Foundation to Support Animal Protection (PETA Foundation) is an animal liberationist non-profit established in 1993 that provides administrative support to PETA and other animal rights groups. 1
The PETA Foundation had extensive ties to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a group promoting veganism and animal liberation from a nominally medical perspective. Neal Barnard, the longtime head of PCRM, headed the Foundation to Support Animal Protection in the early 2000s, and Foundation to Support Animal Protection provided PCRM with over $500,000 in financial support. 23
PETA Foundation is represented by the Raben Group lobbying firm. 4
About
Foundation to Support Animal Protection (FASAP) (PETA Foundation) was established in 1993 to provide administrative support to PETA and other animal-liberation groups. 1
The organization has an undisclosed amount of staff and a board of directors, and makes reference to at least 17 attorneys in the foundation’s Legal Department. 5 A job listing with the PETA Foundation sought someone to work with these attorneys “to provide advice and assistance on a wide range of legal issues that arise in the course of PETA’s work to protect animals through public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation, and protest campaigns.” 6
Ties to Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
The PETA Foundation had ties to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a health-oriented vegan advocacy group, through the early 2000s. Until 2005, Neal Barnard, the president of PCRM, served as the president of the PETA Foundation. The PETA Foundation gave Barnard’s group at least $592,000 in 1999 and 2000. 7
According to its federal tax returns, PCRM gave Foundation to Support Animal Protection $62,299 and $55,851, in tax years 2001 and 2002 respectively, for “financial services.” 8
People
Staff
Jeffrey Kerr serves as general counsel and senior vice president of corporate affairs at the PETA Foundation. Kerr formerly served in several capacities at the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, as president, chair of the legal panel, and chair of the policy committee. 9
Lori Kettler has served as the PETA Foundation’s vice president and deputy general counsel for regulatory affairs since 2000. 10
Scott Anderson is the PETA Foundation’s vice president of development, and lead’s PETA’s fundraising efforts. 11
Steven Kehrli has been with the PETA Foundation since 2007, first as a development director, and currently as a vice president of development. 12
Board of Directors
Eilene Cohhn serves as secretary of the board, and formerly served as the secretary and treasurer of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Cohhn is an event planner and has worked as such with organizations like PETA, the Doris Day Animal League, In Defense of Animals, and Humane USA Political Action Committee. 13
Ingrid Newkirk serves as president and treasurer of the board. Newkirk is the founder and president of PETA. 14
References
- “Home.” PETA Foundation, 2020. Accessed April 25, 2020. https://www.petafoundation.org/.
- “7 Things You Didn’t Know About PCRM.” Center for Consumer Freedom, October 17, 2008. https://www.consumerfreedom.com/articles/168-7-things-you-didnt-know-about-pcrm/.
- Center for Organizational Research and Education. “Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).” Activist Facts, June 11, 2020. https://activistfacts.com/organizations/23-physicians-committee-for-responsible-medicine/.
- “Lobbying Relationship.” Pro Publica, 2017. Accessed April 20, 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/represent/lobbying/r/300997465.
- “Meet PETA and the PETA Foundation Staff: Lori.” PETA, 2020. Accessed April 26, 2020. https://www.peta.org/about-peta/work-at-peta/jobs-employees/jobs-employees-lori/.
- “One-Year Law Fellowship.” PETA, 2020. Accessed April 26, 2020. https://www.peta.org/about-peta/work-at-peta/legal-fellowship-fsap/.
- Wadman, Meredith. “Profile: Neal Barnard.” Nature Medicine, June 1, 2006. Accessed April 21, 2020. https://www.nature.com/articles/nm0606-602.
- Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2001, Schedule A, Part II.
- “Jeffery Kerr.” LinkedIn, 2020. Accessed April 21, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-kerr-0572a8157/.
- “Lori Kettler.” LinkedIn, 2020. Accessed April 26, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-kettler-0803a72a/.
- “Turning Dreams Into Reality: Meet Scott Anderson of the PETA Foundation.” PETA, 2019. Accessed April 26, 2020. https://www.peta.org/donate/planned-giving/meet_scott_anderson/.
- “Steven Kehlri.” LinkedIn, 2020. Accessed April 26, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/petasteve/.
- “Eilene Cohhn.” Activist Facts, 2020. Accessed April 26, 2020. https://www.activistfacts.com/person/3560-eilene-cohhn/.
- “Ingrid Newkirks’ Biography.” PETA, 2019. Accessed April 26, 2020. http://www.ingridnewkirk.com/.