with the D.C. law firm Pierson, Semmes and Finley; and as a special assistant to the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs.
Kimberly O. Dennis is a right-wing operative involved in conservative philanthropy since the 1980s and the co-founder of DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund.
Dennis started her professional career in 1980 as a staffer at the John Olin Foundation, one of the first nonprofits to engage in mass giving to conservative organizations – including the influential Federalist Society. Since the late nineties, Dennis has worked for Searle Freedom Trust – a multi-million dollar private foundation founded by the pharmaceutical executive Daniel C. Searle in 1998 to promote “individual freedom and economic liberty” – where she currently serves as the trust’s president. Although Searle Freedom Trust has supported a number of conservative causes since its formation, it is perhaps most known for funding Students for Fair Admissions, a right-wing organization that has sought to end affirmative action in higher education. Financial support from the Searle Freedom Trust has gone to support SFFA lawsuits, including a 2016 Supreme Court case challenging the University of Texas at Austin’s undergraduate admissions policy.
In addition to her work at the Searle Freedom Trust, Dennis has directed the National Research Initiative, a Searle-financed program at the American Enterprise Institute, a right-of-center think tank. Dennis has also served on the boards of Koch-backed Property and Environment Research Center and George Mason University, which is well known for its Koch ties.
Whitney Ball co-founded DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund with Kimberly O. Dennis in 1999. She served as the president and CEO of DonorsTrust, as well as the president of Donors Capital Fund, until her death in 2015.
Prior to founding DonorsTrust, Ball was a long time conservative operative. Ball worked at the Cato Institute and served on the board of the State Policy Network. Both groups have connections to the Koch family.
When recruiting wealthy individuals to donate to DonorsTrust, Ball emphasized that their contributions could influence American politics long after their death and without the possibility that their heirs or trustees would use their inheritance to support liberal causes.
Ball died from breast cancer in August 2015. After Ball’s death, an ally wrote in The National Review that “no one knew the landscape of the conservative movement better than Whitney Ball.”
DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund have significant connections to the Koch political donor network. The current president of both groups, Lawson Bader, was previously the president of the Competitive Enterprise Institute and vice president of the Mercatus Center, two Koch-backed entities.
The Bradley Foundation as well as the DeVos, Searle, and Mercer families have all been identified as donors to DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund.
Groups that have led the fight to end affirmative action in public education have received funding from DonorsTrust – including a longstanding relationship with the Project on Fair Representation, a 501(c)(3) organization “designed to support litigation that challenges racial and ethnic classifications and preferences in state and federal courts.” Founded in 2005, the group has been involved in multiple Supreme Court cases challenging affirmative action, including Fisher v. University of Texas and Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard University. DonorsTrust fully financed the Project on Fair Representation in the first few years of its existence, according to Reuters. The organization’s 2019 tax filings showed that it gave $100,000 to the Project on Fair Representation, representing roughly a third of the group’s total revenue that year.
Funding from DonorsTrust has also gone to Students for Fair Admissions, the plaintiffs in a potentially consequential Supreme Court case which could end affirmative action in college admissions. The group received $1.5 million in 2018. The following year, Students for Fair Admissions took in $250,000 from DonorsTrust.
DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund have played a significant role in the climate denial movement. The American sociologist Robert Brulle found that in 2010, DonorsTrust provided 24% of the total funding of over 100 conservative groups that promoted climate science denialism. In Brulle’s updated 2021 analysis covering the period between 2003 to 2018, DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund still ranked among the most significant funders of the movement disrupting action on climate change. Other funders included the Scaife Family Foundations, the Searle Freedom Trust, the Devos Family Foundations, the John Templeton Foundation, and the Charles Koch Institute and Foundation.
DonorsTrust’s Growth and Resilience Project promoted libertarian economics in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project sought to ensure “the American citizen sees government intrusion into our lives and livelihoods as counterproductive and harmful.” They accomplished this by funding organizations and networks like the Franklin News Foundation, Free the People, and the State Policy Network.
DonorsTrust has funded Project Veritas, the right-wing organization which mounts espionage-style video stings and spreads misinformation. In 2020, DonorsTrust facilitated a donation of more than $1 million to Project Veritas.
DonorsTrust and Capital Fund have financed anti-labor organizations, like the Employment Policies Institute, which ran a national fight against raising the minimum wage and enacting paid sick leave. In 2020, DonorsTrust gave $25,500 to the Employment Policies Institute.
In 2021, The Daily Beast reported that DonorsTrust gave more than $2 million to white supremacist groups the previous year. One of these organizations, the VDARE Foundation, received $70,000 in 2020 and $1.3 million in 2019 from DonorsTrust. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, VDARE “has long served as a bridge between more mainstream anti-immigrant groups and the white nationalist fringe.”
DonorsTrust gave an additional $1.3 million to Young Americans for Liberty and another $600,000 to the New Century Foundation, both groups with connections to white supremacists and white nationalist organizations.
From 2014 to 2018, DonorsTrust and Capital Fund gave more than $2.7 million to Southern Poverty Law Center-designated hate groups, including anti-LGBTQ groups Alliance Defending Freedom and the Pacific Justice Initiative.
Anti-Muslim groups such as the Center for Security Policy and the David Horowitz Freedom Center have received millions from the Donors Family since 2014.
Groups associated with the conservative activist Leonard Leo have been major beneficiaries of DonorsTrust and Capital Fund. Leo is widely known for being a confidant to former President Trump and served as Trump’s Supreme Court Advisor during the nominations of Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. Through his efforts as vice president of the Federalist Society, Leo aided the conservative movement in securing an ideological majority on the Supreme Court, leading to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the expansion of gun rights, and the restriction of environmental protections.
Since 2005, Leo has operated a growing “network of interlocking nonprofits” that aggressively support conservative judges and champion right-wing causes through “dark money” media campaigns. Several have received financing from DonorsTrust.
The 85 Fund is a 501(c)(3) organization that is closely connected to Leonard Leo. In 2020, Leo announced his plans to rebrand the Judicial Education Fund as the 85 Fund, with the goal of funneling large sums of money into conservative causes. After legally changing its name from the Judicial Education Project, the 85 Fund’s fundraising skyrocketed to over $50 million, up from an average of $5-15 million in years prior. More than $20 million of the group’s 2020 revenue came from DonorsTrust.
The 85 Fund is the parent organization of several “fictitious” entities that operate under the 85 Fund banner, including the Honest Elections Project. Prior to the 2020 election, HEP spread disinformation and made unfounded allegations the Democrats were “cheating” and pushed for voter roll purges. HEP spent $250,000 on ads against mail-in voting, calling the practice a “brazen attempt to manipulate the election system for partisan advantage.”
HEP also sent letters and threatened to sue Colorado, Florida, and Michigan over what they called “suspiciously high” voter rolls.
HEP Executive Director Jason Snead hosted a webinar for the State Policy Network ahead of the 2020 election on “voter fraud messaging.” As the group’s spokesperson, Snead has penned op-eds and spoken on behalf of the organization.
Since the 2020 election, the organization has advocated for laws to roll back policies designed to expand voting access.
The group also filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in Moore v. Harper (2022), a controversial and potentially consequential case which could result in pervasive partisan gerrymandering.
A 2020 tax filing for Leonard Leo’s 501(c)(4) organization Marble Freedom Trust showed that the organization contributed $41.1 million to DonorsTrust that year.
Leo is the chairman of Marble Freedom Trust, a nonprofit formed in 2020 that received a $1.6 billion contribution in 2021 from electronics manufacturing mogul and conservative mega donor Barre Seid. The unprecedented single-gift contribution was likely the largest donation of its kind to a politically oriented nonprofit in American history. According to an analysis by The New York Times, it is “more than the total of $1.5 billion spent in 2020 by 15 of the most politically active non-profit organizations that generally align with Democrats.”
