Ann Doerr is a left-of-center philanthropist and the wife of billionaire venture capitalist John Doerr. Doerr is the secretary and vice president of the Benificus Foundation, which serves as a tool for Doerr family giving.

Ann Doerr is a longtime Democratic megadonor, contributing to organizations including the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and the Hillary Action Fund, which supported former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 presidential campaign. ¹

Career and Philanthropy

Ann Doerr attended Rice University where she received both her bachelor’s and master’s degree in electrical engineering. After graduating, she worked as an engineer and in various management positions at Tandem Computers, Intel, and Silicon Compilers. ²

Doerr has since become a left-of-center philanthropist. As of 2021, she sits as chair of Khan Academy, a nonprofit organization which provides free educational resources online. ^{3 4} Doerr is also an advisory trustee of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a nonprofit organization that promotes environmentalism and a left-wing political agenda. ⁵

In addition to her work with outside foundations, Doerr is vice president and secretary of the Benificus Foundation, which operates as a family foundation for Ann and John Doerr. ⁶ The Benificus Foundation is a left-of-center nonprofit organization that contributes to causes in education and environmentalism. ⁷

Political Activity

Nonprofit Advocacy Funding

Through the Benificus Foundation, the Doerrs have donated millions of dollars to various left-of-center organizations and causes. At the end of 2018, the Foundation had donated a total of $19,040,011 to left-of-center organizations including the Climate Reality Project ($5,028,026), the Barack Obama Foundation ($8,369,501), and the New Schools Fund ($3,090,560). ^{8 9}

The Benificus Foundation was an early supporter of the Climate Reality Project (formerly known as the Alliance for Climate Protection). The environmentalist group was founded by former U.S Vice President Al Gore and received at least $10 million from the Benificus Foundation between 2000 and 2012. ¹⁰ The Barack Obama Foundation is an organization that was formed by former President Barack Obama to encourage left-of-center projects and oversee the design and construction of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. ¹¹ The New Schools Fund is a left-of-center nonprofit organization that raises funds from donors in order to support education entrepreneurs and initiatives. ¹²

In 2016, the Doerrs also donated money in support of an environmentalist plan to institute a “freeze date” for developing countries to discontinue their use of hydrofluorocarbons. ¹³

Electoral Contributions

Doerr has also donated to other left-of-center organizations and politicians such as the Senate Majority PAC, Priorities USA Action, the Democratic National Committee (DNC), former President Barack Obama,¹⁴ Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), former Vice President Al Gore, and U.S. Speaker of the House Majority Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). ¹⁵

1. “LittleSis: Ann Doerr.” LittleSis – Profiling the Powers That Be. Accessed June 26, 2021. https://littlesis.org/person/49891-Ann_Doerr.
2. “Ann Doerr.” THE ORG. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://theorg.com/org/khan-academy/org-chart/ann-doerr.
3. “Ann Doerr.” THE ORG. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://theorg.com/org/khan-academy/org-chart/ann-doerr.
4. “Khan Academy – Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding.” Crunchbase. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/khan-academy.
5. https://www.edf.org/sites/default/files/content/strategicplan_blueprint2020_interactive.pdf
6. “LittleSis: Benificus Foundation.” LittleSis – Profiling the Powers That Be. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://littlesis.org/org/103886-Benificus_Foundation.
7. “Benificus Foundation.” Venture Capital, Private Equity and M&A Database | PitchBook. Accessed June 22, 2021. https://pitchbook.com/profiles/limited-partner/53196-04#commitmentAnalytics.
8. Lindsay, Drew. “Charities That Have Scored Multiple Multimillion-Dollar ‘Big Bets’.” The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Last modified November 19, 2015. https://www.philanthropy.com/article/charities-that-have-scored-multiple-multimillion-dollar-big- bets/?bc_nonce=qvyw48qlyeexxxl4evxmc&cid=reg_wall_signup//glasspockets.org/philanthropy-in-focus/eye-on-the-giving-pledge/profiles/ann-and-john-doerr.
9. “BENIFICUS FOUNDATION – Form Form 990-PF for Period Ending Dec 2018 – Nonprofit Explorer – ProPublica.” ProPublica. Accessed June 26, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/770444504/02_2020_prefixes_76-81%2F770444504_201812_990PF_2020020417104560.
10. Lindsay, Drew. “Charities That Have Scored Multiple Multimillion-Dollar ‘Big Bets’.” The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Last modified November 19, 2015. https://www.philanthropy.com/article/charities-that-have-scored-multiple-multimillion-dollar-big-bets/?bc_nonce=qvyw48qlyeexxxl4evxmc&cid=reg_wall_signup//glasspockets.org/philanthropy-in-focus/eye-on-the-giving-pledge/profiles/ann-and-john-doerr.
11. “About the Foundation.” Obama Foundation. Last modified November 13, 2018. https://www.obama.org/about-the-foundation/.
12. “NewSchools Venture Fund – Crunchbase Investor Profile & Investments.” Crunchbase. Accessed June 26, 2021. https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/new-schools-venture-fund.
13. “Public-Private Effort Pledges $80 Million for Energy-Efficiency Plan.” Philanthropy News Digest (PND). Last modified September 26, 2016. https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/public-private-effort-pledges-80-million-for-energy-efficiency-plan?_ga=2.268387022.1548843215.1495311451-1187895010.1495311450.
14. “LittleSis: Ann Doerr.” LittleSis – Profiling the Powers That Be. Accessed June 26, 2021. https://littlesis.org/person/49891-Ann_Doerr?relationships=donation_recipients.
15. “LittleSis: Ann Doerr.” LittleSis – Profiling the Powers That Be. Accessed June 26, 2021. https://littlesis.org/entities/49891-Ann_Doerr?page=2&relationships=donation_recipients.