With over a billion dollars in assets, the Schusterman Foundation is a grantmaking organization that funds left-of-center causes including LGBT interests and educational curriculum development. ¹ The organization also supports pro-Israel and other Jewish interests.

Lynn Schusterman, the foundation’s director, co-chair, and principal contributor, is the widow of Charles Schusterman, founder of the Samson Investment Company, a privately held oil and gas concern.

Schusterman’s investments in education are in the many millions per year and are largely focused on preparing people of color to become school administrators and to shape curriculum by investing in left-of-center institutions that create content that millions of students study. ²

Background

The Schusterman Foundation is named after Charles Schusterman, who founded the oil and gas company Samson that subsequently was sold by his widow Lynn for over $6 billion to KKR. The proceeds from the sale were in part invested into the foundation. ³

Funding

The Schusterman Foundation consistently and significantly funds left-of-center organizations. The group made a $65,000 grant to the Management Center, a left-of-center education policy organization. ⁴

Additionally, Schusterman Foundation funds the left-leaning New Venture Fund which has been labeled by critics as a “dark money” organization that secretly funnels revenues to support left leaning political candidates and policies. ⁵ Planned Parenthood of the Heartland also received Schusterman Foundation funding to provide abortion and other services in Iowa and Nebraska. ⁶

Schusterman Foundation is a major donor to many Jewish organizations including the American Jewish World Service (AJWS) that supports “reproductive rights” (often a euphemism for pro-abortion policies) and LGBT interests. ⁷

Educational Funding

The Schusterman Foundation contributed $25,000 to CommonLit⁸ which is major provider of literature educational content. ⁹ Its featured content¹⁰ includes articles about immigration challenges, powerful liberal women, rapper Tupac Shakur, and racial and conservational themes written by authors from the left-leaning media outlets New York Times and National Public Radio (NPR). Content is supplied in part by left-leaning content creator The Conversation. ¹¹

Another recipient is the Education Writers Association (EWA)¹² which supports educational journalists and focuses on left leaning topics including racial disparities in education, gun violence in schools, and the criminalization of students of color. ¹³

Yet another educational grantee is the left leaning Education Leaders of Color (ELC) which seeks to drive hiring more African-American and Latino teachers and school administrators. ¹⁴ The organization also advocates for political agendas to reduce ethnic educational disparities. ¹⁵ It cites research that claims that Hispanic teachers offer a higher quality education for Hispanic students. ¹⁶ ELC further asserts that students of color are more frequently suspended or disciplined than whites and that Trump funding policies will aggravate the situation. ¹⁷

Educators for Excellence also receives funding from the Schusterman Foundation and is currently driving national campaigns that include “Protect our Dreamers,” focusing on supporting illegal immigrants. ¹⁸

Biden Community Violence Intervention

In June 2021, the Biden administration announced a program to combat rising gun violence and violent crime using a collaborative composed of government and nonprofit organizations funding community violence intervention (CVI) measures. Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies was reported to be a funder of the collaborative, along with California Endowment, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, and the Kellogg Foundation. Other foundations funding the initiative include the Kresge Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, Arnold Ventures, the Emerson Collective, the Heising-Simons Foundation, and George Soros’ Open Society Foundations. CVI strategies “act as an alternative to heavy-handed policing” by focusing its efforts on the minority of citizens who are perpetrators or targets of violent crime. CVI treats violence as a communicable disease rather than a violent crime and attempts to stop the “spread” of violence. ¹⁹

Pro-Israel Support

The Schusterman Foundation donates many millions annually to support pro-Israel interests. The foundation has provided support to the American Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE),²⁰ the American Israel Education Fund, American Friends of the Israel Democracy Institute, Birthright Israel, and the Israel on Campus Coalition. The Schusterman Foundation also has an Israel-based subsidiary, Schusterman Foundation Israel, which funds liberal social advocacy projects in the country. ²¹

