The Newton and Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust, founded in 2006, is a grantmaking nonprofit dedicated to safeguarding democratic values and to ensuring the future of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. ¹

Background

The Newton and Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust says it is dedicated to safeguarding democratic values, and to ensuring the future of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Businessman Newton Becker and his wife Rochelle founded the Newton and Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust in 2006. ¹

The California-based organization makes more than 100 grants annually and has five priority areas: research and education to advance Middle East peace and security, Jewish continuity and identity, supporting democratic values, California Jewish communities, and cultural and civic institutions. ¹

Founder

Newton Becker, the founder of Newton and Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust, was born in 1928 and died in 2012. ¹ He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and faced anti-Semitism as a teenager. He said he vowed when he was young that if he had the means he would do what he could to protect Jews around the world. ²

Becker earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting at Kent State University, and a master’s in business administration at Case Western Reserve University. He served in the U.S. Army and was based in Germany. He was previously an accountant at Price Waterhouse. ³

In 1957, he established the Becker CPA Review Course that has prepared about half of America’s certified public accountants for the CPA Exam. ^{2 4} DeVry Inc. bought Becker CPA Review in 1996 for $18.4 million plus $17.9 million for its copyrights and intellectual property. ⁴

In the 1980s, Becker ​was the founding investor of Luz International, which was the leading provider of solar power for many years. He testified before Congress in favor of tax benefits for weather-dependent energy. ⁵ Luz International had research and manufacturing facilities in Israel until its dissolution in 1992. ⁴

Newton Becker was also a major investor in the company Electric Fuel, which develops batteries for electric cars. ³

Grantmaking

The Newton and Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust is a private foundation that made 124 grants in 2022. ⁶

The Becker Charitable Trust contributed $180,000 to PEF Israel Endowment Funds in 2022. ⁶

The trust donated $125,000 to FairVote in 2022. ⁶

The trust gave $125,000 to the Jewish Community Relations Council of San Francisco Marin and Sonoma. ⁶

In 2022, the Becker Charitable Trust was among the contributors to the Council for Responsible Social Media, a body established by the left-of-center advocacy group Issue One. The council included former House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt (D-MO), former Obama administration Defense Secretary and Clinton White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta, former U.S. Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-VA), former Google ethicist and Center for Humane Technology co-founder Tristan Harris, and anti-Facebook activist Frances Haugen. Upon its founding, the council got a total of $250,000 combined from the Becker Charitable Trust, the Omidyar Network, and the Wend Collective. ⁷

In previous years, the trust has contributed to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy to promote accuracy and context regarding Middle East matters. It also contributes to Tiyul-Rihla to bring new narratives of Jews and Palestinians through immersive education. The trust contributed to the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Culture Tolerance in School Education. ⁸ The trust has contributed to left-leaning First Draft News, a global non-profit that provides resources those fighting misinformation about the Middle East. It has also contributed to PolitiFact, a left-leaning fact-checking news site. ⁹

Leadership

David Becker has led the Newton and Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust as managing trustee since his father Newton died in 2012. He is also the executive director. He was compensated $448,550 in 2022. ⁶

Dyland Tatz is the president of the Newton and Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust. He was compensated $320,500 in 2022. ⁶ He became president of the trust in 2020. ² Tatz joined the Becker Charitable Trust in 2016. He is the first person outside the family to serve as president. He was previously the executive vice president. Before that, Tatz worked for four years as executive director of zSharp, a Bay Area music education non-profit. Prior to that, he was an associate at McKinsey & Company. He founded Tatz Entertainment, a management consulting firm working with Silicon Valley startups. ¹⁰

Jason Brzoska is the director of operations for the trust. He was compensated $249,076 in 2022. ⁶

Ann Becker is a member of the board of trustees for the Backer Charitable Trust. ¹¹

Ken Haas is a member of the board of directors for the trust. ¹¹

1. Newton and Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust. Accessed January 4, 2025. https://www.beckertrust.org/
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3. Torak, Ryan. “Pro-Israel philanthropist Newton Becker dies at age 83.” Jewish Journal. January 4, 2012. Accessed January 4, 2025. https://jewishjournal.com/community/99803/
4. Ali, Wajahat, et al. “Fear, Inc. The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America.” Center for American Progress. August 2011. Accessed January 4, 2025. https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/issues/2011/08/pdf/islamophobia.pdf
5. “About Newton Becker.” Newton and Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust. Accessed January 4, 2025. https://www.beckertrust.org/about-newton-becker
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7. Lima-Strong, Cristiano. “‘Responsible social media’ council looks to bridge divides on tech.” Washington Post. October 12, 2022. Accessed January 4, 2025. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/10/12/responsible-social-media-council-looks-bridge-divides-tech/
8. “Peace and Security in the Middle East.” Newton and Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust. Accessed January 4, 2025. https://www.beckertrust.org/peace-and-security-in-the-middle-ea
9. “Supporting Democratic Values.” Newton and Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust. Accessed January 4, 2025. https://www.beckertrust.org/supporting-democratic-values
10. “Defying Division: Multifaith Engagement to Move Us Forward.” Aspen Institute. October 19, 2021. Accessed January 4, 2025. https://www.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Multifaith-participant-bios-no-email.pdf
11.  “Newton and Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust.” Foundation Search. Accessed January 4, 2025. https://www.foundationsearch.com/TopSP/NEWTON%20AND%20ROCHELLE%20BECKER%20CHARITABLE%20TRUST-203822168.HTML