Not to be confused with the Bermuda-based Atlantic Philanthropies (Nonprofit)
The Atlantic Foundation is a New Jersey-based philanthropic organization founded by J. Seward Johnson, Sr. in 1963. Primarily providing artistic and other apolitical grants and donations, it has provided many left-leaning grants since receiving funds from the Pacific Foundation in 2014. It also engages in limited advocacy activity. [1][2]
Mission
The Atlantic Foundation’s donations are primarily provided to artistic organizations, including many which bear the names of its leaders and founder. [3] It does not take unsolicited grant requests. [4]
Many of its non-artistic donations are to organizations with implicit or explicit left-leaning missions. The Pacific Fund associated with the Atlantic Foundation supports left-leaning political causes. [5]
The River Branch Foundation, for example, focuses on land protection; The Atlantic Foundation is its major donor. [6][7]
The Atlantic Foundation has donated to a number of explicitly left-leaning causes. According to Big Database, its donations have gone to the following organizations:[8]
- $15,000 to Media Impact Funders in 2014. This organization supports left-leaning environmental, immigration, LGBT-interest, and other causes.[9]
- Type Media Center is affiliated with the far-left publication The Nation, and is formerly known as The Nation Institute. [10] Atlantic Foundation provided $65,000 in four donations in 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2014.
- Over $3 million through nine donations to Eyebeam, a social justice-oriented technology and journalism non-profit which was founded by John S. Johnson – grandson of The Atlantic Foundation’s founder – in 1998.[11]
- Over $90,000 in two donations to Us Education Fund, a left-leaning group which campaigns for political speech regulation.[12]
Other engagement
The Atlantic Foundation was one of many non-profits which signed a letter to Congressional lawmakers on April 9, 2019 opposing a provision of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (commonly known as the tax reform law) that requires non-profits to pay taxes on revenues which are considered unrelated to the non-profit’s mission. [13][14]
Its Twitter page shows active engagement in favor of anti-corruption laws in a number of states as well as support for a bill sponsored by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) which aims to make it illegal for Members of Congress to become lobbyists. [15]
Leadership
Michael Unger has served as Chief Administrative Officer for The Atlantic Foundation since 2007. [16] He is also involved with a number of other Johnson non-profits, and in 2018 was on the Board of Directors for the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers. [17]
The Atlantic Foundation was founded by J. Seward Johnson, Sr. of the Johnson & Johnson family. Its current CEO is Johnson’s son, J. Seward Johnson, Jr., while John S. Johnson III is Director Secretary of the Foundation. [18][19]
While J. Seward Johnson has focused much of his career on artistic endeavors, John S. Johnson is heavily involved in left-leaning causes and initiatives. He is founder of The Pacific Foundation and is on its Board of Directors. He also co-founded BuzzFeed and was an investor in Huffington Post. [20][21]
Funding
The Foundation’s major funding sources are trusts related to the family of J. Seward Johnson, Sr. [22] In 2014, it sold its former headquarters for $50 million. [23][24] It grossed over $10 million in revenue and had over $89 million in assets in 2017. [25]