The O’Reilly Foundation

In addition to supporting left-of-center LGBT and immigration causes, the foundation has supported the left-wing National Lawyers Guild Foundation. The Los Angeles chapter of the National Lawyers Guild Foundation is associated with the left-wing “Check the Sheriff” coalition. The coalition has alleged widespread corruption in the Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Department and is seeking the resignation of the Los Angeles County Sheriff and an investigation of department by the California Attorney General. ²

Overview

The O’Reilly Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation based in Sebastopol, California. It is the official foundation of O’Reilly Media, a company owned by Silicon Valley figure Tim O’Reilly. O’Reilly is the CEO and chairman of O’Reilly Media. ¹

The foundation is located at the O’Reilly Media campus in Sebastopol, California. The foundation’s mailing address is also care of O’Reilly Media. ¹

Leadership

Tim O’Reilly is the president of The O’Reilly Foundation. ¹

O’Reilly is best-known for educating and delivering information to Silicon Valley executives and other influential technology industry professionals. O’Reilly was one of the first people to popularize the concept of the internet, writing the first popular book that explained the internet for the general public in 1992. He created the first web portal and true commercial website on the internet before selling it to AOL in 1995. He also funded one of the first shows on Internet Talk Radio, which was one of the first online radio streaming services founded a decade before the term “podcast” was popularized. ³

O’Reilly is a prolific author who has popularized numerous concepts such as “web 2.0” and open-source software, among many other internet related ideas. O’Reilly convened the “Government 2.0” summit which sought to influence the Obama administration on open data policies and other issues which he claimed would create a more “open” government. ³

O’Reilly promotes far-left economic policies. In 2017, O’Reilly wrote a book called WTF: What’s The Future and Why It’s Up To Us. The proposals outlined in the book included a complete restructuring of the American economy, including increasing taxes on capital gains and implementing new taxes on wealth, carbon emissions, and financial transactions. ⁴

Finances

According to the foundation’s 2018 tax returns, the O’Reilly Foundation took in a contribution of $500,000, sold assets worth $192,899, and made $38,905 from dividends and interest in 2018. That year, the foundation awarded $102,000 in grants and reported assets of $2.1 million. ¹

In 2018, the foundation made a $20,000 grant to Trans Lifeline, an organization which supports left-of-center policy related to transgender people. It also awarded a $35,000 grant, the year’s largest, to the International Refugee Assistance Project, a left-of-center organization which supports increased refugee admission to the United States. ¹

In 2016, it awarded a $20,000 grant to the National Lawyers Guild Foundation, which is the chairtable arm of the left-wing National Lawyers Guild (NLG). ⁵  The Los Angeles chapter of the National Lawyer’s Guild is a member of the left-wing “Check the Sheriff” coalition, a group of left-wing organizations in Los Angeles, California that is seeking the resignation of Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. The coalition is also demanding the investigation of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) by the California Attorney General. ²

In May 2021, NLG Los Angeles and Check the Sheriff presented a report alleging that the LASD had harassed the families of people shot by LASD deputies. The report was published in coordination with the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California, the Check the Sheriff Coalition, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, and Centro Community Service Organization. Rebecca Brown, an attorney and legal fellow at the National Lawyers Guild, wrote the report. ⁶