Unbound Philanthropy is a New York City-based left-wing donor affinity group that primarily funds groups that support left-of-center liberal expansionist immigration policies.

Unbound has close ties to George Soros’s Open Society Foundations through the group’s executive director, Taryn Higashi. Higashi sits on an advisory board of Open Society Foundations and is an alumna of the left-of-center Ford Foundation, where she worked on immigrant and refugee issues. ¹

Overview

Unbound Philanthropy is an organization which primarily focuses on the immigration issue. It is based in New York City. It was formed in 2003 and did not get its first staff member until 2008. ²

The organization funds traditional legal aid for immigrants. It also funds activist campaigns and projects that encourage immigrant integration. ³

The organization claims that its goals are not partisan and political. However, it does fund many left of center organizations that advocate against increased border security and for liberal expansionist immigration policies. It is also involved in coordination with left-wing groups, helping to steer funds towards advancing left of center causes.

The organization has a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. It has offices in both New York and London, United Kingdom. The London office was opened in 2014. ⁴

Funders

Notable funders of Unbound Philanthropy include William Reeves and Deborah Berger, a married couple. Reeves is a financier who co-founded BlueCrest Capital Management, a hedge fund that manages tens of billions of dollars for clients all over the world. He sits on the board of Third Way, a left of center think tank with ties to the Democratic Party. The couple has also funded the Learning Coalition, which seeks to improve public education in Hawaii. ⁵

In the 2018 midterm elections, Reeves and Berger contributed over $200,000 in political contributions, mostly to Democratic Party candidates. In the 2016 election cycle, Reeves contributed over $500,000 including $350,000 to Priorities USA Action, a super PAC aligned with the Democratic Party. ⁶

Grantees

Unbound Philanthropy funds immigration-related ventures and organizations mostly in the U.S. but also in the U.K. Among the many groups funded are various left-wing groups advocating for legal status for illegal immigrants and a weakening of border security.

One of the groups that it funds is United We Dream. United We Dream is an organization made up of illegal immigrants who would be eligible for legal status under the Dream Act, proposed legislation that would grant legal status to certain illegal immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as minors.

Unbound Philanthropy is a funder of NEO Philanthropy, which is a money conduit for other left-wing groups. Specifically, Unbound Philanthropy is a funder of the NEO Philanthropy project known as the Four Freedoms Fund. The Four Freedoms Fund attacks immigration enforcement ordinances passed by conservatives on the state and local level. The organization is generally opposed to any tightening of border security. ⁷

Unbound executive director Taryn Higashi co-manages the Four Freedoms Fund, which takes its name from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” speech. ⁸

Unbound Philanthropy is also a funder of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and its public policy arm American Immigration Council, both of which are working to sue to weaken border security measures. AILA further provides pro bono representation to non-citizens seeking asylum in the U.S. ⁹

Unbound Philanthropy was also a donor to the controversial Clinton Foundation. ¹⁰

Leadership

Taryn Higashi has worked as the executive director of the organization since 2008. Previously from 1997 to 2008, she managed the migrant and refugee rights portfolio at the Ford Foundation. She serves on the board of the International Refugee Assistance Project and on the advisory board of the International Migration Initiative of the Open Society Foundations. She also serves on the steering committee for the Asian Women’s Giving Circle. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California San Diego and got her law degree from George Washington University. ¹¹

Ingrid Rasmussen is the chief operating officer. She was formerly the vice president for finance and operations at the Huron Foundation. ¹²

Ted Wang is the U.S. program director. Before joining the organization, Wang had a public policy consulting practice in California. Before that, he worked with Chinese for Affirmative Action and Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area. He got his bachelor’s degree from Reed College and his law degree from Yale. ¹³

Adey Fisseha is the U.S. senior program officer. She has been with the organization since 2012. Before that, she worked with the National Immigration Law Center for 10 years. While at the NILC, she was the lead lawyer in a campaign to pass the illegal immigration amnesty legislation known as the Dream Act. She also served as a legislative aide to former U.S. Rep. Howard Berman (D-California). She graduated with her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and received her law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. ¹⁴

The board of directors consists of Deborah Berger, Kikki Fordham, William Reeves, and Hilary Weinstein. ¹⁵

1.   “Team And Board”. 2019. Unbound Philanthropy. Accessed July 29. https://www.unboundphilanthropy.org/team-and-board.
2.    Rojc, Philip. 2017. “This Funder Is Laser-Focused On Immigration. Have You Heard Of It?”. Inside Philanthropy. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2017/7/13/unbound-philanthropy-immigration-policy-grants.
3. Rojc, Philip. 2017. “This Funder Is Laser-Focused On Immigration. Have You Heard Of It?”. Inside Philanthropy. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2017/7/13/unbound-philanthropy-immigration-policy-grants.
4. “Our History”. 2019. Unbound Philanthropy. Accessed July 29. https://www.unboundphilanthropy.org/our-history.
5.      Rojc, Philip. 2017. “This Funder Is Laser-Focused On Immigration. Have You Heard Of It?”. Inside Philanthropy. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2017/7/13/unbound-philanthropy-immigration-policy-grants.
6. Grube, Nick. 2018. “Hawaii’s Big Donors Pump Millions Into Mainland Political Campaigns”. Honolulu Civil Beat. https://www.civilbeat.org/2018/11/hawaiis-big-donors-pump-millions-into-mainland-political-campaigns/.
7. Ludwig, Hayden. 2019. “The Left’s “Dark Money” Coordinator: Funding “Civic Engagement””. Capital Research Center. https://capitalresearch.org/article/the-lefts-dark-money-coordinator-part-3/.
8. Ludwig, Hayden. 2019. “The Left’s “Dark Money” Coordinator: Funding “Civic Engagement””. Capital Research Center. https://capitalresearch.org/article/the-lefts-dark-money-coordinator-part-3/.
9. Ludwig, Hayden. 2019. “Immigrant Advocates Push Fake Humanitarianism At The Border”. Capital Research Center. https://capitalresearch.org/article/immigrant-advocates-push-fake-humanitarianism-at-the-border/.
10. “A Vast Network For Donors”. 2015. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/clinton-foundation-donor-list/.   
11. “Team And Board”. 2019. Unbound Philanthropy. Accessed July 29. https://www.unboundphilanthropy.org/team-and-board.
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13. “Team And Board”. 2019. Unbound Philanthropy. Accessed July 29. https://www.unboundphilanthropy.org/team-and-board.
14. “Team And Board”. 2019. Unbound Philanthropy. Accessed July 29. https://www.unboundphilanthropy.org/team-and-board.
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