Person

Anne Earhart

Nationality:

American

Occupation:

Founder & President, Marisla Foundation

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Anne Earhart is a California-based heiress and supporter of various left-leaning causes. She is one of the inheritors of the fortune of Getty Oil tycoon J. Paul Getty. Earhart is a supporter of Democratic Party and left-of-center political causes with her political and advocacy giving. She is also the principal behind the Marisla Foundation which donates money to environmental causes and health and human services organizations.

Earhart generally tries to avoid the media spotlight, letting the employees of her foundation do the public work. 1

Early Life

Anne Earhart is the granddaughter of J. Paul Getty, named in 1957 the richest (then-) living American. Getty made his fortune in the oil business investing in both domestic and Middle East oil production. He was one of the first to amass over $1 billion in wealth and controlled over 200 businesses. 2

Getty married five times and had five children. Anne is the daughter of Getty’s first son, George Getty. George passed away in 1973. 3

Earhart married John Earhart, who worked for the World Wildlife Fund. He has been an advocate of protecting the oceans and the coastline of California since the 1980s. Earhart co-founded the Global Environment Fund in 1990. 4 The couple has since divorced.

Political Activities

Earhart has emerged as a heavy donor to Democrats and left-wing causes. In 2004, she began supporting the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund. She also became a big donor to the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee. In that year, she supported then-Massachusetts Senator John Kerry’s bid for president. 5

In 2008, she gave money to the Democratic presidential primary bids of Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and John Edwards. In the general election she supported eventual winner Barack Obama. 6

In 2012, she supported President Barack Obama’s reelection7 and in 2016 she supported Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. 8 However, after the election in 2016 she gave a maximum donation to Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein; Stein had petitioned to pay for recounts in the decisive Electoral College states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. 9

Earhart is also a supporter of many left-wing independent organizations and PACs. Since 2005, she has been a supporter of Ocean Champions PAC. 10 Since 2012, she has been a supporter of the left-wing super PACs Priorities USA Action, House Majority PAC, and American Bridge. 11 In 2014, she supported Planned Parenthood and Senate Majority PAC. 12 She has also added support to various state Democratic parties. She has also become a major contributor to Organizing for Action, a successor organization to Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns. 13

She has played a role in California politics. Earhart was a major backer of the opposition to 2010’s Proposition 23, which would have repealed a law that attempted to fight global warming. The proposition failed. She was also a supporter of California Governor Jerry Brown (D). 14

Marisla Foundation

Anne Earhart does most of her charitable giving through her Marisla Foundation. The grants mostly go to environmental and health-related organizations. Among the groups funded are Nature Conservancy, Oceana, and the Resources Legacy Fund. 15

But the foundation has also donated to left-of-center causes. The foundation has donated to the Democratic Party establishment-aligned think tank Center for American Progress and Media Matters, a critic of right-of-center media. 16

References

  1. Williams, Tate. 2014. “The Oil Company Heiress Devoting Her Wealth To Oceans”. Inside Philanthropy. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2014/5/23/the-oil-company-heiress-devoting-her-wealth-to-oceans.html.
  2. Williams, Tate. 2014. “The Oil Company Heiress Devoting Her Wealth To Oceans”. Inside Philanthropy. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2014/5/23/the-oil-company-heiress-devoting-her-wealth-to-oceans.html.
  3. Williams, Tate. 2014. “The Oil Company Heiress Devoting Her Wealth To Oceans”. Inside Philanthropy. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2014/5/23/the-oil-company-heiress-devoting-her-wealth-to-oceans.html.
  4. Williams, Tate. 2014. “The Oil Company Heiress Devoting Her Wealth To Oceans”. Inside Philanthropy. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2014/5/23/the-oil-company-heiress-devoting-her-wealth-to-oceans.html.
  5. “Browse Individual Contributions”. 2019. Federal Election Commission. Accessed June 24. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?two_year_transaction_period=2004&contributor_name=Anne+Earhart&min_date=01%2F01%2F2003&max_date=12%2F31%2F2004.
  6. “Browse Individual Contributions”. 2019. Federal Election Commission. Accessed June 24. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?two_year_transaction_period=2008&contributor_name=Anne+Earhart&min_date=01%2F01%2F2007&max_date=12%2F31%2F2008.
  7. “Browse Individual Contributions”. 2019. Federal Election Commission. Accessed June 24. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?two_year_transaction_period=2012&contributor_name=Anne+Earhart&min_date=01%2F01%2F2011&max_date=12%2F31%2F2012.
  8. “Browse Individual Contributions”. 2019. Federal Election Commission. Accessed June 24. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?two_year_transaction_period=2016&contributor_name=Anne+Earhart&min_date=01%2F01%2F2015&max_date=12%2F31%2F2016.
  9. “Browse Individual Contributions”. 2019. Federal Election Commission. Accessed June 24. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?two_year_transaction_period=2016&contributor_name=Anne+Earhart&min_date=01%2F01%2F2015&max_date=12%2F31%2F2016.
  10. “Browse Individual Contributions”. 2019. Federal Election Commission. Accessed June 24. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?two_year_transaction_period=2006&contributor_name=Anne+Earhart&min_date=01%2F01%2F2005&max_date=12%2F31%2F2006.
  11. “Browse Individual Contributions”. 2019. Federal Election Commission. Accessed June 24. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?two_year_transaction_period=2012&contributor_name=Anne+Earhart&min_date=01%2F01%2F2011&max_date=12%2F31%2F2012.
  12. “Browse Individual Contributions”. 2019. Federal Election Commission. Accessed June 24. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?two_year_transaction_period=2014&contributor_name=Anne+Earhart&min_date=01%2F01%2F2013&max_date=12%2F31%2F2014.
  13. Williams, Tate. 2014. “The Oil Company Heiress Devoting Her Wealth To Oceans”. Inside Philanthropy. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2014/5/23/the-oil-company-heiress-devoting-her-wealth-to-oceans.html.
  14. Williams, Tate. 2014. “The Oil Company Heiress Devoting Her Wealth To Oceans”. Inside Philanthropy. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2014/5/23/the-oil-company-heiress-devoting-her-wealth-to-oceans.html.
  15. Williams, Tate. 2014. “The Oil Company Heiress Devoting Her Wealth To Oceans”. Inside Philanthropy. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2014/5/23/the-oil-company-heiress-devoting-her-wealth-to-oceans.html.
  16. Williams, Tate. 2014. “The Oil Company Heiress Devoting Her Wealth To Oceans”. Inside Philanthropy. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2014/5/23/the-oil-company-heiress-devoting-her-wealth-to-oceans.html.
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