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Non-profit

Entertainment Industry Foundation

Website:

www.eifoundation.org/
Location:

Los Angeles, CA
Tax ID:

95-1644609
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2020):

Revenue: $100,177,248
Expenses: $66,927,734
Assets: $110,608,198
Formation:

1942
President:

Nicole Sexton

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The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) is a major philanthropic organization backed by major players in the film industry, the music industry, and other American entertainment industries. Founded in 1942 by several leading figures in Hollywood, the foundation claims to have raised more than $1 billion throughout its existence and contributes to hundreds of other grantmaking organizations annually. 1 In 2020, the foundation’s total revenue exceeded the $100 million mark for the first time. 2 The foundation is run by top media executives, including representatives of Fox, NBC, and CBS.

While the EIF puts a large portion of its funds towards non-political causes, such as cancer-treatment projects and university medical departments, it provides significant funding to some of the most influential organizations backing the establishment left, as well as dozens of smaller left-wing groups. In recent years, these have included anti-law enforcement causes and bail funds for accused criminals and rioters, especially during the outbreak of civil unrest across the United States in the summer of 2020. 3

History

The Entertainment Industry Foundation was launched in 1942 by four top Hollywood executives and celebrities: movie producer Samuel Goldwyn (whose studio would eventually merge into the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer corporation), actor Humphrey Bogart, director James Cagney, and the Warner brothers (the founding heads of the eponymous film and media giant). One of the foundation’s first major initiatives was to provide grants to organizations involved in the war effort against the Axis Powers, most notably the American Red Cross. The EFI also helped fund efforts to develop a treatment for the then-common and debilitating polio disease. In the decades following the Second World War, the foundation continued to support various healthcare initiatives while eventually expanding its scope to backing campaigns for left-of-center educational policy and social issues. 4

A 2022 Hollywood Reporter profile named stars like George Clooney, Charlize Theron, and Jennifer Hudson as just some of the names who have come to the EIF for support and partnership. 5

Initiatives

A large portion of the foundation’s funding goes towards largely non-political causes, including hospitals, libraries, universities, and the arts. The EIF’s more ideological funding recipients include many leading grantmaking entities and pressure groups within the institutional left. Among these are the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, the charitable arm of the ACLU legal activist organization, as well as the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the litigation affiliate of the NAACP. Other prominent grantees include the Obama Foundation of former president Barack Obama and the Social Justice Center, which runs a bail fund for arrested criminals and rioters. The EIF has also directly supported bail funds across the United States, particularly during the nationwide anti-law enforcement civil unrest and violence in the summer of 2020. 6

Non-political Project Samples

Featured in the EIF 2020-2021 impact report, the “Delivering Jobs” seeks to create employment opportunities for people with mental disabilities. While the foundation frames its engagement with potential employers in terms of diversity and inclusion, it also describes mentally disabled individuals as an “untapped workforce” and part of a “workforce of the future.” 7

Stand up to Cancer is one of EIF’s most successful projects. The initiative has raised over $700 million since its start in 2008. Other initiatives have included include fundraising after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, providing aid to Ukraine refugees, and supporting HIV/AIDS prevention in Africa. 8

Political Initiative Samples

During the 2021 summer wildfire season, the EIF used its “Defy:Disaster” project to back a performer with the stage name “Fantastic Negrito” and his initiative to write a song about climate change. The foundation would also promote Defy:Disaster at the 2021 Academy Awards through merchandise included in gift bags for attendees. The EIF claims that this campaign helped drive awareness and donations towards wildfire relief efforts. 9

In late 2021, the Ford Foundation, once the largest grantmaker in the United States and a major player on the institutional left, announced a partnership with the EIF to expand access to vaccines around the world. The foundations indicated that combating so-called “vaccine hesitancy” and its alleged “dangers” would be a top priority for the project. 10

