Sarah Min and Matt Pincus Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation created by the couple Sarah Min, an advisory commission official in the Biden administration, and Matt Pincus, a music industry investor. The foundation donates to left-of center activist groups as well as left-leaning voter registration organizations, 1 including the Voter Registration Project. 2
Grantmaking
Left-Wing Policy
Sarah Min and Matt Pincus Foundation donates to a variety of left-of-center organizations. In 2020, the foundation gave $75,000 to Colorofchange.org Education Fund, a partner organization of Color of Change, a prominent, left-wing lobbying group for African-American interests. 1
That same year, the foundation also gave $100,000 to the Michigan Civic Education Fund, the 501(c)3 affiliate of the Michigan Civic Action Fund and a pass-through organization for left-leaning political activism. 1
Additional donations from the Foundation include $50,000 to the pro-abortion Planned Parenthood Federation of America as well as nearly $63,000 to the Surfrider Foundation, a nationwide environmentalist group. 3
Voter Registration and Turnout
In 2019, the Sarah Min and Matt Pincus Foundation gave $100,000 to the Voter Registration Project, a voter mobilization group which targets African-American, Latino, Native American, low-income, and other voter groups likely to lean left-of-center. 2 Though the organization claims a non-partisan affiliation, it is run by individuals with long-standing connections to left-of-center nonprofits. Voter Registration Project, which also goes by the name Everybody Votes, reportedly operated under a model to micro-target voter registration drives in swing states like Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virgnia, and Nevada between 2016 to 2020 to reshape the electorate and boost left-of-center turnout in 2020. 4
In 2019, the foundation gave $100,000 to the Voter Participation Center, another voter registration project focused on registering Democratic-leaning voting populations, 2 including unmarried women, minorities, and millennials. 5
The foundation continued it electioneering efforts with a $25,000 donation in 2020 to the National Vote at Home Institute, an advocacy organization that pushes for controversial nationwide vote-by-mail electoral systems. 1
That same year, the foundation gave $100,000 to One Arizona, another left-of-center voter registration and mobilization organization focused on Arizona. 1
Funders
Sarah Min and Matt Pincus Foundation regularly receives funding from the Pincus Family Fund, which itself is funded by the late father of Matt Pincus, 6 Lionel Pincus, through the Lionel I Pincus Trust. 7 In 2020 the Sarah Min and Matt Pincus Foundation received $107,500 from the Pincus Family Fund 1 and in 2019, the Foundation received $151,000 from the fund. 2
The foundation also receives contributions from founder Matt Pincus, including a $1,928,509 donation in 2019. 2
People
The Sarah Min and Matt Pincus Foundation was founded by the eponymous couple, who married in 2005. 6
Sarah Min currently sits on the Biden administration’s President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Americans and Pacific Islanders 8 and was previously the managing editor of Domino, a magazine published by Conde Nast. 6
Matthew Pincus is the co-founder and CEO of MUSIC, which invests in the music industry, and the founder of Songs Music Publishing, an independent music publisher 9 that he sold for roughly $160 million. 10
References
- The Sarah Min and Matt Pincus Foundation. Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF). 2020.
- The Sarah Min and Matt Pincus Foundation. Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF). 2019.
- The Sarah Min and Matt Pincus Foundation. Return of an Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990). 2020.
- Thayer, Parker. “ACORN’s Grandchildren: Weaponizing Charitable Cash to Win Political Battles.” Capital Research Center. October 1, 2021. https://capitalresearch.org/app/uploads/Capital-Research-2021-7.pdf.
- Wilson, Patrick, “State lawyer says voter registration letters from non-profit are causing “significant voter confusion.” The Virginian-Pilot. April 2016. Archived August 22, 2016. Accessed June 16, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20160822063232/http://pilotonline.com:80/news/government/virginia/state-lawyer-says-voter-registration-letters-from-non-profit-are/article_bc48bbcb-131f-5b57-9a9c-498df193d284.html
- “Sarah Min and Matthew Pincus.” New York Times. September 25, 2005. Accessed June 16, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/25/fashion/weddings/sarah-min-and-matthew-pincus.html.
- The Pincus Family Fund. Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF). 2019.
- “Sarah Min: Experience.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 16, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-min-34727313/details/experience/.
- “Matt Pincus.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 16, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-pincus-4601a3/.
- Shaw, Lucas. “A $200 Million Music Investment Fund Will Scour Industry for Artist, Tech Deals.” Bloomberg. May 26, 2022. Accessed June 16, 2023. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-26/liontree-joins-music-guru-pincus-to-launch-200-million-company.