Non-profit

Benjamin Fund

Location:

WASHINGTON, DC

Tax ID:

84-1618483

Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)-PF

Budget (2015):

Revenue: $15,940,822
Expenses: $812,961
Assets: $26,953,290

Type:

Private Foundation

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The Benjamin Fund is a private foundation associated with Code Pink (styled CODE PINK) founder Medea Benjamin and her family that funds far-left organizations including Code Pink, Global Exchange, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). 12 Benjamin is also co-founder Global Exchange. 3

The Benjamin Fund’s money reportedly comes from the estate of Rose Benjamin,4 ex-wife of the late Long Island real estate developer Alvin Benjamin and mother of Medea. 5 Prior to his death, Alvin Benjamin provided money to the Fund. 6

Funding Activities

The Benjamin Fund invests millions into many left-of-center organizations but its largest bloc of funding is to Medea Benjamin’s far-left demonstration group Code Pink. Code Pink has used those donations to invade and provoke Israel in 2011 and demonstrators aligned with the group called for the elimination of Israel in 2015. It also participated in a Holocaust deniers’ conference led by the Iranian regime in 2014. 7

The second largest recipient of Benjamin Fund revenues is the other Medea Benjamin-founded far-left group, Global Exchange (GE). 8 After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Global Exchange suggested Americans needed to self-evaluate as to what the United States had done to provoke the terrorist attacks. It claimed that U.S. policies on Middle East oil and support for Israel fostered resentment and triggered the attacks. Global Exchange is a self-described “anti-corporate globalization” organization that supports open borders, amnesty for illegal immigrants, opposes capitalism and was the catalyst for the riots at the 1999, WTO conference in Seattle. 9

Benjamin donates significant funding to One DC, a grassroots organization that claims to represent the poor and oppressed in Washington D.C. Its manifesto states that housing, wellness, and income are human rights, seeks free, non-imperialistic education, abolition of prisons, and the control of land that has been lost to gentrification and developers. 10

People’s Hub receives Benjamin funding and charges communities for training services. It claims to train people to achieve progressive change through the four R’s which are resistance, resilience, restoration, and re-imagination. It promotes education with anti-racist and anti-oppressive strategies for marginalized communities to build power. 11

Social Good applies its Benjamin donations into fiscal support of left-of-center geared projects that support environmentalism activism, illegal immigration advocacy, abortion and LGBT causes. 12

The Diverse City Fund uses its monies from Benjamin to stave off minority community displacement within Washington, D.C. and to drive policies that benefit people of color including liberation, fighting oppression and seeking change. 13

The Green Festival was founded by Medea Benjamin’s husband, Kevin Danaher, to showcase environmentally sustainable products and services. 14

The Center for Constitutional Rights claims to support communities under threat to combat oppression, racism, and injustice through vigorous legal advocacy. 15

Leadership

Medea Benjamin is the president of the Benjamin Fund; her two daughters Maya Danaher and Arlen Gomez, sit on the board as treasurer and secretary, respectively. Medea Benjamin has opposed the United States’ foreign policies and supported Fidel Castro’s regime, the Communist Viet Cong in Vietnam, the Nicaraguan revolutionary Sandinistas, and anti-U.S. Iraqi forces. During the battle of Fallujah in the Iraq war in 2004, Benjamin provided $600,000 to aid Iraqi forces. She is also aligned with the former Weather Underground extremist Bill Ayers in The International Solidarity Movement. 16

While leading Global Exchange, Medea Benjamin co-organized anti-World Trade Organization demonstrations that devolved into riots that caused mayhem in Seattle in 1999. 17

References

  1. “Form 990.” Accessed July 23, 2019. https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2016/841/618/2016-841618483-0ec17199-F.pdf.
  2. Tigas, Mike, Sisi Wei, Ken Schwencke, and Alec Glassford. “Benjamin Fund Inc, Form 990PF – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. May 09, 2013. Accessed July 23, 2019. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/841618483/201811319349102041/IRS990PF.

  3. “Anti-War Protests Wounded at Army Hospital.” CNS News. May 29, 2012. Accessed July 23, 2019. https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/anti-war-protests-wounded-army-hospital.
  4. Simpson, James. “The ‘Responsibility to Protect’ Doctrine.” Capital Research Center. Accessed July 23, 2019. https://capitalresearch.org/article/the-responsibility-to-protect-doctrine/.
  5. Kitchen, Patricia. “Real Estate Developer Alvin Benjamin Dies.” Newsday. May 17, 2012. Accessed July 30, 2019. https://www.newsday.com/long-island/obituaries/real-estate-developer-alvin-benjamin-dies-1.3725115.
  6. Benjamin Fund, Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2003, Schedule B
  7. “German Mayor Opposes €10,000 Award to Anti-Semitic Group Code Pink.” The Jerusalem Post – Israel News. Accessed July 23, 2019. https://www.jpost.com/printarticle.aspx?id=444609.
  8. [1] “Form 990.” Accessed July 23, 2019. https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2016/841/618/2016-841618483-0ec17199-F.pdf.
  9. “Discover The Networks.” Discover the Networks | Global Exchange (GE). Accessed July 23, 2019. https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/organizations/global-exchange-ge/.
  10. “The People’s Platform Manifesto.” ONE DC. Accessed July 23, 2019. https://www.onedconline.org/peoplesplatform.
  11. “About.” PeoplesHub. Accessed July 23, 2019. https://peopleshub.org/about/.
  12. “Let’s Build the World We Wish to See.” SocialGood. Accessed July 23, 2019. https://www.socialgoodfund.org/.
  13. “Diverse City Fund.” Diverse City Fund. Accessed July 23, 2019. https://www.diversecityfund.org/.
  14. “Promoting Sustainable Events.” Green Festivals. Accessed July 23, 2019. https://greenfestivals.ca/.
  15. “Mission and Vision.” Center for Constitutional Rights. Accessed July 23, 2019. https://ccrjustice.org/home/who-we-are/mission-and-vision.
  16. Simpson, James. “The ‘Responsibility to Protect’ Doctrine.” Capital Research Center. Accessed July 23, 2019. https://capitalresearch.org/article/the-responsibility-to-protect-doctrine/.
  17. “Discover The Networks.” Discover the Networks | Global Exchange (GE). Accessed July 23, 2019. https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/organizations/global-exchange-ge/.