1. “IRS Form 990.” Digital image. Schusterman Foundation Form 990. Accessed June 7, 2019. http://www.foundationsearch.com/990/LATEST/7/CHARLES AND LYNN SCHUSTERMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION 2016 731312965.PDF.
2. “IRS Form 990.” Digital image. Schusterman Foundation Form 990. Accessed June 7, 2019. http://www.foundationsearch.com/990/LATEST/7/CHARLES AND LYNN SCHUSTERMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION 2016 731312965.PDF.
3. Ovide, Shira. “What Would Your Family Do With $7 Billion?” The Wall Street Journal. November 23, 2011. Accessed June 07, 2019. https://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2011/11/23/what-would-your-family-do-with-7-billion/.
4. “IRS Form 990.” Digital image. Schusterman Foundation Form 990. Accessed June 7, 2019. http://www.foundationsearch.com/990/LATEST/7/CHARLES AND LYNN SCHUSTERMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION 2016 731312965.PDF.
5. “Over 100 Left-Wing Groups Sourced to DC Dark Money Outfit.” Washington Free Beacon. October 22, 2015. Accessed June 07, 2019. https://freebeacon.com/issues/over-100-left-wing-groups-sourced-to-d-c-dark-money-outfit/.
6. Parenthood, Planned. “Planned Parenthood of the Heartland.” Planned Parenthood. Accessed June 07, 2019. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-heartland.
7. “American Jewish World Service.” AJWS. Accessed June 07, 2019. https://ajws.org/.
8. Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2016, Part XV Line 3a http://www.foundationsearch.com/990/LATEST/7/CHARLES%20AND%20LYNN%20SCHUSTERMAN%20FAMILY%20FOUNDATION%202016%20731312965.PDF
9. “About.” CommonLit. Accessed June 07, 2019. https://www.commonlit.org/en/about.
10. “Library.” CommonLit. Accessed June 07, 2019. https://beautifulmind.commonlit.org/en/library.
11. “Our Team and Boards.” Our Team: The Conversation. Accessed June 07, 2019. https://theconversation.com/us/team.
12. Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2016, Part XV Line 3a http://www.foundationsearch.com/990/LATEST/7/CHARLES%20AND%20LYNN%20SCHUSTERMAN%20FAMILY%20FOUNDATION%202016%20731312965.PDF
13. “Education News.” Education Writers Association. Accessed June 07, 2019. https://www.ewa.org/education-news.
14. Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2016, Part XV Line 3a http://www.foundationsearch.com/990/LATEST/7/CHARLES%20AND%20LYNN%20SCHUSTERMAN%20FAMILY%20FOUNDATION%202016%20731312965.PDF
15. EdLoC – Education Leaders of Color. “Commentary: An Open Letter to LAUSD’s School Board Candidates before Tuesday’s Vote – and a Plea to Address Board District 5’s Educational Disparities.” Education Leaders of Color. Accessed June 07, 2019. http://edloc.org/blog-lausd-election-district-5-may-2019.html.
16. [1] Digital image. Examining Latino Representation on California’s School Boards. Accessed June 7, 2019. https://cci.sfsu.edu/sites/default/files/Examining Latino Representation on CA School Boards.pdf.
17. EdLoC – Education Leaders of Color. “EdLoC Condemns Trump Administration Proposal to Rescind Guidance Designed to Address School Discipline Disparities.” Education Leaders of Color. Accessed June 07, 2019. http://edloc.org/blog-leaders_of_color_condemn_trump_admin_proposal_to_rescind_civil_rights_guidance_for_schools.html.
18. “National Campaigns.” Educators for Excellence. Accessed June 07, 2019. https://e4e.org/take-action/national-campaigns.
19. Rojc, Philip. “Backing Up Biden: Grantmakers Get Behind a New Federal Anti-Violence Collaborative.” Inside Philanthropy. Inside Philanthropy, July 6, 2021. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2021/7/1/backing-up-biden-grantmakers-get-behind-a-new-federal-anti-violence-collaborative?utm_source=Funding%2BNews%2B%26%2BTips&utm_campaign=f22df871f4-newsletterdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c776dbf0df-f22df871f4-95098585.
20. Silverstein, Richard. “Is Schusterman Foundation Funding Zionist Propaganda On Campus?” Tikun Olam תיקון עולם. December 03, 2007. Accessed June 07, 2019. https://www.richardsilverstein.com/2007/11/30/is-schusterman-foundation-funding-zionist-propaganda-on-campus/.
21. Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2015, Part XV Line 3a