Chrest Foundation

The nonprofit supports causes such as left-leaning criminal justice policy, left-of-center environmental causes, and Turkish nonprofits. ¹

Background

Jeff Jensen and Lou Anne King Jensen founded the Chrest Foundation in 1999. The Jensen family traditionally gave to underprivileged children, social entrepreneurs, college scholarships, diabetes research, and other causes. The nonprofit was seeded with money from the Jensen family’s investments in health insurance, telecommunications, and other ventures. ¹

The nonprofit also supports Turkish civil society. The nonprofit focuses on Turkey because of the Jensen family’s travel to Turkey for vacations and an international conference on social initiatives. The nonprofit exclusively supported Turkish projects between 2001 and 2017. ¹

In 2017, Jeff and Lou Ann Jensen’s children became involved with the nonprofit and added support for left-leaning criminal justice policy and environmentalist causes to the nonprofit’s giving. ¹

Environmental Giving

Protect Our Winters

Between 2020 and 2022, the Chrest Foundation gave $175,000 to the left-of-center environmentalist group Protect Our Winters. ^{2 3 4} Protect Our Winters group supports a carbon tax and replacing conventional sources of energy exclusively with weather-dependent energy sources. ⁵

Conservation Colorado Education Fund

Between 2020 and 2022, the Chrest Foundation gave $250,000 to the left-of-center environmentalist group Conservation Colorado Education Fund. ^{2 3 4}

The group opposed a bill in the Colorado legislature that would have designated zero-carbon-emissions nuclear power as clean energy. The group claimed that investing in nuclear energy would make climate change worse because it would take money away from wind and solar. ⁶

Texas Campaign for the Environment Fund

Between 2020 and 2022, the Chrest Foundation gave $200,000 to the left-of-center environmentalist group Texas Campaign for the Environment Fund. ^{2 3 4} The group led a campaign to encourage the Biden administration to deny permits for deepwater natural gas export terminals. ⁷

Western Resource Advocates

Between 2020 and 2022, the Chrest Foundation gave $250,000 to the left-of-center environmentalist group Western Resource Advocates. ^{2 3 4} The group supports regulations and legislation that are designed to be punitive to the oil and gas industry. ⁸

Criminal Justice Policy

Between 2020 and 2022, the Chrest Foundation gave to Girls Embracing Mothers, Inc. ($150,000), Lone Star Justice Alliance ($210,000), Recidiviz, Inc. ($250,000), Southern Methodist University ($400,000), Texas Appleseed ($200,000), Texas Public Policy Foundation ($400,000), Buried Alive Project ($110,000), and Unlocking Doors ($20,000). ^{2 3 4}

Other Groups

Between 2020 and 2022, the Chrest Foundation gave $375,000 to the Trust for Public Land. ^{2 3 4} In 2022, the Foundation also gave $10,000 to the Boulder Climbing Community, $10,000 to the Whitefish Community Foundation, $75,000 to Greenspace Dallas, and $50,000 to the Montana Wilderness Association Inc. ⁴

Turkey

The Chrest Foundation has supported numerous Turkish civil society groups. In December 2021, the Turkish Interior Ministry’s civil society relations directorate general announced an investigation into every Turkish group that received money from the Foundation after some of the recipients allegedly violated Turkish law. ⁹

By December 2023, the nonprofit ceased support of Turkish groups due to attacks against it by the pro-government press. ¹⁰

Leadership

The Chrest Foundation’s president is Lou Anne King Jensen. She is the wife of Jeff Jensen. ⁴

Jeff Jensen is the Foundation’s vice president. He is a partner with the JFO Group, LLC, an investment management firm. ^{4 11}

Finances

According to the Chrest Foundation’s 2022 tax return, the nonprofit reported $1,841,919 in revenue, $2,019,700 in expenses, and $33,939,403 in assets. ⁴