For the associated 501(c)(4), see Greenpeace (nonprofit)

Greenpeace Fund, Inc. is the non-profit 501(c)(3) arm associated with Greenpeace. It raises money to support the operations and the mission of Greenpeace. It also engages in public education and makes grants in order to support their environmentalist agenda.

Among the goals of the group are an end to use of fossil fuels. In addition, they support the end of the use of nuclear power. They support the replacement of cheaper and more reliable fossil fuels with more expensive and less reliable wind and solar.¹

The group is also opposed to much of modern agriculture. They have opposed the use of genetically modified crops, despite the fact they produce higher yields and use less pesticides than non-GMO crops. They are also opposed to the use of modern fertilizers and chemicals, despite the fact they produce higher yields and have no direct harm to humans.²

Influence

Greenpeace Fund, Inc seeks to support the work of Greenpeace, Inc. It was founded in 1978 and serves to increase public awareness of Greenpeace’s work. It seeks to educate citizens about Greenpeace’s work by housing a multimedia library with Greenpeace media archives including Greenpeace Radio, Greenpeace e-Magazine, and educational webinars.³

It also seeks to provide financial support through grants and donations. It has a Partners In Action program that allows people to become Greenpeace Partners In Action with a tax-deductible contribution of $500 or more.⁴

Finances and Fundraising

According to its most recently available Form 990 from 2014, Greenpeace Fund raised $14.5 million and spent $13.8 million. It had $16.5 million in assets.⁵ In that year, $6 million was spent on campaigns outside of the United States. It was wired to Europe to support various Greenpeace projects that were underway.⁶

It gave $2.1 million to Greenpeace USA in order to support “climate & energy programs” which fought to end the use of fossil fuels and nuclear energy.  It also gave $1 million to Greenpeace USA in order to support “oceans campaign.” Another $950,000 was allocated to support the “forests campaign” which was opposing logging operations in forests, thereby threatening thousands of jobs. $600,000 was allocated to support the “Arctic campaign” which was fighting against oil drilling in the Arctic.⁷

It also gave $200,000 to Greenpeace USA in order to support “democracy initiatives campaign” which fought for a variety of progressive causes.⁸ Among the causes Greenpeace supports are restrictions on campaign-related free speech, gun control, and less restrictive voting laws.⁹ It also gave $25,000 to support “Park Foundation youth leadership” and another $10,000 to support “Jo Billups Student Network.”¹⁰

Greenpeace Fund does not accept donations from corporations from governments. Instead it relies on small dollar donations and foundations with most of the donations coming from foundations. Among the foundations that have donated to Greenpeace are the Rockefeller Brothers Fund¹¹, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation¹², the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation¹³, and the John Merck Fund¹⁴.

Controversies

In 2003, Greenpeace was accused of funneling money through its various entities in order to avoid U.S. tax laws. It was accused of funneling $24 million over three years to fund non-tax exempt activities. However, no action was ultimately taken.¹⁵

1. Cormack, Lucy. 2015. “On The Road To 100% Renewable Energy: Greenpeace Report Says The World Could Be Fossil Fuel-Free By 2050.” The Sydney Morning Herald. Accessed July 2 2017. http://www.smh.com.au/environment/greenpeace-on-renewables-phase-out-coal-oil-gas-and-nuclear-energy-by-2050-20150920-gjqof4.html.
2. Rice, Doyle “Nobel Laureates Blast Greenpeace For GMO Opposition.” 2016. USA TODAY. Accessed July 2 2017. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/06/30/nobel-laureates-greenpeace-gmos/86564054/.
3. “Greenpeace Fund, Inc. – Ballotpedia.” 2017. Ballotpedia.Org. Accessed June 27 2017. https://ballotpedia.org/Greenpeace_Fund,_Inc
4. “Greenpeace Fund, Inc. – Ballotpedia.” 2017. Ballotpedia.Org. Accessed June 27 2017. https://ballotpedia.org/Greenpeace_Fund,_Inc.
5. 2017. Pdfs.Citizenaudit.Org. Accessed June 27 2017. http://pdfs.citizenaudit.org/2015_07_EO/95-3313195_990_201412.pdf.
6. 2017. Pdfs.Citizenaudit.Org. Accessed June 27 2017. http://pdfs.citizenaudit.org/2015_07_EO/95-3313195_990_201412.pdf.
7. 2017. Pdfs.Citizenaudit.Org. Accessed June 27 2017. http://pdfs.citizenaudit.org/2015_07_EO/95-3313195_990_201412.pdf.
8. 2017. Pdfs.Citizenaudit.Org. Accessed June 27 2017. http://pdfs.citizenaudit.org/2015_07_EO/95-3313195_990_201412.pdf.
9. Kroll, Andy. 2013. “Revealed: The Massive New Liberal Plan To Remake American Politics.” Mother Jones. Accessed July 2 2017. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/01/democracy-initiative-campaign-finance-filibuster-sierra-club-greenpeace-naacp/.
10. 2017. Pdfs.Citizenaudit.Org. Accessed June 27 2017. http://pdfs.citizenaudit.org/2015_07_EO/95-3313195_990_201412.pdf.
11. “Greenpeace Fund.” 2015. Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Accessed June 27 2017. http://www.rbf.org/grantees/greenpeace-fund.
12. “Greenpeace Fund – The David And Lucile Packard Foundation.” 2017. The David And Lucile Packard Foundation. Accessed June 27 2017. https://www.packard.org/grants-and-investments/grants-database/greenpeace-fund-3/.
13. “Greenpeace Fund, Inc. – For The Global Coal And Air Pollution Program.” 2017. Hewlett Foundation. Accessed June 27 2017. http://www.hewlett.org/grants/greenpeace-fund-inc-for-the-global-coal-and-air-pollution-program/.
14. “Greenpeace Fund – John Merck Fund.” 2017. John Merck Fund. Accessed June 27 2017. https://www.jmfund.org/grant/greenpeace-fund/.
15. ” Frontpage Magazine – Greenbacks For Greenpeace.” 2017. Archive.Frontpagemag.Com. Accessed June 27 2017. http://archive.frontpagemag.com/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=15343.