The $41.4 million contribution to DonorsTrust was part of over $200 million that Marble Freedom Trust donated to other Leo-linked organizations and a separate charitable fund in 2020.
DonorsTrust has facilitated donations to the Federalist Society, the United States’ most prominent law association for conservatives. Leo has been involved in the society since the early nineties and currently serves as its co-chairman.
In 2019, the year before Leo assumed the co-chair position, the Federalist Society received $7 million from DonorsTrust, up from $5.9 million the year prior.
DonorsTrust’s grantmaking in 2022 totaled $241,208,023 according to its annual IRS Form 990 for that year. Much of that went to right-wing organizations.
| Recipient | Sum of amount of cash grant |
| Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Development Office | $14,500,000.00 |
| Bradley Impact Fund | $12,727,215.00 |
| Consumers’ Research Inc. | $9,010,000.00 |
| State Policy Network | $8,692,400.00 |
| Catholic University of America | $8,665,000.00 |
| Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine | $7,964,611.00 |
| Human Rights Foundation | $6,846,000.00 |
| Texas A&M Foundation | $5,000,000.00 |
| Green Light Project | $4,650,000.00 |
| Real Clear Foundation | $4,400,000.00 |
| ACANI Inc. | $4,300,000.00 |
| Federalist Society | $4,287,900.00 |
| GMU Foundation | $4,150,000.00 |
| Ohio State University Foundation | $3,872,791.00 |
| Constitutional Defense Fund | $3,650,000.00 |
| Young Americans for Liberty Foundation | $3,346,500.00 |
| Teneo Network Inc. | $3,049,000.00 |
| Lucy Burns Institute | $2,995,450.00 |
| One Generation Away | $2,900,000.00 |
| Certell Inc. | $2,800,000.00 |
| Foundation for Government Accountability | $2,530,150.00 |
| Discovery Institute | $2,516,100.00 |
| Passages America Israel Inc. | $2,500,000.00 |
| With Angels Foundation | $2,350,000.00 |
| FDRLST Media Foundation | $2,325,000.00 |
| Middle East Forum | $2,301,150.00 |
| Club for Growth Foundation | $2,150,500.00 |
| Success Academy Charter Schools | $2,050,100.00 |
| Mackinac Center for Public Policy | $2,046,250.00 |
| People United for Privacy Foundation | $1,727,000.00 |
| Americans for Public Trust | $1,579,000.00 |
| Informing America Foundation | $1,500,000.00 |
| Government Accountability Institute | $1,500,000.00 |
| Turning Point USA | $1,447,380.00 |
| Acton Institute | $1,431,900.00 |
| Competitive Enterprise Institute | $1,335,350.00 |
| Code 3 Association | $1,300,000.00 |
| Heartland Institute | $1,266,400.00 |
| Economic Fundamentals Initiative | $1,250,000.00 |
| Decriminalize Sex Work | $1,250,000.00 |
| Moving Picture Institute | $1,227,500.00 |
| Philanthropy Roundtable | $1,223,100.00 |
| Institute for Justice | $1,153,750.00 |
| Emergent Order Foundation | $1,150,000.00 |
| Atlas Economic Research Foundation | $1,141,286.00 |
| Freedom Works Foundation | $1,132,000.00 |
| American Council of Trustees and Alumni | $1,126,850.00 |
| CERGE-EI Foundation | $1,125,000.00 |
| CERGE-EI Foundation | $1,125,000.00 |
| Project Veritas | $1,088,650.00 |
| Independent Institute | $1,088,350.00 |
| New Civil Liberties Alliance | $1,005,000.00 |
| South Texas College of Law Houston | $1,000,000.00 |
| Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception | $1,000,000.00 |
| MedStar-Georgetown Medical Center | $1,000,000.00 |
| Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago | $1,000,000.00 |
| Jewish Federations of North America | $1,000,000.00 |
| American Friends of Start-Up Nation Central | $1,000,000.00 |
| Institute for Free Speech | $947,900.00 |
| Energy & Environment Legal Institute | $943,000.00 |
| Conservative Partnership Institute | $937,000.00 |
| Fund for American Studies | $906,890.00 |
| Fair Lines America Foundation | $900,000.00 |
| American Constitutional Rights Union | $900,000.00 |
| Front Line Covid-19 Critical Care Alliance | $851,000.00 |
| Freedom Foundation of America | $835,000.00 |
| Inference: The International Review of Science | $810,000.00 |
| Color Us United | $801,000.00 |
| Citizens Alliance of America Foundation | $755,000.00 |
| Job Creators Network Foundation | $751,000.00 |
| Daily Caller News Foundation | $750,000.00 |
| Center for Common Sense in Science | $750,000.00 |
| Wyoming Liberty Group | $730,000.00 |
| Chabad of Southampton | $730,000.00 |
| Center for Security Policy | $719,500.00 |
| Center for Independent Thought | $697,500.00 |
| Texas Public Policy Foundation | $685,500.00 |
| Cherish Freedom Foundation | $675,000.00 |
| Capital Research Center | $667,250.00 |
| Moms for America | $636,660.00 |
| Alliance Defending Freedom | $634,014.00 |
| Grassroot Institute of Hawaii | $625,063.00 |
| American Enterprise Institute | $614,100.00 |
| Belize Zoo and Neotropical Conservancy | $610,000.00 |
| Philos Project | $600,000.00 |
| Mathematical Sciences Research Institute | $600,000.00 |
| Holy Trinity Church | $600,000.00 |
| Center for American Greatness | $600,000.00 |
| Ave Maria School of Law | $600,000.00 |
| Project on Fair Representation | $575,000.00 |
| America’s Future Foundation | $571,023.00 |
| Prager University Foundation | $568,000.00 |
| Hoover Institution at Stanford University | $530,220.00 |
| Free To Choose Network | $525,700.00 |
| Institute on Religion & Democracy | $525,000.00 |
| Freedom Foundation | $516,500.00 |
| World Monuments Fund | $500,000.00 |
| William Marsh Rice University | $500,000.00 |
| Mercy Center Foundation USA | $500,000.00 |
| Judicial Education Institute | $500,000.00 |
| Institute of World Politics | $500,000.00 |
| Human Coalition | $500,000.00 |
| National Review Institute | $483,650.00 |
| Heritage Foundation | $482,780.00 |
| Central Fund of Israel | $460,000.00 |
| Parents Defending Education | $455,100.00 |
| GMU Foundation | $450,500.00 |
| Foundation for Economic Education | $440,740.00 |
| Communio Foundation | $435,250.00 |
| Legacy Foundation | $423,000.00 |
| Private Citizen | $400,000.00 |
| Mysa School | $400,000.00 |
| Pacific Legal Foundation | $395,120.00 |
| Conservative Agenda Project | $391,000.00 |
| Goldwater Institute | $386,500.00 |
| Children’s Scholarship Fund | $385,500.00 |
| Advancing American Freedom Foundation | $380,000.00 |
| Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation | $350,000.00 |
| Students for Liberty | $344,000.00 |
| Leadership Institute | $327,860.00 |
| Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute | $326,000.00 |
| Market Research Foundation | $325,000.00 |
| Cato Institute | $318,390.00 |
| Thomas Aquinas College | $301,500.00 |
| Families Against Mandatory Minimums Foundation | $301,000.00 |
| American Spectator Foundation | $300,100.00 |
| Tikvah Fund | $300,000.00 |
| Reclaim New York | $300,000.00 |
| New York University | $300,000.00 |
| Institute for Advanced Study | $300,000.00 |
| Edmund Burke Foundation | $300,000.00 |
| Defense of Freedom Institute | $297,250.00 |
| Taxpayer Foundation of Oregon | $288,500.00 |
| Investigative Project on Terrorism Foundation | $280,000.00 |
