The Foundation for Truth, Justice, and Compassion is a left-of-center grant making foundation that supports left-of-center organizations with unrestricted grants. The founders, Kenneth and Jennifer Duda, are major donors to left-of-center candidates and PACs. ^{1 2 3}

Background

The Foundation for Truth, Justice, and Compassion received tax exempt status in 2020. It was formed by tech entrepreneur Kenneth Duda and his wife Jennifer Duda, both of whom are donors to Democratic candidates and political committees. ^{4 2 3}

Financials

For 2023, the Foundation for Truth, Justice, and Compassion reported $3,663,685 in revenue, of which the entire amount was derived from the sale of assets and interest on savings. It reported $2,574,553 in expenses, of which $2,355,000 was spent on making contributions and grants. It ended the year with a net income of $1,089,132 and net assets of $24,586,758. ⁵

Based on Federal Election Commission (FEC) records, both Kenneth and Jennifer Duda regularly contribute to left-of-center PACs and political candidates. ^{2 3}

Grantmaking

The Foundation for Truth, Justice, and Compassion contributes its grants to health and community-based organizations. Notably, the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health received grants of $1.4 million in 2021, $2.191 million in 2022, and $2.055 million in 2023. ¹

The foundation has made grants to left-of-center groups including Human Rights Watch and Media Matters for America. Another regular recipient of grants is the Voter Registration Project. ¹ Nearly all grants that the foundation makes are classified as general and unrestricted. ¹

Leadership

Jennifer Duda is president and, along with her husband Kenneth Duda, the co-founder of the Foundation for Truth, Justice, and Compassion. She is an adjunct clinical assistant professor in the Hematology-Oncology department at Stanford Medicine. She makes contributions to left-of-center political campaigns and Super PACs, regularly maxing out contributions. ^{6 7 3}

Kenneth Duda is the co-founder and chief technology officer of the cloud networking technology company Arista Networks, a position he has held since 2004. As of 2023 he was a member of the company’s board of directors. In 2023, the company had $5.86 billion in revenue. Between 2021 and 2023, Duda’s annual compensation, including stock options, varied between $2.9 and $4.4 million. ^{8 9}

Kenneth Duda has donated to groups and Super PACs for the campaigns of those including Vice President Kamala Harris, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN). He has provided contributions to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, with multiple contributions ranging from $40,000 to over $140,000. He has contributed several million dollars to the Future Forward USA PAC, including one donation of $2 million. ²

1. The Foundation For Truth Justice And Compassion, Return of an organization exempt from taxation (Form 990PF) Part XIV, 2020-2023.
2. “Browse Individual Contributions: Ken Duda.” FEC.gov. Accessed September 30, 2024. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Ken+Duda&min_date=01%2F01%2F2000&max_date=12%2F31%2F2024.
3. “Browse Individual Contributions: Jennifer Duda.” FEC.gov. Accessed September 30, 2024. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Jennifer+Duda+&min_date=01%2F01%2F2000&max_date=12%2F31%2F2024
4. The Foundation For Truth Justice And Compassion, Return of an organization exempt from taxation (Form 990PF) Part I and VII, 2023.
5. The Foundation For Truth Justice And Compassion, Return of an organization exempt from taxation (Form 990PF) Part I, 2023.
6. The Foundation For Truth Justice And Compassion, Return of an organization exempt from taxation (Form 990PF) Part VII, 2023.
7. “Jennifer L Duda.” StanfordChildrens.org. Accessed September 30, 2024. https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/doctor/jennifer-l-duda.html.
8. “Management Team.” Arista Networks, July 9, 2024. https://www.arista.com/en/company/management-team.
9. “Arista 2024 Noticew and Proxy Statement; 2023 Annual Report.” Arista.com. Accessed September 30, 2024. https://s21.q4cdn.com/861911615/files/doc_financials/2023/ar/93ea6289-d6e2-414d-9552-259e5da36121.pdf.