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Non-profit

Annenberg Foundation

Website:

annenberg.org
Location:

CONSHOHOCKEN, PA
Tax ID:

23-6257083
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)-PF

Budget (2015):

Revenue: $54,444,322
Expenses: $122,818,359
Assets: $1,585,608,544

The Annenberg Foundation is a private foundation headquartered in Pennsylvania and Los Angeles, California, which focuses grants in the greater Los Angeles area as well as nationally. The foundation was founded by billionaire publisher and Nixon administration U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain Walter Annenberg, who was among the most prominent philanthropists in America upon his death. 1 With over $1.6 billion in assets, the Annenberg Foundation is among the 50 largest private foundation in the United States. 2

Like many large grantmaking foundations, the Annenberg Foundation is known to fund many left-of-center political groups and causes. 3

History

Walter H. Annenberg enjoyed a very successful career in publishing as chairman and president of Triangle Publications, which published many magazines including TV Guide and Seventeen Magazine, a company Annenberg took over from his father in 1942. From 1969 to 1974, Annenberg served as United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, also known as the Court of St. James, appointed by President Richard Nixon. Prior to founding the Annenberg Foundation, Annenberg made several major gifts including an endowment to found the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania. 4

In 1988 Annenberg sold Triangle Publications for $3 billion to Rupert Murdoch and directed $1.2 billion to establish the Annenberg Foundation along with his wife, Leonore Annenberg. 5

Liberal Programs

Despite the Annenbergs’ significant ties to the Republican Party, with Walter serving as an Ambassador under President Richard Nixon and Leonore being appointed Chief of Protocol at the State Department by President Ronald Reagan,6 the Annenberg Foundation has a history of affiliations with liberal causes. 7 The Annenberg Foundation regularly donates for left of center organizations and causes.

California Black Freedom Fund

The Annenberg Foundation was one of the original donors to fund the creation of the California Black Freedom Fund (CBFF) at the end of 2020. The CBFF is a left-of-center grantmaking organization that funds California-based groups that seek to eliminate what it perceives as systemic racism. It used funding from the original donors to provide grants that went towards advocacy for targeted redistricting, so-called racial equity, and the firing of who it determines are racist police officers. 8

Grantmaking

According to the foundation’s 2017 tax form it has donated to groups including:9

Associations with Barack Obama

In the 1990s, Walter Annenberg announced the Annenberg Challenge, a $500 million gift to public schools in America, billed as the largest gift ever to public education. $50 million of the grant went to Chicago where the local chapter of the Annenberg challenge was chaired by future President Barack Obama and co-founded by radical professor and former Weather Underground extremist Bill Ayers. The affiliation between Obama and Ayers came into public light when Obama ran for president in 2008. 10 Further research into the Annenberg Challenge indicated that it had very little lasting impact on the education system. 11

Other Programs

In additions to giving grants to many of the most notable left-leaning organizations, the Annenberg foundation has several initiatives and programs including support for photography and the arts, a music festival, and a community beach house and tree house. Most of these initiatives are centered in the Los Angeles area despite the origins of the foundation being in Walter Annenberg’s hometown of Philadelphia. 12

The foundation also founded the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, which publishes a large election survey as well as policy research and papers. The Public Policy Center is best known as the publisher of FactCheck.org, a well-known and sometimes-criticized fact-checking website. 13

References

  1. “Walter H. Annenberg”. Annenberg Foundation. Accessed August 12, 2019. https://www.annenberg.org/people/walter-h-annenberg/
  2. “The Largest Foundations”. Pensions and Investments. November 12, 2018. Accessed August 12, 2019. https://www.pionline.com/article/20181112/ONLINE/181109876/the-largest-foundations
  3. “Interactive Grants Map” Annenberg Foundation. Accessed August 12, 2019. https://www.annenberg.org/what-we-do/grantmaking/interactive-grants-map/
  4. “Walter H. Annenberg”. Annenberg Foundation. Accessed August 12, 2019. https://www.annenberg.org/people/walter-h-annenberg/
  5. Glueck, Grace. “Walter Annenberg, 94, Dies; Philanthropist and Publisher”. New York Times. October 2, 2002. Accessed August 26, 2019.  https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/02/arts/walter-annenberg-94-dies-philanthropist-and-publisher.html?login=smartlock&auth=login-smartlock
  6. Glueck, Grace. “Walter Annenberg, 94, Dies; Philanthropist and Publisher”. New York Times. October 2, 2002. Accessed August 26, 2019.  https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/02/arts/walter-annenberg-94-dies-philanthropist-and-publisher.html?login=smartlock&auth=login-smartlock
  7. “Nomination of Leonore Annenberg To Have the Rank of Ambassador While Serving as Chief of Protocol for the White House”. Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Foundation. Accessed August 28, 2019. https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/21181a
  8. California Black Freedom Fund, February 4, 2021. https://cablackfreedomfund.org/#partners.
  9. “2017 Form 990”. The Annenberg Foundation. ProPublica Non-Profit Explorer. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/236257083/201823199349102217/IRS990PF
  10. Huberty, Robert. “Obama, Annenberg, and Ayers.” Capital Research Center. August 26, 2008. Accessed August 12, 2019. https://capitalresearch.org/article/obama-annenberg-and-ayers/
  11. Vadum, Matthew. “From CRC Archives: Our Profile of the Massive Waste of Money Known as the Annenberg Challenge”. Capital Research Center. October 13, 2008. Accessed August 12, 2019. https://capitalresearch.org/article/from-crc-archives-our-profile-of-the-massive-waste-of-money-known-as-the-annenberg-challenge/
  12. “Initiatives” Annenberg Foundation. Accessed August 12, 2019. https://annenberg.org/what-we-do/initiatives/
  13. “Education” Annenberg Foundation. Accessed August 12, 2019. https://annenberg.org/initiatives/education/annenberg-public-policy-center/

