The Lefkofsky Family Foundation is a left-of-center foundation that provides financial support to organization that advocate for increased gun control legislation and taxpayer-funded abortions. 1 2
It was created in 2006 by billionaire businessman Eric Lefkofsky and his wife, Liz Lefkofsky. 3 Eric Lefkofsky is the chairman and co-founder of Groupon, an e-commerce company, and the managing director of Lightbank, a venture capital firm. 4
Funding
In 2018, the Lefkofsky Family Foundation received $24,000 in grant and contributions, in addition to $622,967 in dividends and interest from securities and $4,488,308 in capital gains income. 5 The organization reported $5,127,890 in total revenue,6 $8,047,178 in expenses,7 and $52,387,199 in net assets that year. 8
Gun Control
The Lefkofsky Family Foundation financially supports the left-of-center Fund for a Safer Future (FSF). 9 FSF is a gun control organization that seeks to influence public opinion by funding university studies that disincentive gun ownership, such as a 2018 study funded by FSF that claimed the presence of firearms in a house increases the risk of suicide. 10
In 2016, the Lefkofsky Family Foundation supported the production of a documentary examining the shooting that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. 11 The documentary focused on the families of the victims and the grief they experienced. Time called the documentary “quietly yet intrepidly political” for its attempt to use the personal experiences of victims’ families to advocate for stricter gun control laws. 12
Healthcare and Abortion Policy
The Lefkofsky Family Foundation has financially supported the Culture Change Fund, a project of the Women’s Foundation of California. The Women’s Foundation of California is a far-left organization that advocates for government-controlled healthcare, taxpayer-funded abortion, and increased welfare spending. The organization advocated for California Senate Bill 24, a bill that made California the first state to mandate that state universities provide abortion services for students. Today, student health centers at all 34 public universities and colleges in California offer abortion services. 13
The Culture Change Fund uses support from the Lefkofsky foundation to produce research and advance advocacy campaigns that seek to shift public opinion on issues including increased welfare spending, taxpayer-funded abortion services, and race-based social policy programs. 14
Leadership
Liz Lefkofsky is the president of the Lefkofsky Family Foundation. 15 Liz Lefkofsky is co-trustee of the organization with her husband, Eric. 16
References
- UW News Staff. “Suicide More Prevalent than Homicide in US, but Most Americans Don’t Know It.” UW News, University of Washington. 30 Oct. 2018. Accessed April 17, 2021. www.washington.edu/news/2018/10/30/suicide-more-prevalent-than-homicide-in-us-but-most-americans-dont-know-it/.
- “Reproductive Health” Women’s Foundation California. https://womensfoundca.org/what-we-do/policy-wins/
- “About LFF” Lefkofsky Family Foundation. http://www.lefkofskyfoundation.com/about/
- “About Eric Lefkofsky” Lefkofsky Family Foundation. http://www.lefkofskyfoundation.com/about-eric-lefkofsky/
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). Lefkofsky Family Foundation. Part I, lines 1-7. 2018.
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). Lefkofsky Family Foundation. Part I, line 12. 2018.
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). Lefkofsky Family Foundation. Part I, line 26. 2018.
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). Lefkofsky Family Foundation. Part I, line 31. 2018.
- “Fund for a Safer Future (FSF)” Lefkofsky Family Foundation. http://lefkofskyfoundation.com/human-rights/fund-for-a-safer-future/
- UW News Staff. “Suicide More Prevalent than Homicide in US, but Most Americans Don’t Know It.” UW News, University of Washington. 30 Oct. 2018. Accessed April 17, 2021. www.washington.edu/news/2018/10/30/suicide-more-prevalent-than-homicide-in-us-but-most-americans-dont-know-it/.
- “Eric Lefkofsky — Liz Lefkofsky Support Production of Newtown Documentary” yahoo! Finance. January 21, 2016. Accessed April 17, 2021. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/eric-lefkofsky-liz-lefkofsky-support-230000534.html
- Zacharek, Stephanie. “Newtown: A Vivid Portrait of a Grieving Community” Time Magazine. https://time.com/4520923/newtown-vivid-portrait-of-grieving-community/
- “Reproductive Health” Women’s Foundation California. https://womensfoundca.org/what-we-do/policy-wins/
- “Culture Change Fund” Women’s Foundation California. https://womensfoundca.org/what-we-do/grantmaking/culture-change-fund/
- “liz Lefkosky” LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-lefkofsky-7906a211a/
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). Lefkofsky Family Foundation. Part VIII, line 1. 2018.