Anti-Defamation League Foundation (ADLF)

The Anti-Defamation League Foundation (ADLF) is an endowment management foundation established in 1976 ¹ to support the operations of its parent organization, the watchdog group Anti-Defamation League (ADL). ²

Since 2010, the ADLF has passed over $175 million to the ADL. ³ As of 2024, the ADLF manages over $165 million in total assets on behalf of the ADL. ¹ The two organizations operate as a single financial entity. ⁴

The ADLF operates in part as a donor-advised fund⁵ and has received contributions from left-of-center organizations including the MacArthur Foundation, ⁶ the Rockefeller Philanthropies,⁷ Our Fund, ⁸ and the Santa Barbara Foundation. ⁹

Organizational Overview

The Anti-Defamation League Foundation (ADLF) was established in 1976 to promote the mission of its parent organization the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).¹ It manages and invests the ADL’s endowments, trusts, philanthropic funds, real estate, and other assets.² Both the ADL and ADLF organizations are organized under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code.¹⁰

From 2017 through 2024, the ADLF passed $89,259,520 to the ADL. ^{11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18}

ADL’s annual report treats both organizations’ finances as a single financial entity.⁴

The ADLF also supports the ADL by owning and managing the ADL’s buildings, namely its Los Angeles-based southwest regional office.³

The ADLF spends nearly $300,000 per year on Holocaust and anti-bias educational materials for use in classrooms, on college campuses, and with community groups, corporations, and religious organizations.³

Grantmaking

From 2017 through 2024, the ADLF has given $77,157 in grants to the Israel Scholarship Education Fund (ISEF) and ISEF Foundation, as well as $100,000 to the American Friends of the University of Haifa, $40,000 to the Johnny Mac Tennis Project, $18,000 to the Center Theatre Group, $18,000 to the Monmouth Symphony Orchestra, $10,000 to New York University Langone Health System, $10,000 to the Los Angeles City College, and $10,000 to the Friends of Beit Hatfutsot. ^{11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18}

From 2010 through 2016, the ADLF gave $326,000 in grants to the Israel Scholarship Education Fund (ISEF) Foundation and over $515,000 to a number of other organizations, including the American Friends of the University of Haifa, the International Sephardic Education Foundation, the American Friends of Sheba Medical Center, the New York University School of Medicine, and Cornell University College of Human Ecology. ³

Financials

In 2024, the Anti-Defamation League Foundation (ADLF) reported $30,831,937 in total revenue, $20,684,285 in total expenses, and $165,164,081 in total assets. ¹⁹ This marked a nearly 50 percent increase in annual revenue from 2023, when the ADLF reported only $16,763,283 in total revenue, $13,067,832 in total expenses, and $151,712,903 in total assets. ²⁰

From 2017 through 2025, the Pittsburgh Foundation has issued $31,100 in grants to the ADLF including $13,000 since 2023. ²¹

In previous years, the Anti-Defamation League Foundation Common Fund has received money from the John and Catherine MacArthur Foundation, ⁶ the Rockefeller philanthropies, ⁷philanthropist Thomas Kramer, ²² the Santa Barbara Foundation, ⁹ the LGBT-interest group Our Fund, ⁸ the Harry And Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, ²³ the Leichtag Foundation, ²⁴ the Stempler Family Foundation, the Nate & Ann Levine Family Foundation, the Jewish Community Council Of Winston Salem, and the Breman Foundation. ^{25 26 27 28}

Leadership

Michael Sheetz is the president of the Anti-Defamation League Foundation (ADLF), holding the role since 2022. Sheetz is a trial lawyer and commercial litigator from Boston, Massachusetts as well as partner in the Boston branch of law firm Cooley LLP. Sheetz has previously volunteered with the Anti-Defamation League and completed a three-year term as co-chair of ADL’s Global Leadership Council. Prior to this he served for two years as New England Regional Board Chair in 2010. ²⁹

The previous president Glen S. Lewy, was appointed in 2016⁴ Lewy is the Senior Managing Director of Hudson Ventures, serves as a member of the Council of Foreign Relations, and sits on the Board of Trustees of the New York Historical Society and the SEED Foundation.³⁰

Prior to Lewy, the ADLF’s president was ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, who had previously served as an employee and trustee of the ADLF. Greenblatt was previously the CEO, ADL national director, and trustee by 2015. During his tenure, Greenblatt launched “Never Is Now,” the largest annual convening in the world focused on antisemitism, and founded the Center for Technology and Society in Silicon Valley to fight against online antisemitism. He also developed the Sports Leadership Council to engage athletes and sports teams in opposition to antisemitism. Greenblatt also oversaw the ADL’s Stop Hate for Profit campaign that organized businesses, celebrities, nonprofits and policy makers to censor views on Facebook deemed antisemitic. ³¹

Greenblatt is the author of It Could Happen Here, a book that claims the United States could produce another Holocaust type event of political violence against Jews and other minority groups. Before joining the ADL, Greenblatt served in the Obama White House as Special Assistant to President Barack Obama and Director of the Office of Social Innovation. In 2002, he co-founded Ethos Brands, the business that launched Ethos Water. Ethos was acquired by Starbucks Coffee Company in 2005. Following the acquisition, Jonathan was named VP of Global Consumer Products at Starbucks and joined the board of the Starbucks Foundation. ³¹

In 2009, Greenblatt founded All for Good (AFG), the largest database of volunteer opportunities on the Internet. He also worked as CEO of media company GOOD Worldwide and was an executive at REALTOR.com. He has previously served as an adjunct faculty member at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA and as a senior fellow at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Greenblatt received his Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University and his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. ³¹