Non-profit

Aria Foundation

Location:

MINOOKA, IL

Tax ID:

13-3603275

Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)-PF

Budget (2015):

Revenue: $1,031,315
Expenses: $1,952,730
Assets: $28,589,943

Formation:

1992

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ARIA Foundation, Inc. is the private foundation founded and funded by former Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) vice chairman Adam Albright. The foundation serves to make gifts to educational, environmentalist, LGBT-interest, and other left-of-center organizations.

Founder

Adam Albright, owner of Albright Ventures, LLC, is ARIA Foundation’s founder, principal donor, and president. 1 Albright had previously served on the boards of multiple environmentalist organizations. He has been vice chair of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), program chair of Conservation International,2 and trustee of the Rocky Mountain Institute. 3 Albright has also served on the board of Redefining Progress,4 a left-of-center public policy think tank which advocates for the common ownership of assets. 5 Albright also chaired the board of Population Communications International (now PCI-Media Impact),6 a pro-abortion organization centered on “population stabilization.” 7

Causes

ARIA is a grantmaking foundation that supports educational, environmentalist, LGBT-interest, and other left-of-center causes. 8 The foundation regularly gives to those organizations, on whose boards Adam Albright had previously served. 9

Among the most frequent and substantial gifts from the foundation are those to environmentalist organizations. It has given the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) over $7.5 million since the year 2000. 10 Rainforest Alliance, Inc. received over $2 million since 2008. 11 ARIA further gave the Rocky Mountain Institute and the Amazon Conservation Team $2.27 million and $1.99 million, respectively, since 2002. 12 Conservation International had received $200,000 from between 2002-2004 from the foundation. 13

The foundation has a history of supporting LGBT-interest groups and promoting LGBT causes. Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice is a regular recipient with annual gifts of about $60,000. 14 In 2014, Basic Rights Oregon received $50,000. 15 The Northwest Network of Bi, Trans, Lesbian and Gay Survivors of Abuse had received over $360,000 since 2011, from the foundation. 16 A grant of $100,000 had also been made to the SF LGBT Center in 2017. 17

The foundation further funds left-of-center public policy organizations. Equal Justice Initiative, a group focused on perceived “racial and economic injustice” in “mass incarceration” and “excessive punishment,”18 had received $50,000 in 2017. 19 The Drug Policy Alliance had received $160,000 from the foundation since 2015. 20 Other groups to receive funding from the foundation are the aforementioned Redefining Progress and Population Communications International (PCI-Media Impact), receiving over $175,000 and $922,000 respectively. 21 The foundation has also supported the Global Fund for Women, a pro-abortion feminist group,22 with $1.22 million given since 2005. 23

ARIA Foundation also gives to organizations such as Futures for Children, American Indian College Fund, Native American Rights Fund, and the Kripalu Yoga Fellowship. 24

Investments

The ARIA Foundation has been accused of hypocrisy over its investments in oil and natural gas enterprises, including equity investments in Noble Corporation and Canadian Natural Resources. 25 The foundation is also reported to have previously held stock in Chevron, Halliburton, and Texaco. 26

Among the foundation’s investments are positions with Albright Ventures, LLC, a venture capital firm with pooled investors owned by the Albrights, of which the foundation holds a greater than ten-percent share. 27

