Telos Foundation

The Telos Foundation is an inactive private foundation created by Facebook co-founder, 2008 Obama campaign staffer, and left-of-center anti-corporate activist Chris Hughes and his husband Sean Eldridge, a former Democratic Congressional candidate and the former political director of same-sex marriage advocacy organization Freedom to Marry. 1 2

At-A-Glance

Issue Areas: Multi-Issue Advocacy
Formation:

2011

Location: Garrison, NY View on map
Tax ID: 45-4434298
Most Recent Filing: 2024
Budget (2024): Assets: $0 Revenue: $0 Expenses: $0

Contents

    Background

    The foundation was created by Hughes and Eldridge in 2011, but has remained dormant since that point. It has reported $3 in revenues and no expenses since its founding. 3

    Its listed address is in the New York City office of Andersen Tax LLC, which prepares the foundation’s annual tax return to the Internal Revenue Service.  3

    The Telos Foundation should not be confused with the Cayman Islands-registered Telos Foundation that operates the Telos Network blockchain service. 4

    Founders

    The Telos Foundation was created by Facebook co-founder, 2008 Obama campaign staffer, and left-of-center anti-corporate activist Chris Hughes and his husband Sean Eldridge, a former Democratic Congressional candidate and the former political director of same-sex marriage advocacy organization Freedom to Marry. 1 2

    References

    1. Stelter, Brian. “The Facebooker Who Friended Obama”. New York Times. July 7, 2008. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/07/technology/07hughes.html
    2. Ellison, Sarah. “The Complex Power Coupledom of Chris Hughes and Sean Eldridge”. Vanity Fair. June 4, 2015. https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/06/chris-hughes-sean-eldridge-new-republic-congress-run
    3. “Telos Foundation.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed January 23, 2026. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/454434298.
    4. “About – A Beginner’s Guide to Telos.” Telos. Accessed January 23, 2026. https://www.telos.net/about.