| Reason Foundation | $278,570.00 |
| California Policy Center | $270,000.00 |
| Think Freely Media Inc. | $260,000.00 |
| Judicial Watch | $258,450.00 |
| Yale University | $250,000.00 |
| William Marsh Rice University | $250,000.00 |
| Marwen Foundation | $250,000.00 |
| GMU Foundation | $250,000.00 |
| Battlefront | $250,000.00 |
| Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (Now: Foundation for Individu | $249,950.00 |
| National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation Inc. | $242,800.00 |
| Ethics & Public Policy Center | $235,000.00 |
| Speech First Inc. | $228,100.00 |
| Empire Center for Public Policy Inc. | $228,000.00 |
| Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust | $225,000.00 |
| Unconstrained Analytics | $220,000.00 |
| The Legalization Project | $210,000.00 |
| Security Research Associates Inc. | $210,000.00 |
| True the Vote | $207,100.00 |
| Institute for Humane Studies | $204,500.00 |
| National Center for Public Policy Research Inc. | $203,000.00 |
| Tea Party Patriots Foundation | $202,500.00 |
| American Transparency | $202,000.00 |
| Virginia Institute for Public Policy | $200,000.00 |
| Orchestra of St. Luke’s | $200,000.00 |
| Iron Light Labs | $200,000.00 |
| Harvard Business School | $200,000.00 |
| Foundation for AIDS Research | $200,000.00 |
| American Juris Link | $200,000.00 |
| American Foreign Policy Council | $200,000.00 |
| Achievement First Inc. | $200,000.00 |
| Beacon Center of Tennessee | $194,100.00 |
| American Diplomacy Foundation | $191,000.00 |
| American Legislative Exchange Council | $185,100.00 |
| Franklin News Foundation | $185,000.00 |
| Yankee Institute | $180,000.00 |
| Center for the New American Frontier | $178,750.00 |
| Warren Baptist Church Augusta | $175,000.00 |
| Jewish National Fund | $170,000.00 |
| Independent Women’s Forum | $165,000.00 |
| Independence Institute | $161,000.00 |
| Media Research Center | $160,600.00 |
| Young America’s Foundation | $154,100.00 |
| Students for Fair Admissions | $153,100.00 |
| Chabad of the Emerald Coast | $152,000.00 |
| VMTS Education Inc. | $150,000.00 |
| The Policy Circle | $150,000.00 |
| Southern Methodist University | $150,000.00 |
| Protect Our Parks | $150,000.00 |
| Kansas Policy Institute | $150,000.00 |
| Invest in Education Foundation | $150,000.00 |
| Institute for the American Worker | $150,000.00 |
| Institute for Citizen Focused Service | $150,000.00 |
| Doe Fund | $150,000.00 |
| Crime Prevention Research Center | $145,000.00 |
| Chabad Jewish Center of Jupiter | $145,000.00 |
| David Horowitz Freedom Center | $142,000.00 |
| Leverage Research Inc. | $135,000.00 |
| Network for a Free Society | $134,003.00 |
| Mountain States Legal Foundation | $133,350.00 |
| Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy | $132,700.00 |
| Becket Fund for Religious Liberty | $130,500.00 |
| Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow | $130,420.00 |
| Student Free Press Association | $130,150.00 |
| America First Legal Foundation | $129,250.00 |
| PSSI Washington | $125,000.00 |
| Naples Children and Education Foundation Inc. | $125,000.00 |
| First Freedoms Foundation Inc. | $125,000.00 |
| Hillsdale College | $121,320.00 |
| James Madison Institute for Public Policy | $120,800.00 |
| Students for Sensible Drug Policy Foundation | $120,000.00 |
| New Harvest | $120,000.00 |
| Immigration Reform Law Institute | $120,000.00 |
| Ricochet Productions | $116,229.00 |
| Yeshivas Chsan Sofer Inc. | $115,000.00 |
| Center for Transparency Policy | $115,000.00 |
| Center for Urban Renewal and Education | $112,100.00 |
| PEF – Israel Endowment Funds | $112,000.00 |
| Commentary Inc. | $110,300.00 |
| Garden State Initiative | $110,000.00 |
| Committee to Unleash Prosperity | $110,000.00 |
| American Institute for Economic Research | $108,600.00 |
| Mercatus Center at GMU | $107,750.00 |
| Dallas Express Media | $107,000.00 |
| NumbersUSA Education & Research Foundation | $106,600.00 |
| Georgia Public Policy Foundation | $106,000.00 |
| First Baptist Church of Albany | $105,630.00 |
| The Fairness Center | $105,450.00 |
| Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty | $105,100.00 |
| State Financial Officers Foundation | $105,000.00 |
| Pelican Institute for Public Policy | $105,000.00 |
| John Locke Foundation | $103,000.00 |
| Samaritan’s Purse | $102,800.00 |
| Compassion and Choices | $102,220.00 |
| Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research | $101,000.00 |
| Claremont Institute | $100,500.00 |
| Second Amendment Foundation | $100,120.00 |
| University of Texas – Austin | $100,000.00 |
| Stand Together | $100,000.00 |
| Roots & Wings Foundation | $100,000.00 |
| red bird | $100,000.00 |
| RAM Veterans Foundation | $100,000.00 |
| NextBook | $100,000.00 |
| Merona Leadership Foundation | $100,000.00 |
| Lemonade Day | $100,000.00 |
| Foundation for Cultural Review | $100,000.00 |
| Foundation for American Freedom | $100,000.00 |
| Center for Freedom and Safety | $100,000.00 |
| Cascade Policy Institute | $100,000.00 |
| American Federation for Children Growth Fund | $100,000.00 |
| Academic Freedom Alliance | $100,000.00 |
| Empower Mississippi Foundation | $99,500.00 |
| PERC | $97,800.00 |
| Informed Consent Action Network | $93,000.00 |
| Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives | $92,450.00 |
| Louisiana Swamp Watch | $89,000.00 |
| Manhattan Institute for Policy Research | $87,500.00 |
| Woodson Center | $85,000.00 |
| Oregon Small Business Association Foundation | $82,500.00 |
| The Epoch Times Association | $80,900.00 |
| Center for Individual Rights | $80,200.00 |
| Georgetown University | $80,000.00 |
| Archbridge Institute | $77,500.00 |
| Parents Unite | $75,000.00 |
| Institute for Reforming Government | $75,000.00 |
| End It For Good | $75,000.00 |
| ACE Scholarships | $75,000.00 |
| Pacific Research Institute | $72,500.00 |
| Palm Beach Orthodox Synagogue Inc. | $72,000.00 |
| Mt. Vernon Ladies Association | $71,550.00 |
| Heterodox Academy | $71,300.00 |
| Truth for Health Foundation | $70,000.00 |
| Blain Motorsports Foundation | $70,000.00 |
| Texans for Excellence in Education | $68,000.00 |
| America First Policy Institute | $67,000.00 |
| Cru | $66,000.00 |
| First Presbyterian Church of Augusta | $65,000.00 |
| Care Net | $65,000.00 |
| American Principles Project Foundation | $65,000.00 |
| Greater Horizons | $62,322.00 |
| American Friends of Policy Exchange | $62,017.00 |
| Fractured Atlas | $62,000.00 |
| Salvation Army | $61,000.00 |
| Americans for Fair Treatment | $60,450.00 |
| The Long Now Foundation | $60,000.00 |
| Montana State University Foundation | $60,000.00 |
| Intelligence Squared U.S. Foundation (Open To Debate Foundation) | $60,000.00 |
| American Endeavor Inc. | $60,000.00 |
| Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program | $59,285.00 |
| Americans for Prosperity Foundation | $56,750.00 |
| Roger Scruton Legacy Foundation | $56,480.00 |
| Chabad Lubavitch Center | $55,818.00 |