References

  1. ARIA Foundation. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF), 2016, Part VIII, Line 1
  2. “Natural Resources Defense Council.” Wrong Kind of Green. January 24, 2012. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.wrongkindofgreen.org/the-group-of-ten/natural-resources-defense-council/.
  3. “Board of Trustees.” Rocky Mountain Institute. Archived from the original 15 September 2008. Accessed 25 January 2018. http://www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid57.php
  4. “Natural Resources Defense Council.” Wrong Kind of Green. January 24, 2012. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.wrongkindofgreen.org/the-group-of-ten/natural-resources-defense-council/.
  5. “Redefining Progress.” Community-Wealth.org. June 17, 2015. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://community-wealth.org/content/redefining-progress.
  6. “Natural Resources Defense Council.” Wrong Kind of Green. January 24, 2012. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.wrongkindofgreen.org/the-group-of-ten/natural-resources-defense-council/.
  7. “Home.” Population Communications International. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://population.org/.
  8. “ARIA Foundation, Inc.” BIG Online America. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.bigdatabase.com/Big-DB/USFoundation-profiles/ARIA FOUNDATION INC-133603275.HTML.
  9. “ARIA Foundation, Inc.” BIG Online America. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.bigdatabase.com/Big-DB/USFoundation-profiles/ARIA FOUNDATION INC-133603275.HTML.
  10. Calculated from “ARIA Foundation, Inc.” BIG Online America. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.bigdatabase.com/Big-DB/USFoundation-profiles/ARIA FOUNDATION INC-133603275.HTML
  11. Calculated from “ARIA Foundation, Inc.” BIG Online America. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.bigdatabase.com/Big-DB/USFoundation-profiles/ARIA FOUNDATION INC-133603275.HTML.
  12. Calculated from “ARIA Foundation, Inc.” BIG Online America. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.bigdatabase.com/Big-DB/USFoundation-profiles/ARIA FOUNDATION INC-133603275.HTML.
  13. Calculated from “ARIA Foundation, Inc.” BIG Online America. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.bigdatabase.com/Big-DB/USFoundation-profiles/ARIA FOUNDATION INC-133603275.HTML.
  14. Calculated from “ARIA Foundation, Inc.” BIG Online America. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.bigdatabase.com/Big-DB/USFoundation-profiles/ARIA FOUNDATION INC-133603275.HTML.
  15. Calculated from “ARIA Foundation, Inc.” BIG Online America. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.bigdatabase.com/Big-DB/USFoundation-profiles/ARIA FOUNDATION INC-133603275.HTML.
  16. Calculated from “ARIA Foundation, Inc.” BIG Online America. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.bigdatabase.com/Big-DB/USFoundation-profiles/ARIA FOUNDATION INC-133603275.HTML.
  17. Calculated from “ARIA Foundation, Inc.” BIG Online America. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.bigdatabase.com/Big-DB/USFoundation-profiles/ARIA FOUNDATION INC-133603275.HTML.
  18. “About the Equal Justice Initiative.” Equal Justice Initiative. Accessed January 28, 2019. https://eji.org/about-eji.
  19. “ARIA Foundation, Inc.” BIG Online America. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.bigdatabase.com/Big-DB/USFoundation-profiles/ARIA FOUNDATION INC-133603275.HTML
  20. “ARIA Foundation, Inc.” BIG Online America. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.bigdatabase.com/Big-DB/USFoundation-profiles/ARIA FOUNDATION INC-133603275.HTML
  21. Calculated from “ARIA Foundation, Inc.” BIG Online America. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.bigdatabase.com/Big-DB/USFoundation-profiles/ARIA FOUNDATION INC-133603275.HTML
  22. “Women’s Human Rights and Gender Equality.” Global Fund for Women. Accessed January 28, 2019. https://www.globalfundforwomen.org/womens-human-rights/#.XE8SYlVKjIU.
  23. Calculated from “ARIA Foundation, Inc.” BIG Online America. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.bigdatabase.com/Big-DB/USFoundation-profiles/ARIA FOUNDATION INC-133603275.HTML
  24. “ARIA Foundation, Inc.” BIG Online America. Accessed January 25, 2019. http://www.bigdatabase.com/Big-DB/USFoundation-profiles/ARIA FOUNDATION INC-133603275.HTML
  25. ARIA Foundation. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF), 2016, Statement 7, Part IV
  26. Rogers, Jerry. “National Resources Defense Council Members Profit from Fossil Fuel Investments. Does Leo Know?” PJ Media. October 31, 2014. Accessed January 25, 2019. https://pjmedia.com/blog/national-resources-defense-council-members-profit-from-fossil-fuel-investments-does-leo-know/.
  27. ARIA Foundation. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF), 2016, Statement 9, Part XV

Directors, Employees & Supporters

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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: October - September
  • Tax Exemption Received: June 1, 1992

  • 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 Oct Form PF $1,031,315 $1,952,730 $28,589,943 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2014 Oct Form PF $1,940,510 $3,061,791 $29,511,358 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2013 Oct Form PF $1,560,205 $1,668,117 $30,632,639 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2012 Oct Form PF $900,863 $2,506,262 $30,740,551 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2011 Oct Form PF $1,592,591 $3,364,283 $32,345,950 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Aria Foundation

    1710 WATERS EDGE DR
    MINOOKA, IL 60447-8201