The Abundance Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit located in Berkeley, California.[1] Abundance Foundation makes grants to and partners with organizations that focus on health outcomes, the arts, public education, and the environment.[2] The Abundance Foundation is headed by Stephen Kahn, a graduate of the Harvard School of Medicine[3] and is a grantee of the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation[4] and the Out of Eden Learn program.[5] It has also served a key role in the Clinton Foundation’s Rwanda Human Resources Health Program.[6] The Abundance Foundation has made grants to the Clinton Foundation,[7] the Oakland Public School District,[8] and the International Planned Parenthood Foundation.[9]
History
Stephen Kahn founded the Abundance Foundation in 2004.[10] The Abundance Foundation, along with the Harvard Medical School and the Partners of Health, assisted the Clinton Foundation in supporting medical programs in Haiti, Liberia, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone.[11] For example, in 2010 the Abundance Foundation committed $1 million to the Clinton Global Initiative to assist the health systems in Rwanda and Haiti.[12] In 2011 the Abundance Foundation also assisted the Clinton Global Initiative Commitment by participating in the Family Medicine Residency and Nurse Training Program in Haiti, in conjunction with the Harvard Medical School, to staff a major hospital in Haiti after an outbreak of cholera in the southern region. In 2012 the Abundance Foundation was honored by the Clinton Foundation for the efforts in the Rwanda Human Resources for Health program. Dr. Corrado Cancedda, an affiliate of the Abundance Foundation, was honored by the Clinton Foundation for his efforts in assisting the Rwandan Ministry of Health.[13] In 2015, the Abundance Foundation increased its role in the “Out of Eden Learn” program with the Clinton Foundation by increasing their involvement and funding.[14] In 2015, the Washington Post listed the Abundance Foundation as a donor to the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation for an amount between $100,001 and $250,000.[15]
People
Berit Ashla, one of the board members of the Abundance Foundation, is a Vice President of the Rockfeller Philanthropy Advisors[16] and also has a history with the liberal donor-advised fund Tides Foundation. Berit Ashla, while working for the Tides Foundation donated to than Senator Obama’s campaign in 2007 while residing in Berkeley California.[17]
Stephen Kahn is on the advisory board for the Global Health Delivery Project (GHD) at Harvard University.[18] GHD is a collaboration between Harvard University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In 2017, the Out of Eden Learn Program, funded in part by the GHD and the Abundance Foundation, held a rally with Michael Bloomberg where he spoke about the importance of educating young students to fight supposed intolerance found in public discourse.[19]
Programs
The Out of Eden Learn Program connects students from all over the world through a digital platform to foster cross-cultural interaction. The program is an effort of the now defunct Clinton Global Initiative, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the Global Health Delivery Project to “cultivate the next generation of global citizens.”[20] The Out of Eden Learn Program seeks to prepare young students to work collaboratively to address environmental issues, public health crises, and certain forms of extremism. The virtual platform also seeks to connect students from across the world that may have negative perceptions of each other.[21]
The Abundance Foundation has also participated in the discussion of government-controlled healthcare systems. In 2014, the Abundance Foundation was part of OMICS group international Socialized Medicine Conferences that “gives information on universal healthcare system(s).[22] In 2012, Dr. Stephen Kahn, along with the National Conference on Social Medicine in Haiti also associated with the Socialized Medicine Conferences, engaged in “dialogue on the role of social medicine in health equity and improved access.”[23]