James W. Foley Legacy Foundation

According to its 2024 hostage report, 46 American nationals were unjustly held captive across 16 countries, and 78 percent of Americans held captive in foreign countries were wrongfully detained. The report also states that “on average each year from 2022 to 2024” nine United States nationals were detained and held in Russia, while Americans wrongfully detained in China averaged a length of detention exceeding 12 years. ³

Background

The James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, commonly known as the Foley Foundation, is a private foundation that advocates for the release and safe return of American hostages around the world. The organization was founded by Diane Foley, the mother of James Foley, an American independent conflict journalist who was kidnapped while reporting in Syria in 2012. Foley was beheaded by ISIS on August 19, 2014, and the terrorist organization posted a video of his murder online. ^{1 2}

The organization states it works with government officials, “pro bono partners,” and victims to advocate for the safe return of American hostages. The Foley Foundation also conducts research into hostage-taking and wrongful detention of American citizens around the world and developed a “journalist safety curricula” for graduate and undergraduate schools. ⁴

According to its 2024 hostage report, 46 American nationals were unjustly held captive across 16 countries, while 78 percent of Americans held captive in foreign countries were wrongfully detained. The report also states that “on average each year from 2022 to 2024” nine United States nationals were detained and held in Russia, while Americans wrongfully detained in China averaged a length of detention exceeding 12 years. ³

People

Diane Foley is the mother of James Foley and the president and founder of the James W. Foley Foundation. She led the foundation’s efforts in 2015 to fund the creation of Hostage US, a nonprofit organization that supports families of hostages around the world, and supports said hostages when they return to the United States. The Foley Foundation also assisted in the creation of the International Alliance for a Culture of Safety, a global coalition of journalists’ associations, news organizations, and NGOs that push for safe journalism practices. ^{5 6 7}

Diane Foley participated in the National Counterterrorism Center hostage review, which led to the establishment of Presidential Policy Directive 30. The directive led to the creation of the United States government’s hostage recovery project, which consists of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, the Hostage Response Group, and the interagency Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell. ^{8 9}

Margaux Ewen is the former executive director of the Foley Foundation, a position she held from March 2019 until January 2022. In July 2015 she began working for Reporters Without Borders, a Paris-based advocacy group supporting government transparency and journalistic freedom worldwide, documenting and reporting information, and lobbying various organizations such as the United Nations and the Council of Europe. Ewen was an advocacy and communications officer, advocacy and communications director, and the executive director of the organization’s North American chapter. Ewen left Reporters Without Borders in March 2019. ^{10 11}

Ewen was the director of the Free Them All project at Freedom House from January 2022 until July 2024. Freedom House is a United States-based non-governmental organization that focuses on research and analysis of political rights and civil liberties in countries around the world. ^{11 12}

She became the Whistleblower Protection program director at the Signals Network in July 2024, a position she holds as of December 2024. The Signals Network is a whistleblower protection and promotion organization based in New York City that provides financial, legal, career, and medical support to whistleblowers. ^{11 13}

Financials

The James W. Foley Foundation receives a substantial amount of funding from grants and contributions. The organization’s total revenue amounted to $561,255 in 2022, $280,673 of which came from contributions, while $234,172 came from net fundraising, $19,961 from investment income, and $29,463 from other revenue sources. ¹⁴

The foundation’s total expenses amounted to $540,233 in 2022, $299,916 of which was spent on salaries and wages. The organization reported net assets of $919,817 that year. ¹⁴