Directors, Employees & Supporters

Donation Recipients

  1. 350.org (National) (Non-profit)
  2. ADC Research Institute (ADCRI) (Non-profit)
  3. Advancement Project (Non-profit)
  4. Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ) (Non-profit)
  5. Alliance for Justice (AFJ) (Non-profit)
  6. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) (Non-profit)
  7. As You Sow (Non-profit)
  8. Backbone Campaign (Non-profit)
  9. Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) (Non-profit)
  10. Center for Economic and Policy Research (Non-profit)
  11. Center for International Policy (CIP) (Non-profit)
  12. Center for Justice and Accountability (Non-profit)
  13. Center for Media Justice (Non-profit)
  14. Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) (Non-profit)
  15. Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) (Non-profit)
  16. Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) (Non-profit)
  17. Code Pink (CODEPINK) (Non-profit)
  18. Color of Change (Non-profit)
  19. Common Counsel Foundation (Non-profit)
  20. Common Dreams (Non-profit)
  21. Demand Progress Action (DPA) (Non-profit)
  22. Democracy Now Productions (Democracy Now!) (Non-profit)
  23. Demos (Non-profit)
  24. Dream Defenders (Non-profit)
  25. Electronic Frontier Foundation (Non-profit)
  26. Electronic Privacy Information Center (Non-profit)
  27. Equal Justice Initiative (Non-profit)
  28. Equality Now (Non-profit)
  29. Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) (Non-profit)
  30. Fight for the Future (Non-profit)
  31. Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC) (Non-profit)
  32. Free Press Action Fund (Non-profit)
  33. Free Speech TV (For-profit)
  34. Freedom for Immigrants (Non-profit)
  35. Friends Committee on National Legislation (Non-profit)
  36. Global Fund for Women (Non-profit)
  37. Grassroots Global Justice Alliance (Non-profit)
  38. Grassroots International (Non-profit)
  39. Greenpeace (Non-profit)
  40. Highlander Research and Education Center (Non-profit)
  41. Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) (Non-profit)
  42. Institute for Food and Development Policy (Non-profit)
  43. Institute for Policy Studies (Non-profit)
  44. Interfaith Worker Justice (Non-profit)
  45. International Labor Rights Forum (Non-profit)
  46. Jobs With Justice (JWJ) (Non-profit)
  47. Justice First (Non-profit)
  48. Movement Strategy Center (Non-profit)
  49. Muslim Advocates (Non-profit)
  50. NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) (Non-profit)
  51. National Day Laborer Organizing Network (Non-profit)
  52. National Iranian American Council (NIAC) (Non-profit)
  53. National Lawyers Guild (Non-profit)
  54. National Lawyers Guild Foundation (Non-profit)
  55. National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth (Non-profit)
  56. New World Foundation (NWF) (Non-profit)
  57. Nonviolent Peaceforce (Non-profit)
  58. ONE DC (For-profit)
  59. Pacifica Foundation (Non-profit)
  60. Peace Action (Non-profit)
  61. Peace Development Fund (Non-profit)
  62. Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) (Non-profit)
  63. Popular Resistance (Non-profit)
  64. Project South (Non-profit)
  65. Public Citizen Foundation (Non-profit)
  66. Social Good Fund (Non-profit)
  67. Solidaire Network (Non-profit)
  68. Teaching for Change (Non-profit)
  69. Threshold Foundation (Non-profit)
  70. U.S. Palestinian Community Network (Non-profit)
  71. United for a Fair Economy (UFE) (Non-profit)
  72. Veterans for Peace (Non-profit)
  73. War Resisters League (Non-profit)
  74. Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND) (Non-profit)
  75. World Beyond War (Non-profit)
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: June 1, 2003

  • 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 $15,940,822 $812,961 $26,953,290 $1 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2014 Dec Form PF $710,592 $380,559 $12,672,685 $1 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2013 Dec Form PF $667,149 $917,862 $11,955,668 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2012 Dec Form PF $457,724 $744,199 $12,177,881 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2011 Dec Form PF $162,726 $1,178,018 $12,464,356 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Benjamin Fund

    666 ST NE
    WASHINGTON, DC 20002-0000