In 2022, the Hollywood Reporter published an interview with left-wing activist and former football player Colin Kaepernick, who had announced that he was partnering with the EIC to promote his “Know Your Rights” campaign against alleged law enforcement misconduct. Kaepernick has repeatedly claimed that police in the United States systemically engage in “terrorism” against minority groups, and he claims that these groups must “fight back.” Kaepernick also referred to a police shooting incident in San Francisco, California, one in which no officers were charged with any wrongdoing, as a “lynching.” 11

The EIF also runs a careers program aimed at filling vacancies and generating work opportunities in the entertainment industry specifically, prioritizing minority groups in its outreach efforts. In its announcement of the program’s 2021 launch, the foundation explicitly stated that changing the demographics of the industry to favor minorities was one of the program’s objectives. 12 A similar “She Is The Music” initiative focuses on increasing the number of women in the music industry. 13

Leadership

Nicole Sexton has been the president and chief executive officer of the Entertainment Industry Foundation since 2017. She previously held senior leadership positions with a variety of philanthropic and development institutions, including the Central Park Conservancy and the Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard University. She also worked as a consultant to the Clinton Global Initiative, a now-defunct organization which former president Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton used to organize conferences and secure funding for their favored projects. 14 In 2020, Sexton was receiving an annual salary of more than $360,000 from the EIF. 15

Chris Silbermann is the chairman of the EIF. He works as the managing director of the international talent agency ICM Partners. Silbermann also sits on the boards of the University of California Berkeley Foundation, the American Film Institute, and the Nature Conservancy, a major international environmentalist organization. 16

Other members of the EIF board of directors include senior executives at several of America’s most influential media companies, including Jeff Bader of NBC Entertainment, Dan Harrison of Fox Entertainment, Jack Sussman of CBS Entertainment, and Andy Kubitz of Netflix. 17

In 2020, the highest-paid member of EIF’s staff was Stand up to Cancer CEO Sung-Ah Poblete. She earned over $451,000 that year, about $88,000 more than Sexton. 18

Funding

The Entertainment Industry Foundation holds tens of millions of dollars in net assets. Since 2015, the foundation’s annual revenue has generally fluctuated between $60 million and $90 million, but it exceeded $100 million for the first time in 2020. 19 The foundation cited a “changing world” due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in high-profile left-wing activism that year as the motivation for its increased activity that year. Also in 2020, 80 percent of EIF’s grants served “people of color,” and nearly $82 million was provided to 338 nonprofits. 20

