Faith in Public Life

Faith in Public Life was originally a project of Center for American Progress (CAP), a large liberal think tank with strong ties to the Democratic Party establishment. The organization and its officers are outspoken opponents of the Trump administration and its stance on immigration policy. ¹

Immigration

Faith in Public Life is an aggressive opponent of the Trump administration and its immigration policy. The organization calls for the passage of the Dream Act, which would grant legal status to certain illegal immigrants, without modification. In a letter to Congress, Faith in Public Life claimed that the Trump administration has “white supremacist” demands and terrorizes immigrant communities. The organization also claims to work with churches to provide sanctuary for illegal immigrants hiding from authorities. ²

Faith in Public Life signed a letter condemning the immigration policy of the Trump Administration and urging American CEOs not to employ anyone involved with the policy. It accused these officials of being directly guilty of abuses in the immigrant detention system. ³

Founder

Former U.S. Representative and Obama administration official Tom Perriello (D-Virginia) is the founder of Faith in Public Life. He also served as the president of Center for American Progress Action Fund, the 501(c)(4) arm of CAP. He currently serves as the director of U.S. programs for Open Society Foundations, the principal advocacy-philanthropic organization headed by liberal billionaire megadonor George Soros. ⁴

Board of Directors and Staff

Jennifer Butler is the CEO of Faith in Public Life. She previously served as the White House Council on Faith and Neighborhood Partnerships in the Obama administration. ⁵

Scott Nielson is the chair of the board of directors for Faith in Public Life. He previously served as a program officer for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, one of the largest left-leaning foundations in America. He also works as the managing director of advocacy for Arabella Advisors, a philanthropic consulting company that manages multiple left-of-center organizations including the Hopewell Fund, of which Nielson is the managing director. According to his profile on Arabella Advisors, Nielson has also worked in unspecified capacity for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Democracy Alliance, the State Infrastructure Fund, and the Open Society Foundations. ^{5 6}

Bobby Clark is a member of the board of directors for Faith in Public Life. He previously worked as vice president of programs and communications at the Gill Foundation, a left-of-center grantmaking organization involved in LGBT issues. He also helped to found ProgressNow, a liberal policy advocacy organization that promotes its stances through targeted emails and social media ads. ⁵

Bryan Whitaker is the chief innovation officer for Faith in Public Life. He previously served as the chief technology officer for the Democratic National Committee. He also worked as the founding director for the Field Information Services at the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), one of America’s largest and most politically active labor unions. ⁵

Funding

Faith in Public Life operated on a budget of $2,177,009 in 2017. The organization received $2,673,160 in contributions and grants. ⁷

Faith in Public Life has received numerous donations from left-leaning and liberal organizations. Democracy Fund, a foundation which funds left-of-center organizations, has donated $300,000 since 2017. ⁸ George Soros’ Open Society Foundations made a $90,000 grant to Faith in Public life in 2017. ⁹ Faith in Public Life Received $150,000 in 2017, $175,000 in 2016, and $100,000 in 2015 from NEO Philanthropy, a large New York-based nonprofit that serves as a clearinghouse for left-of-center causes.  ^{10 1112}