The Paul and Joanne Egerman Family Charitable Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation. In addition to the foundation’s charitable works, such as funding scholarships and supporting MIT, it donates to left-leaning groups. In 2018, the foundation donated to The American Prospect,¹ an online and print magazine that promotes left-progressive perspectives.

Both Paul and Joanne Egerman are political activists who donate both their time and money to the Democratic Party and its candidates. ² The foundation provides money to organizations and groups that denounce Present Donald Trump and are vocal against his administration such as Bend the Arc, a left-of-center Jewish advocacy group.

Founders

Paul Egerman is a retired software engineer and political activist. He is a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and has co-founded and led several software companies, from which he has made his fortune. After selling his company eScription in 2008, he increased his presence in political activism, raising money for Democratic candidates and liberal causes, and serving various roles for left-leaning PACs. Over a decade ago, The Boston Globe nicknamed Paul Egerman the “personal PAC man” because of his repeated donations and work for the Democratic political committees and liberal causes. ³

In 2009, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) appointed Paul Egerman to the Health IT (HIT) Policy Committee, an advisory committee of the Department of Health and Human Services. ⁴ As of January 2020, he is still a member of the HIT Policy Committee. ⁵ He was the former vice chairman and now trustee of the Museum of Science in Boston and sits on the board of the New Israel Fund, a funder of left-progressive activism in and related to the State of Israel. ⁶

In the past, Paul and Joanne Egerman supported U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) during his 2006 bid for U.S. Senate, however, since then the husband and wife haven’t financially supported Sanders, but have now started supporting U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). Paul Egerman served as Warren’s campaign treasurer for her run for U.S. President in the 2020 election. ⁷

Funding

The Paul and Joanne Egerman Family Charitable Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation. The foundation reported $1,398,497 in revenue and $1,343,026 in expenditures in its 2018 fiscal year. ⁸ The foundation reported zero employees and of the three trustees listed, none were paid compensation. ⁹  The Paul and Joanne Egerman Family Charitable Foundation allotted grant money to left-leaning advocacy organizations including Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, Health for All, and Keshet, a group that claims to advocate for LGBT Jews. ¹⁰

1. Paul and Joanne Egerman Family Charitable Foundation, Return of Private Foundation Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF), 2018, Part XV. Accessed January 31, 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/46835621/09_2019_prefixes_01-06%2F046835621_201812_990PF_2019090516622333
2. “Egerman, Paul: Donor Detail.” OpenSecrets.org – Center for Responsive Politics. Accessed January 31, 2020. https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/donor_detail.php?cycle=2012&id=U0000003288&type=I&super=S&name=Egerman%2C+Paul
3. Beachum, Lateshia. “Elizabeth Warren Decries Big Money in Politics. Her Campaign Treasurer Embodies It.” The Center for Public Integrity. May 23, 2019. Accessed January 31, 2020. https://publicintegrity.org/politics/elizabeth-warren-president-pac-money-treasurer/
4. “House and Senate Leaders Appoint Members to HIT Policy Committee.” Lexology. April 14, 2009. Accessed January 31, 2020. https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=c19e58c3-4684-4c13-a0fa-6bac99de146d
5. “Health IT Policy Committee.” HealthIT.gov. Accessed January 31, 2020. https://www.healthit.gov/hitac/committees/health-it-policy-committee
6. Guerra, Anthony. “One-on-One With HIT Policy Committee Member and Certification & Adoption Workgroup Member Paul Egerman, Part I.” Healthcare Innovation. November 15, 2011. Accessed January 31, 2020. https://www.hcinnovationgroup.com/policy-value-based-care/arra-hitech/article/13012604/oneonone-with-hit-policy-committee-member-and-certification-adoption-workgroup-member-paul-egerman-part-i
7. Norton, Kit. “Many of Sanders’ Big Money 2016 Donors Now Backing Warren.” VT Digger. September 30, 2019. Accessed February 1, 2020. https://vtdigger.org/2019/09/30/many-sanders-big-money-2016-donors-now-backing-warren/
8. Paul and Joanne Egerman Family Charitable Foundation, Return of Private Foundation Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF), 2018, Part I, Lines 12 and 26. Accessed January 31, 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/46835621/09_2019_prefixes_01-06%2F046835621_201812_990PF_2019090516622333
9. Paul and Joanne Egerman Family Charitable Foundation, Return of Private Foundation Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF), 2018, Part VIII Sections 1 and 2. Accessed January 31, 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/46835621/09_2019_prefixes_01-06%2F046835621_201812_990PF_2019090516622333
10. Paul and Joanne Egerman Family Charitable Foundation, Return of Private Foundation Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF), 2018, Part XV. Accessed January 31, 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/46835621/09_2019_prefixes_01-06%2F046835621_201812_990PF_2019090516622333