Audrey Cappell

Cappell also sits on the board of the Nick Simons Foundation, a charitable organization founded by her brother that focuses on environmental activism, global health, and other issues. ³ Cappell is married to Jacob Cappell, a web designer working for her family’s Simons Foundation. ¹

Foundation for a Just Society

Audrey Cappell formed Foundation for a Just Society (FJS) in 2011 and remained in control of the foundation as of 2024. At that time, Cappell was the president of the board of directors for the organization and funded it with millions of dollars per year in contributions. ⁴

FJS makes grants to global initiatives which focus on LGBT and feminist issues, but they have also made donations to organizations which advocate for greater left-of-center and liberal issues. FJS has made numerous donations amounting to $1,793,462 to the National Domestic Workers Alliance, a labor-union aligned left-of-center advocacy organization. FJS also donated $200,000 to the National Immigration Law Center, a liberal expansionist immigration advocacy organization. The organization has also made donations to large liberal organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center, Planned Parenthood, and the Northstar Fund. ²

Among the groups of note to which FJS donated in 2024 were the Amalgamated Charitable Foundation, Association for Progressive Communications, the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, Borealis Philanthropy, the Chinese Progressive Association to support its Black Futures Lab, Focus on the Global South, Fractured Atlas, Funders for LGBTQ Issues, Girl Determined, IPAS, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, National Domestic Workers Alliance, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, New York Women’s Foundation, Online News Association, ProGeorgia, Prospera: International Network of Women’s Funds, the Proteus Fund, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, SisterSong, Southern Vision Alliance, Southerners on New Ground, Transgender Law Center, Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism, Windward Fund, and Women’s March Network. In addition to supporting these American center-left to left-wing groups, the group has supported feminist and LGBT groups all around the world. The group also supports the Free Periods Canada Foundation and its goal of creating a “menstrual health-zine with youth project.” ⁵

Political Contributions

Cappell has made thousands of dollars in donations to Democratic candidates for public office and Democratic political action committees. Prior to the 2018 midterm elections, Cappell made numerous large donations to multiple Democratic organizations and PACs. Cappell donated $33,900 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC,) a party committee that exists to elect Democrats to the House of Representatives. Cappell also made two $125,000 donations to the House Majority PAC and Priorities USA Action, both Democratic-aligned Super PACs. ⁶

Under her maiden name, Audrey Simons made numerous large donations to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC.) She also made donations amounting to $666,000 to the House Majority and Senate Majority PACs. Cappell made numerous large donations in 2012 to the  Obama Victory Fund and Obama for America committees in support of President Barack Obama’s re-election. ⁷

In the 2024 election cycle, Coppell gave $500,000 to the Democratic Party-aligned super PAC Future Forward PAC. Also in the 2024 election cycle, she gave $1,000,000 each to the Senate Majority PAC and the House Majority PAC. ⁸

In the 2022 election cycle, Coppell gave the maximum contribution to numerous Democratic House candidates. She also gave $1,000,000 to the House Majority PAC, and $500,000 to the Senate Majority PAC. She also gave to U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY). ⁸

In the 2020 election cycle, Coppell gave the maximum contribution to numerous swing-district Democratic House candidates. She also gave $10,000 to most state Democratic Party’s federal campaign accounts. She gave $3,000,000 to Senate Majority PAC and $1,000,000 to House Majority PAC. She gave $721,300 to the Biden Victory Fund and gave another max contribution to the campaign supporting Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. She gave $35,500 to the Democratic National Committee. She also gave contributions to the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund. She also made a large contribution to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. ⁸

Felicity House

Cappell is the president of Felicity House, an organization which serves as a social gathering site for women with autism. The board of directors for Felicity house is comprised of high-ranking officials from a number of left-of-center organizations such as the Heising-Simons Foundations, the Simons Foundation, Foundation for a Just Society,, and the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies. ¹

AC and JC Foundation

In 2020, Audrey Cappell and her husband James formed the AC and JC Foundation as their family foundation. As of 2024, the Cappells were serving as co-presidents of the foundation. At that time, the foundation had total assets of $24,915,190. The foundation’s activities have been funded primarily by a $10,000,000 grant from the Audrey Simons Delaware Trust, which is a trust established for Audrey by her father. ⁹

As of 2024, the executive director of the foundation is Toya Williford. ⁹

The foundation has primarily given to New York City-area related causes with a few exceptions, such as some conservation and environmentalist causes including a $75,000 donation to the Natural Resources Defense Council. ⁹