The Dyson Foundation is the private foundation of the Dyson family which funds nonprofits, schools, and religious organizations operating within the New York area. The Foundation generally supports conventional charitable causes in the New York area, but has also made large contributions to left-leaning advocacy groups.

Background

Charles and Margaret Dyson created the Dyson Foundation in 1957 to help facilitate scholarships and charitable giving to organizations in the Hudson Valley Area. ¹ Charles was the founder of the Dyson Kissner-Moran Corporation, an investment firm. Dyson was prominent in left-of-center politics; in 1971 he was listed on President Richard Nixon’s infamous enemies list, a list of Nixon’s biggest political opposition. ²

Leadership

Chairman Robert Dyson was one of the biggest initial supporters of controversial operative David Brock’s left-wing political action committee American Bridge 21^st Century, personally contributing $350,000 since 2011. ³ In 2016 Dyson contributed $583,650 to dozens of Democratic candidates and PACs, most notably the Hillary Victory Fund, a PAC supporting Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). ⁴ In 2019, Robert Dyson contributed $2,800 to left-wing Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s (D-NY) presidential campaign. ⁵

Treasurer and vice-chairman Christopher C. Dyson is also a racing driver for the Dyson Racing sports car team.

Raymond A. Lamontage, director at the Dyson Foundation, was instrumental in the launch of the Peace Corps. In the 1960s, he stayed with Eleanor Roosevelt for a weekend at her cottage in Hyde Park. ⁶ Lamontage also helped John D. Rockefeller III to develop operating and accountability standards for the Rockefeller Family Fund. Lamontage also works on the board of governors of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, a left-wing think tank that asserts that capitalism is an inherently unjust system. ⁷

Donations to Left-of-Center Groups

Since 2015 the Dyson Foundation has given $1,250,000 to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), a left-wing national abortion advocacy group. ⁸ The Dyson foundation has also given large sums to Media Matters for America, ProPublica, the Third Way Institute, the Hopewell Fund, and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. ⁹

1. Stancell, Cecilia. “Dyson Foundation.” Dyson Foundation – Foundation FAQ. Accessed June 26, 2019. https://dysonfoundation.org/about-the-foundation/faqs.
2. “EnemiesList.info.” Nixon’s First Enemies List. Accessed June 26, 2019. https://www.enemieslist.info/list1.php.
3. “Browse Individual Contributions.” FEC.gov. Accessed June 26, 2019. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?two_year_transaction_period=2012&contributor_name=Robert+R+Dyson&min_date=01%2F01%2F2011&max_date=12%2F31%2F2012&contributor_state=NY.
4. “Browse Individual Contributions.” FEC.gov. Accessed June 26, 2019. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?two_year_transaction_period=2016&contributor_name=Robert R Dyson&min_date=01/01/2015&max_date=12/31/2016&contributor_state=NY.
5. “Browse Individual Contributions.” FEC.gov. Accessed June 26, 2019. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?two_year_transaction_period=2020&contributor_name=Robert+R+Dyson&min_date=01%2F01%2F2019&max_date=12%2F31%2F2020&contributor_state=NY.
6. “Prominent Philanthropist Lamontagne Is First.” Marist College. Accessed June 26, 2019. https://www.marist.edu/-/news-prominent-philanthropist-lamontagne-is-first.
7. “Prominent Philanthropist Lamontagne Is First.” Marist College. Accessed June 26, 2019. https://www.marist.edu/-/news-prominent-philanthropist-lamontagne-is-first.
8. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Dyson Foundation. 2015-2017. Additional Data Table.
9. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Dyson Foundation. 2015-2017. Additional Data Table.