| Intercollegiate Studies Institute | $55,690.00 |
| Georgia Center for Opportunity | $55,500.00 |
| Texas Foundation for Education Rights | $55,000.00 |
| Students for Life of America | $55,000.00 |
| American Prairie Reserve | $55,000.00 |
| Nevada Policy Research Institute | $53,500.00 |
| American Public Servants Charitable Foundation | $53,000.00 |
| Center for American Liberty | $52,900.00 |
| United Charitable | $52,500.00 |
| Bill of Rights Institute | $51,400.00 |
| National Legal & Policy Center | $51,000.00 |
| Shriners Hospitals for Children | $50,100.00 |
| World Servants | $50,000.00 |
| Webb School of Knoxville | $50,000.00 |
| University of Notre Dame | $50,000.00 |
| The Rock Church | $50,000.00 |
| The Filmmakers Collaborative | $50,000.00 |
| The 85 Fund | $50,000.00 |
| TalkIsrael Foundation | $50,000.00 |
| St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church – Portland OR | $50,000.00 |
| Santa Clara University | $50,000.00 |
| Potluck in the Park | $50,000.00 |
| Park County Community Foundation | $50,000.00 |
| Northwest Children’s Outreach | $50,000.00 |
| New Tolerance Campaign | $50,000.00 |
| My Stealthy Freedom Organization | $50,000.00 |
| Meals on Wheels People | $50,000.00 |
| Libertas Institute | $50,000.00 |
| Kids Around The World | $50,000.00 |
| Geriatric Dental Group | $50,000.00 |
| Gary and Vivienne Player Foundation | $50,000.00 |
| Forward Edge International | $50,000.00 |
| Duke University | $50,000.00 |
| ConVal Community Dollars for Scholars | $50,000.00 |
| American Federation for Children Growth Fund | $50,000.00 |
| American Anti-Vivisection Society | $50,000.00 |
| Alzheimer’s Association | $50,000.00 |
| Alumni Free Speech Alliance | $50,000.00 |
| Western Liberty Network | $49,000.00 |
| Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs | $47,000.00 |
| St. Francis Anglican Church Austin | $46,768.00 |
| Free the People Fight the Power Foundation | $46,200.00 |
| The Raymond Roussell Society | $45,000.00 |
| Southeastern Legal Foundation | $45,000.00 |
| Young Voices | $44,300.00 |
| American Conservative Union Foundation | $41,550.00 |
| University of San Diego | $40,000.00 |
| Santa Fe Institute | $40,000.00 |
| Platte Institute for Economic Research | $40,000.00 |
| Hope Community Church | $40,000.00 |
| Employment Policies Institute Foundation | $40,000.00 |
| Animal Legal Defense Fund | $40,000.00 |
| Network of Enlightened Women | $37,750.00 |
| Ralston College | $37,500.00 |
| Palm Beach Atlantic University | $37,500.00 |
| E Pluribus Unum Films | $37,000.00 |
| Claremont Graduate University | $37,000.00 |
| CantWait Foundation | $37,000.00 |
| American Friends of the Hebrew University | $37,000.00 |
| Meadowkirk | $35,000.00 |
| Elm Institute | $35,000.00 |
| Thomas Jefferson Institute | $34,800.00 |
| VDARE Foundation | $34,500.00 |
| Bright Stars of Bethlehem | $31,000.00 |
| UCLA Foundation | $30,000.00 |
| Thomas More Law Center | $30,000.00 |
| Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal | $30,000.00 |
| Pathway Research & Education | $30,000.00 |
| Helping the Behaviorally Challenging Child | $30,000.00 |
| Center for Renewing America | $30,000.00 |
| American Independent Media | $30,000.00 |
| American Friends of the Institut d’Etudes Politiques | $30,000.00 |
| Focus on the Family | $29,677.00 |
| Center of the American Experiment | $29,000.00 |
| Jewish News Service | $28,000.00 |
| Report Inc. | $27,000.00 |
| Times Square Church | $25,000.00 |
| The Roots of Progress | $25,000.00 |
| Special Olympics | $25,000.00 |
| ReAct19 | $25,000.00 |
| Middle East Media Research Institute Inc. | $25,000.00 |
| Michigan State University | $25,000.00 |
| Mayo Performing Arts Center | $25,000.00 |
| Lake Forest College | $25,000.00 |
| Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ | $25,000.00 |
| Humane Society of Sedona Inc. | $25,000.00 |
| Global Liberty Institute USA | $25,000.00 |
| Foresight Institute | $25,000.00 |
| FamilyLife | $25,000.00 |
| Bipartisan Policy Center | $25,000.00 |
| Best Friends Animal Society | $25,000.00 |
| American Battlefield Trust | $25,000.00 |
| Museum of Jurassic Technology | $23,000.00 |
| Idaho Freedom Foundation | $23,000.00 |
| Pregnant Choices | $22,500.00 |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County | $22,500.00 |
| Providence St. Joseph Foundation | $22,180.00 |
| Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Society Inc. | $22,180.00 |
| American Tinnitus Association | $22,180.00 |
| Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) | $22,000.00 |
| Ayn Rand Institute | $21,750.00 |
| Greenville Tech Foundation | $21,000.00 |
| Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund | $20,001.00 |
| Yellowstone Forever | $20,000.00 |
| Unreported Story Society | $20,000.00 |
| UC Irvine Foundation | $20,000.00 |
| The Village Square | $20,000.00 |
| The Lawfare Project | $20,000.00 |
| Students for Concealed Carry Foundation | $20,000.00 |
| Rights Watch International | $20,000.00 |
| Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Parish in Littleton | $20,000.00 |
| No Left Turn In Education | $20,000.00 |
| Libre Initiative Institute | $20,000.00 |
| Khayamandi Foundation | $20,000.00 |
| Hope for Augusta | $20,000.00 |
| Hack Foundation | $20,000.00 |
| Gary Sinise Foundation | $20,000.00 |
| Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches Inc. | $20,000.00 |
| Fiscal Sponsorship Allies | $20,000.00 |
| Covenant Church of Naples | $20,000.00 |
| Council on Foreign Relations | $20,000.00 |
| Council for National Policy | $20,000.00 |
| Cicero Research | $20,000.00 |
| Center for Immigration Studies | $20,000.00 |
| Bureau of Statistical Data | $20,000.00 |
| City Church of Richmond | $19,000.00 |
| Tax Foundation | $18,800.00 |
| Falls Church Anglican | $18,758.00 |
| Destiny Church of Missouri City | $17,500.00 |
| Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes | $17,000.00 |
| Yunes Foundation for Research on Aging | $16,000.00 |
| Accuracy in Media | $15,740.00 |
| World Science Foundation | $15,000.00 |
| Supporters of Hillsboro Senior Community Center | $15,000.00 |
| Palmetto Promise Institute | $15,000.00 |
| One Montana | $15,000.00 |
| NYC First | $15,000.00 |
| Johns Hopkins University | $15,000.00 |
| Hotchkiss School | $15,000.00 |
| Grace Point Church | $15,000.00 |
| Decoda Inc. | $15,000.00 |
| Catholic Diocese of Spokane | $15,000.00 |
| American Culture Foundation | $15,000.00 |
| American Computer & Robotics Museum | $15,000.00 |
| Alpha USA | $15,000.00 |
| AFFTA Fisheries Fund | $15,000.00 |
| Adventure Scientists | $15,000.00 |
| The American Cause | $14,980.00 |
| Let Grow | $14,500.00 |
| Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish | $13,700.00 |
| National Association of Scholars | $13,100.00 |
| House of James Ministries International | $13,000.00 |
| Gun Owners Foundation | $12,890.00 |
| Forge Leadership Network | $12,500.00 |
| Buckeye Institute | $12,500.00 |
| Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation | $12,250.00 |
