Sidney A Swensrud Foundation

Founding and History

Sidney Anton Swensrud was born on August 1, 1900, in Northwood, Iowa. He attended the University of Minnesota, graduating in 1923 with a degree in business, and subsequently earned a graduate degree from Harvard Business School in 1927. After graduation, Swensrud joined Standard Oil of Ohio, where he worked for 19 years, rising to the position of executive vice president by 1945. In 1948, he joined Gulf Oil Corporation as executive vice president and was promoted to president in 1949, holding that role until his retirement. Under Swensrud’s leadership, Gulf Oil expanded significantly both domestically and internationally, particularly in Middle East oil production. ^{2  3}

Swensrud established the foundation in 1959 while still working as chairman of Gulf Oil. His philanthropic interests focused on population control, immigration restriction, and education. He was deeply involved with the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and sat on its governing board, as well as those of the Association for Voluntary Surgical Contraception and the International Planned Parenthood Federation. Swensrud was a co-founder in 1979 of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which his namesake foundation continues to support. Swensrud viewed population growth and immigration as interconnected issues that threatened American society and the environment. ^{2  4  3}

Swensrud passed away in 1996. ³

Financials

For 2024, the Sidney A. Swensrud Foundation reported $3,218,567 in revenues, of which $107,758 came from grants and contributions, $1,033,425 from dividends and interest, and $2,039,953 from the net sale of assets. The foundation’s only financial support was received from The JoAnne Catlin Charitable Remainder Unitrust. ⁵

It reported $2,362,647 in expenses, of which $1,985,500 was paid out in grants and contributions, $303,875 was spent on professional fees, $14,042 on taxes, and $50,250 in various other expenses. It ended the year with a gain of $855,920 and net assets of $30,925,606. ⁶

Grantees

The Sidney A. Swensrud Foundation supports generally right-of-center organizations and issues, with the main exception being its support for Upstream USA, a left-of-center organization that was previously a project of the left-of-center New Venture Fund, part of the Arabella Advisors dark money network. Upstream USA promotes the use of contraceptive technology, specifically with the goal of reducing population growth to reduce poverty. In 2024, Upstream was the foundation’s largest grantee, receiving $500,000. ¹

Support of Upstream is a continuation of Swensrud’s original support for Planned Parenthood and other population control-related causes. However, it does not appear that the foundation has provided grants to outright pro-abortion groups, such as Planned Parenthood, in recent years. ^{2  7}

Right-of-center groups that received support in 2024 include the pro-school choice groups American Federation for Children ($75,000), the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools ($15,000), and the Catholic Schools Foundation ($40,000); immigration-restrictionist groups including the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) ($75,000) and the Immigration Reform Law Institute ($150,000); and the Pioneer Institute (125,000). ¹

Other right-of-center grantees in past years have included Hillsdale College, the Fund for American Studies, and Judicial Watch. ⁸