References

  1. “About.” Entertainment Industry Foundation. Accessed October 9, 2022. https://www.eifoundation.org/about/
  2. “Entertainment Industry Foundation.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed October 9, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/951644609
  3. “2020-2021 Impact Report.” Entertainment Industry Foundation. Accessed October 9, 2022. https://www.eifoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/EIF-Impact-Report-2020-2021-eifoundation_org.pdf
  4. “About.” Entertainment Industry Foundation. Accessed October 9, 2022. https://www.eifoundation.org/about/
  5. Rebecca Keegan, “Why George Clooney, Charlize Theron and Colin Kaepernick turn to the Entertainment Industry Foundation for their charity work,” The Hollywood Reporter. June 23, 2022. Accessed October 10, 2022. George Clooney, Charlize Theron, Colin Kaepernick Go to EIF for Charity Work – The Hollywood Reporter
  6. “2020-2021 Impact Report.” Entertainment Industry Foundation. Accessed October 9, 2022. https://www.eifoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/EIF-Impact-Report-2020-2021-eifoundation_org.pdf
  7. “2020-2021 Impact Report.” Entertainment Industry Foundation. Accessed October 9, 2022. https://www.eifoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/EIF-Impact-Report-2020-2021-eifoundation_org.pdf
  8. Rebecca Keegan, “Why George Clooney, Charlize Theron and Colin Kaepernick turn to the Entertainment Industry Foundation for their charity work,” The Hollywood Reporter. June 23, 2022. Accessed October 10, 2022. George Clooney, Charlize Theron, Colin Kaepernick Go to EIF for Charity Work – The Hollywood Reporter
  9. [1]“2020-2021 Impact Report.” Entertainment Industry Foundation. Accessed October 9, 2022. https://www.eifoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/EIF-Impact-Report-2020-2021-eifoundation_org.pdf
  10. “Ford Foundation Makes Widespread Commitments to Further Global Vaccine Access.” Ford Foundation. October 6, 2021. Accessed October 9, 2022. https://www.fordfoundation.org/news-and-stories/news-and-press/news/ford-foundation-makes-widespread-commitments-to-further-global-vaccine-access/
  11. Rebecca Keegan. “Colin Kaepernick on Joining Forces With EIF for His Social Justice Program.” The Hollywood Reporter. June 23, 2022. Accessed October 9, 2022. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/colin-kaepernick-eif-philanthropy-1235169063/
  12. David Robb. “Entertainment Industry Foundation Launches EIF Careers Program To Diversify Film & TV Production Pipeline.” Deadline. May 5, 2021. Accessed October 9, 2022. https://deadline.com/2021/05/entertainment-industry-foundation-launches-eif-careers-program-to-diversify-film-tv-production-pipeline-1234750005/
  13. “2020-2021 Impact Report.” Entertainment Industry Foundation. Accessed October 9, 2022. https://www.eifoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/EIF-Impact-Report-2020-2021-eifoundation_org.pdf
  14. Chris Gardner. “Entertainment Industry Foundation Names New President and CEO.” The Hollywood Reporter. October 18, 2017. Accessed October 9, 2022. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/entertainment-industry-foundation-names-new-president-ceo-1049976/
  15. [1]“Entertainment Industry Foundation.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed October 9, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/951644609
  16. “Chris Silbermann.” Los Angeles Business Journal. July 30, 2018. Accessed October 9, 2022. https://labusinessjournal.com/news/chris-silbermann/
  17. [1]“Leadership.” Entertainment Industry Foundation. Accessed October 9, 2022. https://www.eifoundation.org/about/leadership/
  18. “Entertainment Industry Foundation.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed October 9, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/951644609
  19. [1]“Entertainment Industry Foundation.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed October 9, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/951644609
  20. [1]“2020-2021 Impact Report.” Entertainment Industry Foundation. Accessed October 9, 2022. https://www.eifoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/EIF-Impact-Report-2020-2021-eifoundation_org.pdf
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: November 1, 1942

    • 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
    2020 Dec Form 990 $100,177,248 $66,927,734 $110,608,198 $17,994,761 N $97,679,039 $0 $514,783 $2,017,785
    2019 Dec Form 990 $59,290,881 $73,014,816 $82,070,485 $24,097,565 N $57,147,301 $0 $1,139,354 $2,273,519 PDF
    2018 Dec Form 990 $86,330,104 $87,794,960 $109,033,006 $37,403,741 Y $95,173,618 $0 $607,931 $2,063,042 PDF
    2017 Dec Form 990 $68,250,289 $71,114,606 $96,466,418 $24,227,273 N $82,763,610 $0 $123,290 $2,280,384 PDF
    2016 Dec Form 990 $60,298,906 $61,723,094 $91,139,241 $16,635,065 N $60,073,641 $0 $211,500 $2,152,238
    2015 Dec Form 990 $78,711,594 $65,376,882 $96,102,334 $20,351,859 N $78,417,044 $0 $135,719 $2,520,386 PDF
    2014 Dec Form 990 $77,902,169 $55,638,681 $75,102,977 $12,626,574 N $77,197,808 $0 $143,760 $2,167,555 PDF
    2013 Dec Form 990 $49,341,142 $47,456,239 $49,396,407 $10,134,683 Y $48,786,903 $0 $166,001 $1,692,665 PDF
    2012 Dec Form 990 $53,462,322 $49,538,876 $49,526,814 $12,740,799 Y $53,273,478 $0 $194,080 $1,450,028 PDF
    2011 Dec Form 990 $41,404,737 $59,853,105 $53,176,013 $20,572,024 N $41,245,872 $0 $273,650 $1,307,490 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Entertainment Industry Foundation

    10880 Wilshire BLVD # 1400
    Los Angeles, CA