| Gramercy Park Block Association | $12,000.00 |
| National Taxpayers Union Foundation | $11,750.00 |
| Destiny Church of Jacksonville | $11,400.00 |
| Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation | $11,250.00 |
| Family Research Council | $11,100.00 |
| Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation | $11,000.00 |
| Indiana University Foundation | $11,000.00 |
| Free Speech Foundation | $11,000.00 |
| Center for Christian Virtue | $10,100.00 |
| Women Make Movies Inc. | $10,000.00 |
| Warrenton High Fisheries | $10,000.00 |
| Virginia Museum of History & Culture | $10,000.00 |
| VBCPS Entrepreneurship and Business Academy Foundation | $10,000.00 |
| University of Texas Law School Foundation | $10,000.00 |
| The Crayon Initiative | $10,000.00 |
| The Chapel | $10,000.00 |
| The 18.26 Network | $10,000.00 |
| Team Rubicon | $10,000.00 |
| Support Our Scholars | $10,000.00 |
| Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singi | $10,000.00 |
| Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs | $10,000.00 |
| Sex Workers Outreach Project | $10,000.00 |
| Sammy’s Place | $10,000.00 |
| Project K-9 Hero | $10,000.00 |
| Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter | $10,000.00 |
| Pan-Mass Challenge | $10,000.00 |
| Optima Foundation | $10,000.00 |
| Operation Blessing | $10,000.00 |
| North Yellowstone Education Foundation | $10,000.00 |
| North American Lutheran Seminary | $10,000.00 |
| New Vintage Church | $10,000.00 |
| New Louisiana Foundation | $10,000.00 |
| National Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Association | $10,000.00 |
| Mount Evans Hospice | $10,000.00 |
| Mercury One | $10,000.00 |
| Master’s Apprentice | $10,000.00 |
| Marijuana Policy Project Foundation | $10,000.00 |
| Lewis & Clark College | $10,000.00 |
| Joya Child & Family Development | $10,000.00 |
| Jewish Senior Life Foundation | $10,000.00 |
| James River Horse Foundation | $10,000.00 |
| Holy Trinity Anglican Church | $10,000.00 |
| Highland Baptist Church | $10,000.00 |
| Gospel in Life | $10,000.00 |
| First United Methodist Church of New Iberia | $10,000.00 |
| Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology | $10,000.00 |
| Constituting America | $10,000.00 |
| Colonial Williamsburg Foundation | $10,000.00 |
| Christian Broadcasting Network | $10,000.00 |
| Christ Community Health Services Augusta | $10,000.00 |
| CEO Forum | $10,000.00 |
| Capital Caring | $10,000.00 |
| Benzodiazepine Information Coalition | $10,000.00 |
| Asante Africa Foundation | $10,000.00 |
| American Moment | $10,000.00 |
| American Cornerstone Institute | $10,000.00 |
| American Civil War Museum | $10,000.00 |
| EdChoice Inc. | $9,720.00 |
| Bethel Community Church Washougal | $9,699.00 |
| All Peoples | $9,500.00 |
| Pathways Church | $9,000.00 |
| Ludwig Von Mises Institute | $9,000.00 |
| Mission Pre-Born | $8,500.00 |
| York County History Center | $8,000.00 |
| The Rubin Museum of Art | $8,000.00 |
| Susan B. Anthony List Education Fund | $8,000.00 |
| Science Literacy Project | $8,000.00 |
| Prince William Historic Preservation Foundation | $8,000.00 |
| Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation | $8,000.00 |
| National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Florida | $8,000.00 |
| National Civil War Museum | $8,000.00 |
| Kernstown Battlefield Association | $8,000.00 |
| Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership | $8,000.00 |
| Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research | $8,000.00 |
| Gettysburg Foundation | $8,000.00 |
| Georgia Salzburger Society | $8,000.00 |
| Gaudium Verum | $8,000.00 |
| American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee | $8,000.00 |
| Citizens Against Government Waste | $7,600.00 |
| The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity | $7,500.00 |
| Objectivist Center (Atlas Society) | $7,500.00 |
| Fort Randolph Committee | $7,500.00 |
| William F. Buckley Jr. Program | $7,000.00 |
| Wethersfield Historical Society | $7,000.00 |
| Washington Crossing Park Association | $7,000.00 |
| The Heritage Museum | $7,000.00 |
| Society of the Cincinnati | $7,000.00 |
| Shirley Plantation Foundation | $7,000.00 |
| Ruthmere Foundation | $7,000.00 |
| RPM Foundation | $7,000.00 |
| Revolutionary Spaces | $7,000.00 |
| Renfrew Committee | $7,000.00 |
| Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School Melbourne | $7,000.00 |
| Maplewood Area Historical Society | $7,000.00 |
| Lawrence County Civic Center | $7,000.00 |
| Historic Winslow House Association | $7,000.00 |
| Historic Shepherdstown Commission | $7,000.00 |
| Historic Camden Foundation | $7,000.00 |
| HCSV Foundation | $7,000.00 |
| Governor Samuel Huntington Trust | $7,000.00 |
| Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House | $7,000.00 |
| Friends of the Conrad Weiser Homestead | $7,000.00 |
| Friends of Fort Morris State Historic Park | $7,000.00 |
| Friends of Fort McAllister State Historic Park | $7,000.00 |
| Fort Plain Museum & Historical Park | $7,000.00 |
| Fort Leboeuf Historical Society | $7,000.00 |
| Family Leader Foundation | $7,000.00 |
| Ellsworth Memorial Association | $7,000.00 |
| Daniel Boone Homestead Associates | $7,000.00 |
| Conococheague Institute | $7,000.00 |
| Arizona State University Foundation | $7,000.00 |
| Acumen Fund | $7,000.00 |
| Westchester Jewish Community Services | $6,800.00 |
| Tango Thirty One Aero Clube | $6,500.00 |
| St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital | $6,200.00 |
| Webster Historical Society | $6,000.00 |
| The Moth (Storyville Center for the Spoken Word Inc.) | $6,000.00 |
| St. Paul Lutheran Church and School | $6,000.00 |
| Sonoma Ecology Center | $6,000.00 |
| Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation Foundation | $6,000.00 |
| Richmond Hill Historical Society | $6,000.00 |
| New Monmouth Presbyterian Church | $6,000.00 |
| Nelson Preservation Associates | $6,000.00 |
| Murfreesboro Historical Association | $6,000.00 |
| Iowa Historical Foundation | $6,000.00 |
| Imagine Science Films | $6,000.00 |
| Fort Ligonier Association | $6,000.00 |
| Courthouse Square Association | $6,000.00 |
| Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America | $6,000.00 |
| Bergen County Historical Society | $6,000.00 |
| Grove City College | $5,800.00 |
| Congregation Beth Abraham | $5,550.00 |
| Beth El Hebrew Congregation | $5,525.00 |
| Legal Insurrection Foundation | $5,500.00 |
| Foundation for the Defense of Democracies Inc. | $5,500.00 |
| American Council on Science & Health | $5,500.00 |
| BLEXIT Foundation | $5,350.00 |
| Patrick Henry College | $5,320.00 |
| Options 360 Women’s Clinic | $5,088.00 |
DonorsTrust’s grantmaking in 2021 totaled $187,697,675 according to its annual IRS Form 990 for that year. Of this total, more than $128 million went to right-wing think tanks, libertarian organizations, Leonard Leo-connected groups, conservative religious groups, and other right-of-center organizations.