Donation Recipients

  1. Advancement Project (Non-profit)
  2. American Friends Service Committee (Non-profit)
  3. Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC) (Non-profit)
  4. Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles (Non-profit)
  5. Ayni Institute (Non-profit)
  6. California Black Freedom Fund (Non-profit)
  7. California Budget and Policy Center (Non-profit)
  8. California Calls Education Fund (Non-profit)
  9. Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) (Non-profit)
  10. Center for Community Change (CCC) (Non-profit)
  11. Center For Reproductive Rights (Non-profit)
  12. Children’s Defense Fund (Non-profit)
  13. Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) (Non-profit)
  14. Corporation for Public Broadcasting (Non-profit)
  15. Defenders of Wildlife (Non-profit)
  16. Democracy Now Productions (Democracy Now!) (Non-profit)
  17. Earth Island Institute (Non-profit)
  18. Earthjustice (Non-profit)
  19. Equal Justice Initiative (Non-profit)
  20. Equality California Institute (Non-profit)
  21. Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund (Non-profit)
  22. Farm Sanctuary (Non-profit)
  23. Food and Water Watch (FWW) (Non-profit)
  24. Freedom House (Non-profit)
  25. Global Fund for Women (Non-profit)
  26. Grist Magazine (Non-profit)
  27. Highlander Research and Education Center (Non-profit)
  28. Human Rights Watch (Non-profit)
  29. Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) (Non-profit)
  30. Immigrant Defenders Law Center (Non-profit)
  31. Jacobin (Non-profit)
  32. Jewish Voice for Peace (Non-profit)
  33. Laundromat Project (Non-profit)
  34. Liberty Hill Foundation (Non-profit)
  35. Local Initiatives Support Corporation (Non-profit)
  36. Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (Non-profit)
  37. Los Angeles Community Action Network (Non-profit)
  38. Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) (Non-profit)
  39. Movimiento Cosecha (Non-profit)
  40. NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) (Non-profit)
  41. NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation (Non-profit)
  42. National Audubon Society (Non-profit)
  43. National Lawyers Guild Foundation (Non-profit)
  44. National Park Foundation (Non-profit)
  45. National Wildlife Federation (Non-profit)
  46. Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) (Non-profit)
  47. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) (Non-profit)
  48. New Venture Fund (NVF) (Non-profit)
  49. Nonprofit VOTE (Non-profit)
  50. Partnership for a Healthier America (Non-profit)
  51. Partnership for Public Service (Non-profit)
  52. People for the American Way (PFAW) Foundation (Non-profit)
  53. Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) (Non-profit)
  54. Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) (Non-profit)
  55. Pollinator Partnership (Non-profit)
  56. ProPublica (Non-profit)
  57. Report for America (Non-profit)
  58. Resources Legacy Fund (Non-profit)
  59. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (Non-profit)
  60. Sierra Club Foundation (Non-profit)
  61. Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) (Non-profit)
  62. Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE) (Non-profit)
  63. Sundance Institute (Non-profit)
  64. Teach for America (Non-profit)
  65. The GroundTruth Project (Non-profit)
  66. Tides Center (Non-profit)
  67. UNITE-LA (Non-profit)
  68. Urban Justice Center (Non-profit)
  69. Youth Policy Institute (Non-profit)
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: November 1, 1958

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2015 Dec Form PF $54,444,322 $122,818,359 $1,585,608,544 $73,540,214 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2014 Dec Form PF $59,577,106 $145,009,812 $1,663,095,893 $49,341,495 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2013 Dec Form PF $24,657,507 $124,531,748 $1,690,604,187 $43,138,792 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2012 Dec Form PF $66,637,643 $108,152,530 $1,623,162,045 $87,489,312 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2011 Dec Form PF $17,534,122 $42,823,782 $1,533,234,915 $112,016,747 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2011 Jun Form PF $42,700,612 $130,215,977 $1,720,105,771 $163,357,554 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Map image for Annenberg Foundation

    Annenberg Foundation

    1101 WEST ELM ST 640
    CONSHOHOCKEN, PA 19428-0000