CAA Foundation

History

Creative Artists Agency LLC was formed in 1975 by Michael Ovitz, Michael S. Rosenfeld, Ronald Meyer, Rowland Perkins, and William Haber. ¹ The company created the CAA Foundation in 1995 to make contributions to left-of-center organizations that engage in climate change activism, support race and gender-focused social policies, support education, and respond to time-sensitive issues. ¹

In addition to the four defined categories, the CAA Foundation makes contributions to organizations that seek to weaken voter integrity laws. ²

Finances

In 2020 the CAA Foundation received $520,594 in contributions, ³ declared $521,648 in total revenue, ⁴ incurred $440,684 in expenses, ⁵ and held $667,735 in net assets. ⁶

CAA Foundation’s largest contributor on its 2020 tax returns was a $250,000 contribution from TPG Capital, a multi-billion dollar private equity firm ⁷ founded in 1992 by David Bonderman, James Coulter, and William S. Price III. ⁸

Grantmaking

In 2020 the CAA Foundation contributed to left-of-center organizations that advocate for race and gender-specific social policies, environmentalist and climate change advocacy organizations, education-focused organizations, and healthcare organizations. ⁹

In addition to cause-specific grantmaking, the CAA Foundation contributed $90,000 to the Entertainment Industry Foundation, a left-of-center grantmaking organization that receives contributions from the broader entertainment industry. ¹⁰

Environmentalism

In 2020 the CAA Foundation contributed to the Seed Consulting Group ($5,000), an organization dedicated to providing consulting services such as fundraising, data analysis, and marketing to nonprofit organizations that oppose the use of non-weather-dependent sources of energy. ¹¹

Race and Gender

In 2020 the CAA Foundation contributed to a number of organizations that provide free educational services based on racial, gender classifications, or immigration status classifications. ⁹ Organizations supported by the CAA foundation include the Array Alliance ($50,000), United Negro College Fund ($11,200), Hispanic Federation ($5,000), and The Global Village Project ($5,000). ⁹

Education

In 2020 the CAA Foundation contributed to a number of educational organizations including One Voice ($25,102), the Oasis Center ($20,297), Step Up Women’s Network ($10,000), Firstbook ($600), the Pencil Foundation ($315), Donors Choose ($315), Big Sister Association of Greater Boston ($315), Brotherhood Crusade ($315), Communities in Schools of Tennessee($315), CollegeTrack ($315), Communities in Schools of Los Angeles ($315), Community Coalition, Roberto Clemente School ($315), and the One Love Foundation ($315). ⁹

Healthcare

In 2020 the CAA Foundation contributed to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center ($5,000). ⁹

Initiatives

In addition to grantmaking, the CAA Foundation engages in advocacy initiatives that seek to advance racial and gender-centric social policies, oppose voter integrity laws, and engage in get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts. ²

CAA Foundation in partnership with Democracy Works operates the Civic Alliance initiative, a project organization that opposes voter integrity laws such as restrictions on mail-in-ballot voting, ¹² and engages in campaigns to collect signatures from CEOs of large businesses that support its left-of-center positions on voter integrity laws. ¹²

CAA Foundation provides support for the Social Change Fund, ² a left-of-center grantmaking organization dedicated to supporting organizations that promote race-centric social policies and organizations that advocate for soft-on-crime policies such as eliminating bail from the criminal justice system. ¹³

CAA Foundation created the “I am voter” initiative, ² an online get-out-the-vote tool that provides information related to voting in all 50 states including voting locations, early voting locations, mail-in-ballot drop-off locations, and voter registration assistance. ¹⁴

Leadership

Richard Lovett is the president of both Creative Artists Agency ¹⁵ and the CAA Foundation. ¹⁶ Lovett began his career working in the mailroom of Creative Artists Agency at 22 and has spent his entire career working for the agency. ¹⁵

In 2016, Lovett and other officers at Creative Artists Agency were embroiled in a controversy when it was revealed that TPG Capital, the agency’s largest shareholder, granted Lovett a $20 million bonus in 2014 when the private equity firm finalized its second round of investment in the company, ¹⁵ all while staff member bonuses and expense accounts were trimmed as part of TPG Capital’s agreement to invest in Creative Artists Agency. ¹⁷