| Recipient | Sum of amount of cash grant |
| The 85 Fund | $17,100,000.00 |
| State Policy Network | $9,034,775.00 |
| Consumers’ Research, Inc. | $5,984,000.00 |
| Constitutional Defense Fund | $3,770,000.00 |
| Americans for Public Trust | $3,765,500.00 |
| Federalist Society | $3,688,800.00 |
| Teneo Network Inc. | $3,048,580.00 |
| Lucy Burns Institute | $3,048,100.00 |
| Mackinac Center for Public Policy | $2,843,750.00 |
| Human Rights Foundation | $2,799,000.00 |
| Certell, Inc. | $2,710,000.00 |
| Foundation for Government Accountability | $2,681,100.00 |
| Middle East Forum | $2,495,500.00 |
| CERGE-EI Foundation | $2,250,000.00 |
| Real Clear Foundation | $2,230,000.00 |
| Discovery Institute | $1,503,000.00 |
| Fair Lines America Foundation | $1,400,000.00 |
| Center for Common Sense in Science | $1,400,000.00 |
| Emergent Order Foundation | $1,385,000.00 |
| Institute for Justice | $1,338,450.00 |
| Conservative Partnership Institute | $1,312,250.00 |
| Economic Fundamentals Initiative | $1,250,000.00 |
| Philanthropy Roundtable | $1,223,000.00 |
| Franklin News Foundation | $1,220,000.00 |
| People United for Privacy Foundation | $1,200,000.00 |
| Project Veritas | $1,186,872.00 |
| Wyoming Liberty Group | $1,160,000.00 |
| FreedomWorks Foundation | $1,147,600.00 |
| FDRLST Media Foundation | $1,125,500.00 |
| New Civil Liberties Alliance | $1,005,500.00 |
| Government Accountability Institute | $1,000,000.00 |
| America’s Future Inc. | $1,000,000.00 |
| Independent Institute | $952,600.00 |
| Heartland Institute | $934,500.00 |
| Institute for Free Speech | $898,000.00 |
| Job Creators Network Foundation | $826,000.00 |
| Competitive Enterprise Institute | $815,550.00 |
| American Private Radio | $804,986.00 |
| Center for Organizational Research and Education | $800,000.00 |
| Center for American Greatness | $751,000.00 |
| Inference: The International Review of Science | $750,000.00 |
| Committee to Unleash Prosperity | $745,000.00 |
| Turning Point USA | $708,950.00 |
| Ethics & Public Policy Center | $700,637.00 |
| PSSI Washington | $700,000.00 |
| Free To Choose Network | $680,000.00 |
| Young Americans for Liberty Foundation | $662,475.00 |
| Atlas Economic Research Foundation | $572,200.00 |
| Fund for American Studies | $564,500.00 |
| Project on Fair Representation | $557,000.00 |
| Stand Together | $556,500.00 |
| Hoover Institution at Stanford University | $537,000.00 |
| National Review Institute | $535,700.00 |
| Institute on Religion & Democracy | $525,000.00 |
| Texas Public Policy Foundation | $493,153.00 |
| Foundation for Individual Rights in Education | $486,250.00 |
| Freedom Foundation of America | $477,500.00 |
| Energy & Environment Legal Institute | $470,000.00 |
| America’s Future Foundation | $469,350.00 |
| Capital Research Center | $455,750.00 |
| Prager University Foundation | $454,250.00 |
| Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust | $450,000.00 |
| Center for Independent Thought | $411,500.00 |
| Cato Institute | $411,300.00 |
| Daily Caller News Foundation | $400,000.00 |
| Institute of World Politics | $400,000.00 |
| Club for Growth Foundation | $400,000.00 |
| Tea Party Patriots Foundation | $387,500.00 |
| Heritage Foundation | $360,778.00 |
| Center for Race and Opportunity | $351,100.00 |
| Conservative Agenda Project | $339,000.00 |
| Yankee Institute | $336,500.00 |
| Legacy Foundation | $330,000.00 |
| Market Research Foundation | $325,000.00 |
| Center for the New American Frontier | $320,000.00 |
| American Spectator Foundation | $305,100.00 |
| Grassroot Institute of Hawaii | $295,805.00 |
| Foundation for Economic Education | $295,323.00 |
| Students for Liberty | $292,100.00 |
| Goldwater Institute | $290,120.00 |
| Center for Urban Renewal and Education | $281,000.00 |
| Manhattan Institute for Policy Research | $270,500.00 |
| Leadership Institute | $258,660.00 |
| Think Freely Media, Inc. | $254,000.00 |
| Children’s Scholarship Fund | $252,500.00 |
| Thomas More Society | $250,500.00 |
| True the Vote | $250,200.00 |
| Judicial Education Institute | $250,000.00 |
| The American Cause | $250,000.00 |
| Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine | $250,000.00 |
| Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute | $250,000.00 |
| Edmund Burke Foundation | $250,000.00 |
| Center for Law and Policy | $250,000.00 |
| Public Interest Legal Foundation | $250,000.00 |
| Empire Center for Public Policy, Inc. | $231,500.00 |
| Beacon Center of Tennessee | $230,450.00 |
| Security Research Associates, Inc. | $225,000.00 |
| CO2 Coalition | $200,000.00 |
| Fund for Constitutional Government | $200,000.00 |
| Foundation for Cultural Review | $200,000.00 |
| Reclaim New York | $200,000.00 |
| Leverage Research Inc. | $200,000.00 |
| James Madison Institute for Public Policy | $195,200.00 |
| American Legislative Exchange Council | $191,600.00 |
| Institute for Reforming Government | $187,750.00 |
| Institute for Humane Studies | $183,450.00 |
| Americans for Fair Treatment | $180,000.00 |
| Middle East Media Research Institute, Inc. | $180,000.00 |
| Garden State Initiative | $171,500.00 |
| Mercatus Center at GMU | $169,750.00 |
| Forge Leadership Network | $158,550.00 |
| Mountain States Legal Foundation | $158,350.00 |
| Pacific Legal Foundation | $152,000.00 |
| Woodson Center | $150,000.00 |
| First Freedoms Foundation, Inc. | $150,000.00 |
| American Moment | $150,000.00 |
| Foresight Institute | $150,000.00 |
| Independent Women’s Forum | $146,250.00 |
| Freedom Foundation of MN | $142,000.00 |
| Unconstrained Analytics | $140,000.00 |
| Center for Freedom and Safety | $140,000.00 |
| The Frontier Institute | $139,000.00 |
| Media Research Center | $137,825.00 |
| Reason Foundation | $134,650.00 |
| Becket Fund for Religious Liberty | $132,200.00 |
| The Policy Circle | $125,000.00 |
| Classroom, Inc. | $125,000.00 |
| Claremont Institute | $120,500.00 |
| Battlefront (American Studio) | $120,000.00 |
| Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty | $115,300.00 |
| National Center for Public Policy Research, Inc. | $112,250.00 |
| David Horowitz Freedom Center | $110,400.00 |
| The American Friends of the GWPF, Inc. | $106,000.00 |
| Student Free Press Association | $105,150.00 |
| NumbersUSA Education & Research Foundation | $104,600.00 |
| Georgia Center for Opportunity | $100,924.00 |
| Second Amendment Foundation | $100,120.00 |
| American Public Servants Charitable Foundation | $100,000.00 |
| Immigration Reform Law Institute | $100,000.00 |
| Keepers of Liberty | $100,000.00 |
| Gatestone Institute | $100,000.00 |
| Citizens for Self-Governance | $100,000.00 |
| Rule of Law Endowment | $100,000.00 |
| Doe Fund | $100,000.00 |
| Roger Scruton Legacy Foundation | $98,131.00 |
| Young America’s Foundation | $90,550.00 |
| HERO, Inc. | $90,000.00 |
| Lexington Institute | $86,000.00 |
| Foundation for the American Republic | $85,000.00 |
| Crime Prevention Research Center | $85,000.00 |
| Americans for Prosperity Foundation | $76,100.00 |
| Leadership Program of the Rockies | $76,000.00 |
| Cherish Freedom Foundation | $75,000.00 |
| South Carolina Policy Council | $75,000.00 |
| Libertas Institute | $74,000.00 |
| Pelican Institute for Public Policy | $72,500.00 |
| Bill of Rights Institute | $67,100.00 |
| Judicial Watch | $65,600.00 |
| Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives | $63,500.00 |
| Lincoln Club Institute | $62,500.00 |
| Pacific Research Institute | $61,000.00 |
| Archbridge Institute | $56,007.00 |
| Students for Life of America | $55,000.00 |
| Georgia Public Policy Foundation | $52,000.00 |
| Louisiana Swamp Watch | $51,000.00 |
| Employment Policies Institute Foundation | $50,500.00 |
| Network of Enlightened Women | $50,250.00 |
| California Policy Center | $47,500.00 |
| National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, Inc. | $45,600.00 |
| Kansas Policy Institute | $45,000.00 |
| E Pluribus Unum Films | $45,000.00 |
| Intercollegiate Studies Institute | $44,053.00 |
| Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs | $42,500.00 |
| John Locke Foundation | $42,250.00 |
| Independence Institute | $41,000.00 |
| No Left Turn In Education | $40,000.00 |
| Washington Policy Center | $39,000.00 |
| Taxpayer Foundation of Oregon | $38,500.00 |
| Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research | $36,000.00 |
| Western Liberty Network | $36,000.00 |
| Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research | $35,000.00 |
| National Legal & Policy Center | $33,500.00 |
| VDARE Foundation | $33,000.00 |
| Platte Institute for Economic Research | $31,500.00 |
| Center for American Liberty | $31,100.00 |
| The Epoch Times Association | $31,000.00 |
| Hillsdale College | $30,060.00 |
| International Policy Network US, Inc. | $30,000.00 |
| Foundation for Self Government | $30,000.00 |
| Free Speech Foundation | $30,000.00 |
| Center for Individual Rights | $29,200.00 |
| Free the People Fight the Power Foundation | $29,100.00 |
| EdChoice, Inc. | $28,350.00 |
| First Liberty Institute | $25,500.00 |
| Legal Insurrection Foundation | $25,000.00 |
| 60 Plus Foundation | $25,000.00 |
| American Principles Project Foundation | $25,000.00 |
| Santa Fe Institute | $25,000.00 |
| Young Voices | $23,650.00 |
| Illinois Policy Institute | $23,600.00 |
| Center of the American Experiment | $23,500.00 |
| Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) | $22,500.00 |
| Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy | $22,500.00 |
| Maine Heritage Policy Center | $22,500.00 |
| Gary Sinise Foundation | $21,100.00 |
| Americans for Tax Reform Foundation (Now: Tholos Foundation) | $21,100.00 |
| Accuracy in Media | $21,000.00 |
| Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, Inc. | $20,500.00 |
| Commentary, Inc. | $20,300.00 |
| Liberty Justice Center | $20,250.00 |
| Parents Defending Education | $20,250.00 |
| Center for Immigration Studies | $20,000.00 |
| Students for Concealed Carry Foundation | $20,000.00 |
| Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research | $20,000.00 |
| Lindell Recovery Network | $20,000.00 |
| Rights Watch International | $20,000.00 |
| Nevada Policy Research Institute | $20,000.00 |
| Palmetto Promise Institute | $20,000.00 |
| Heterodox Academy | $17,100.00 |
| National Taxpayers Union Foundation | $16,250.00 |
| Council for National Policy | $15,000.00 |
| Informed Consent Action Network | $15,000.00 |
| Virginia Institute for Public Policy | $15,000.00 |
| One Montana | $15,000.00 |
| National Association of Scholars | $12,360.00 |
| Copenhagen Consensus Center | $10,000.00 |
| Center for Christian Virtue | $10,000.00 |
| Thomas More Law Center | $10,000.00 |
| Center for Innovative Governance Research | $7,000.00 |
| William F. Buckley, Jr. Program | $7,000.00 |
| The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity | $6,750.00 |
| Charlemagne Institute | $6,750.00 |
| Tax Foundation | $6,650.00 |
| Instituto de Libertad Econmica para Puerto Rico | $6,550.00 |
| Mississippi Center for Public Policy | $6,500.00 |
| Citizens Against Government Waste | $6,100.00 |
| Show-Me Institute | $6,000.00 |
| Sutherland Institute | $5,500.00 |
| Rio Grande Foundation | $5,100.00 |
| Options 360 Women’s Clinic | $5,036.00 |
| Grand Total | 128,151,730.00 |
In 2020, DonorsTrust reported that it distributed $182,504,130 in donor-advised grants to domestic organizations. Of these, roughly $130.6 million went to conservative nonprofits, right-of-center educational institutions, second amendment groups, anti-choice organizations, media outlets, think tanks, and other right-wing activist networks.
| Recipient | Sum of amount of cash grant |
| The 85 Fund | 48,712,856.00 |
| State Policy Network | 8,304,550.00 |
| Propter Strategies | 5,000,000.00 |
| Constitutional Defense Fund | 4,355,000.00 |
| Lucy Burns Institute | 2,820,050.00 |
| Hillsdale College | 2,510,280.00 |
| Institute for Justice | 2,228,900.00 |
| Thomas More Society | 2,010,000.00 |
| Middle East Forum | 1,817,000.00 |
| Discovery Institute | 1,750,000.00 |
| Government Accountability Institute | 1,575,000.00 |
| Wyoming Liberty Group | 1,455,000.00 |
| Fair Lines America Foundation | 1,425,000.00 |
| Young Americans for Liberty Foundation | 1,421,500.00 |
| Metric Media Foundation | 1,270,000.00 |
| American Council of Trustees and Alumni | 1,264,650.00 |
| America’s Future Foundation | 1,252,950.00 |
| Franklin News Foundation | 1,116,000.00 |
| Center for Security Policy | 1,102,519.00 |
| FreedomWorks Foundation | 1,100,700.00 |
| Acton Institute | 1,071,500.00 |
| Project Veritas | 1,003,050.00 |
| Reclaim New York | 1,000,000.00 |
| Americans for Public Trust | 900,000.00 |
| Independent Women’s Forum | 862,500.00 |
| Center for American Greatness | 860,000.00 |
| American Enterprise Institute | 843,100.00 |
| Club for Growth Foundation | 839,000.00 |
| Consumers’ Research, Inc. | 775,000.00 |
| Federalist Society | 752,700.00 |
| Real Clear Foundation | 750,000.00 |
| Philanthropy Roundtable | 699,900.00 |
| Goldwater Institute | 690,750.00 |
| Americans for Prosperity Foundation | 661,300.00 |
| Atlas Economic Research Foundation | 656,700.00 |
| Fund for American Studies | 639,200.00 |
| Media Research Center | 617,900.00 |
| Foundation for Government Accountability | 600,500.00 |
| New Century Foundation | 600,000.00 |
| American Transparency | 586,500.00 |
| The Patriots Foundation | 584,000.00 |
| Turning Point USA | 580,300.00 |
| Freedom Foundation of America | 575,000.00 |
| Heartland Institute | 564,000.00 |
| Center for Independent Thought | 560,000.00 |
| Center for the New American Frontier | 544,500.00 |
| Conservative Partnership Institute | 542,500.00 |
| Hoover Institution-Stanford University | 540,800.00 |
| American Private Radio | 530,000.00 |
| Inference: The International Review of Science | 525,000.00 |
| National Review Institute | 497,700.00 |
| Mackinac Center for Public Policy | 453,250.00 |
| Job Creators Network Foundation | 450,000.00 |
| Becket Fund for Religious Liberty | 448,500.00 |
| Cato Institute | 424,900.00 |
| Independent Institute | 409,500.00 |
| Institute for Free Speech | 408,650.00 |
| Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide & Global Change | 400,000.00 |
| National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, Inc. | 383,100.00 |
| Institute for Humane Studies | 381,700.00 |
| American Spectator Foundation | 375,000.00 |
| Competitive Enterprise Institute | 369,750.00 |
| Capital Research Center | 363,450.00 |
| American Legislative Exchange Council | 362,100.00 |
| American Juris Link | 361,000.00 |
| Lincoln Network, Inc. | 360,100.00 |
| Judicial Watch | 350,300.00 |
| Institute on Religion & Democracy | 350,000.00 |
| Heritage Foundation | 333,020.00 |
| Yankee Institute | 330,700.00 |
| Prager University Foundation | 313,000.00 |
| Conservative Agenda Project | 297,000.00 |
| Foundation for Economic Education | 287,200.00 |
| Beacon Center of Tennessee | 278,050.00 |
| Students for Liberty | 276,500.00 |
| Council for National Policy | 265,000.00 |
| Tea Party Patriots Foundation | 250,000.00 |
| Witherspoon Institute | 250,000.00 |
| FDRLST Media Foundation | 250,000.00 |
| Manhattan Institute for Policy Research | 238,500.00 |
| Hudson Institute | 225,000.00 |
| Mercatus Center, GMU | 219,400.00 |
| Foundation for Cultural Review | 210,000.00 |
| American Principles Project Foundation | 200,000.00 |
| David Horowitz Freedom Center | 196,200.00 |
| Pelican Institute for Public Policy | 191,000.00 |
| Rights Watch International | 170,000.00 |
| Middle East Media Research Institute, Inc. | 170,000.00 |
| Claremont Institute | 156,500.00 |
| Mountain States Legal Foundation | 151,850.00 |
| Advocates for Self-Government | 150,000.00 |
| The Fairness Center | 150,000.00 |
| International Policy Network US, Inc. | 148,000.00 |
| National Legal & Policy Center | 130,300.00 |
| California Policy Center | 130,000.00 |
| Energy & Environment Legal Institute | 125,000.00 |
| The Policy Circle | 125,000.00 |
| John Locke Foundation | 120,350.00 |
| Student Free Press Association | 120,150.00 |
| Americans for Fair Treatment | 120,000.00 |
| Empower Mississippi Foundation | 119,500.00 |
| Texas Public Policy Foundation | 101,500.00 |
| Second Amendment Foundation | 100,500.00 |
| Ladies of Liberty Alliance | 100,000.00 |
| Gatestone Institute | 100,000.00 |
| Washington Policy Center | 100,000.00 |
| Alaska Policy Forum | 92,750.00 |
| Georgia Center for Opportunity | 92,500.00 |
| People United for Privacy Foundation | 90,000.00 |
| Pacific Legal Foundation | 88,750.00 |
| Institute for Reforming Government | 80,000.00 |
| VDARE Foundation | 75,000.00 |
| Pacific Justice Institute | 74,396.00 |
| Kansas Policy Institute | 73,557.00 |
| Georgia Public Policy Foundation | 72,500.00 |
| Accuracy in Media | 67,600.00 |
| Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research | 66,000.00 |
| Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives | 65,000.00 |
| American Conservative Union Foundation | 64,000.00 |
| Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) | 61,650.00 |
| Tax Foundation | 57,450.00 |
| Students for Life of America | 55,000.00 |
| Libertas Institute | 55,000.00 |
| American Constitutional Rights Union | 50,300.00 |
| Institute for Energy Research | 50,200.00 |
| Shriners Hospitals for Children | 50,100.00 |
| Investigative Project on Terrorism Foundation | 50,000.00 |
| Archbridge Institute | 50,000.00 |
| Center for Union Facts | 50,000.00 |
| American Commitment Foundation | 50,000.00 |
| New Civil Liberties Alliance | 50,000.00 |
| Association of American Educators Foundation | 49,500.00 |
| Project on Fair Representation | 49,000.00 |
| Illinois Policy Institute | 48,200.00 |
| Empire Center for Public Policy, Inc. | 47,000.00 |
| Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy | 46,500.00 |
| Bill of Rights Institute | 46,400.00 |
| National Taxpayers Union Foundation | 43,450.00 |
| Platte Institute for Economic Research | 41,500.00 |
| Pacific Research Institute | 40,000.00 |
| Freedom Foundation | 38,500.00 |
| Idaho Freedom Foundation | 38,000.00 |
| Maine Heritage Policy Center | 37,000.00 |
| Leadership Institute | 34,680.00 |
| Citizens for Self-Governance | 33,000.00 |
| Grassroot Institute of Hawaii | 31,857.00 |
| American Institute for Economic Research | 30,100.00 |
| Employment Policies Institute Foundation | 25,500.00 |
| Garden State Initiative | 25,200.00 |
| Stand Together | 25,000.00 |
| Independence Institute | 24,500.00 |
| Nevada Policy Research Institute | 22,500.00 |
| Students for Concealed Carry Foundation | 20,000.00 |
| Berkshire School | 20,000.00 |
| Sutherland Institute | 19,000.00 |
| Center of the American Experiment | 18,000.00 |
| Liberty Justice Center | 18,000.00 |
| Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty | 17,000.00 |
| John W. Pope Civitas Institute | 17,000.00 |
| Intercollegiate Studies Institute | 15,900.00 |
| Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, Inc. | 15,500.00 |
| Freedom Alliance | 15,500.00 |
| National Association of Scholars | 15,360.00 |
| Western Liberty Network | 15,000.00 |
| Maryland Public Policy Institute | 15,000.00 |
| Alliance for Decision Education | 15,000.00 |
| Lexington Institute | 13,000.00 |
| Buckeye Institute | 11,700.00 |
| Show-Me Institute | 11,500.00 |
| Family Research Council | 11,100.00 |
| Objectivist Center (Atlas Society) | 11,100.00 |
| Young America’s Foundation | 10,900.00 |
| National Center for Public Policy Research, Inc. | 10,250.00 |
| Heterodox Academy | 10,100.00 |
| Zionist Organization of America | 10,100.00 |
| Copenhagen Consensus Center | 10,000.00 |
| Metanexus Institute | 10,000.00 |
| For Kids and Country | 10,000.00 |
| Sex Workers Outreach Project | 10,000.00 |
| Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research | 10,000.00 |
| Lincoln Club Institute | 10,000.00 |
| Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity | 8,500.00 |
| Young Voices | 8,450.00 |
| NRA Foundation, Inc. | 7,000.00 |
| Citizens Against Government Waste | 6,600.00 |
| Thomas Jefferson Institute | 6,600.00 |
| Competitive Enterprise Institute | 3,000.00 |
| Grand Total | 130,641,175.00 |
Donors Capital Fund distributed $927,625 in grants during 2021. Of that total, more than $454,000 went to right-wing think tanks, conservative organizations, and right-of-center educational institutions.
| Recipient | Sum of amount of cash grant |
| Cato Institute | $205,000.00 |
| California Policy Center | $100,000.00 |
| MikeroweWORKS Foundation | $100,000.00 |
| Freedom Foundation | $28,000.00 |
| Hillsdale College | $17,100.00 |
| Educational Research Analysts | $4,275.00 |
| Grand Total | $454,375.00 |
Donors Capital Fund reported distributing $5,719,625 in donors-advised grants in 2020. More than $5.5 million went to DonorsTrust, far-right organizations, conservative think tanks, and other right-wing groups.
| Recipient | Sum of amount of cash grant |
| DonorsTrust | 4,000,000.00 |
| Cato Institute | 315,000.00 |
| Mercatus Center, GMU | 250,000.00 |
| Capital Research Center | 100,000.00 |
| Leadership Institute | 100,000.00 |
| Pacific Legal Foundation | 100,000.00 |
| Young America’s Foundation | 90,000.00 |
| Institute for Justice | 60,000.00 |
| Atlas Economic Research Foundation | 50,000.00 |
| National Center for Public Policy Research, Inc. | 50,000.00 |
| State Policy Network | 50,000.00 |
| Institute for Humane Studies | 50,000.00 |
| Heritage Foundation | 50,000.00 |
| Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute | 40,000.00 |
| National Legal & Policy Center | 40,000.00 |
| Claremont Institute | 40,000.00 |
| Washington Legal Foundation | 40,000.00 |
| Bill of Rights Institute | 30,000.00 |
| American Enterprise Institute | 30,000.00 |
| Center for Individual Rights | 20,000.00 |
| Freedom Foundation | 20,000.00 |
| American Stewards of Liberty | 10,000.00 |
| Grand Total | 5,535,000.00 |
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