Emily Kaiser is a left-leaning journalist currently working on initiatives to help fellow journalists. Through her position at the Aspen Institute and Global Press Institute, Kaiser oversees journalism education programs in media, advocacy, and editorial training. She is a trustee of her family’s nonprofit, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, directing funds in Oklahoma-based causes, to journalism groups, and to left-of-center non-profits.

Background

Kaiser is associate director of the Aspen Institute’s New Voices Fellowship. ¹ The fellowship provides media and advocacy training to individuals involved in development from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. ² Since 2016, Kaiser has been a trustee to her family’s foundation, the George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF). ³ Kaiser has been a director at Global Press Institute since 2015 and has donated more than $250,000 to the organization. ^{4 5} Global Press Institute promotes diversity in selecting journalists and providing journalism and editorial training to women around the world. ⁶

Previously, Kaiser spent over eight years as a journalist with Thomson Reuters, working as a U.S. economics correspondent, Asia economic correspondent, and Asia news editor. ⁷ Kaiser has a degree in journalism from Northwestern University and is married to Gene Bulmash, an attorney and inclusionary zoning manager for the District of Columbia. ^{8 9} Kaiser states she invests her personal funds in inclusive news organizations that reflect diversity. ¹⁰ Kaiser and Bulmash are listed donors to The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization that promotes journalism on criminal justice matters. ¹¹

Kaiser is a Democrat and has only donated to left-of-center candidates, including President Barack Obama (D), former Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the Senate campaign of state Assemblyman Tom Nelson (D-WI), Rep. Kendra Horn (D-OK), and the DNC Services Corporation. ^{12 13}

George Kaiser Family Foundation

Emily Kaiser is a daughter of George Kaiser, founder of the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based George Kaiser Family Foundation. ¹⁴ Kaiser has faced scrutiny for controversial tax issues. In 2005, the New York Times reported that in the “1980s and 1990s Kaiser paid just $2,688 in federal income taxes and claimed negative income in six out of seven years” even though he was worth hundreds of millions of dollars at the time. ¹⁵ George Kaiser is estimated to be worth $10 billion as of late February 2022, made his fortune on oil companies Kaiser-Francis Oil Company and Excelerate Energy, and owns 54 percent of the Bank of Oklahoma ¹⁶ Despite his oil wealth, George Kaiser drew attention for advocating that Oklahoma increase oil and gas taxes. ¹⁷

As of 2019, the George Kaiser Family Foundation has more than $4 billion in total assets. ¹⁸ In 2019 the foundation raised $451,200,306 in revenue and had $166,307,835 in expenses. ¹⁹ GKFF is a supporting organization of the Tulsa Community Fund and provides grants to projects throughout Tulsa and Oklahoma. ²⁰ Since her tenure as a trustee for GKFF, Emily Kaiser has steered foundation money to journalist-related non-profits including National Society of News Columnists, Global Press Institute, and left-leaning ProPublica. ²¹ The George Kaiser Family Foundation gives money to left-of-center organizations Oklahoma for Criminal Justice Reform, Oklahoma Policy Institute, Planned Parenthood, and Southern Poverty Law Center. ²²

1. Aspen Institute New Voices Fellowship. Accessed February 22, 2022. https://newvoicesfellows.aspeninstitute.org/team/emily-kaiser/.
2. Aspen Institute New Voices Fellowship. Accessed February 22, 2022. https://newvoicesfellows.aspeninstitute.org/about/.
3. “Emily Kaiser.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 22, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-kaiser-11167150/.
4. “Emily Kaiser.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 22, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-kaiser-11167150/.
5. Global Press Institute. Accessed February 22, 2022. https://www.globalpress.co/partner.
6.  Global Press Institute. Accessed February 22, 2022. https://www.globalpress.co/about/learn-about-global-press; “Global Press.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 22, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/company/global-press-institute/about/.
7.  “Emily Kaiser.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 22, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-kaiser-11167150/.
8. “Emily Kaiser.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 22, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-kaiser-11167150/.
9. “Gene Bulmash.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 22, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/genebulmash/; “Kaiser.” Tulsa World. February 23, 2019. Accessed February 23, 2022. https://tulsaworld.com/archive/kaiser/article_9c9e0774-4b53-5f55-8279-6aac7d4340f6.html.
10. Aspen Institute New Voices Fellowship. Accessed February 22, 2022. https://newvoicesfellows.aspeninstitute.org/team/emily-kaiser/.
11. The Marshall Project. Accessed February 28, 2022. https://www.themarshallproject.org/funders.
12. Center for Responsive Politics. “Donor Lookup: Emily Kaiser.” Accessed February 28, 2022. https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?name=Emily+kaiser&order=desc&sort=D.
13. Washington, D.C. Board of ElectionsAccessed February 22, 2022. https://www.dcboe.org/Voters/Register-To-Vote/Check-Voter-Registration-Status.
14. ^[1] Overall, Michael. “No One Else Comes Close: George Kaiser Had to Be Tulsan of the Year.” Tulsa World. December 15, 2018. Accessed February 23, 2022. https://tulsaworld.com/no-one-else-comes-close-george-kaiser-had-to-be-the-tulsan-of-the-year/article_afe64f8a-b700-5728-b161-9687a5daa361.html.
15.  Strom, Stephanie. “Big Tax Break Often Bypasses Idea of Charity.” New York Times. April 25, 2005. Accessed February 23, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/25/business/a-tax-benefit-for-big-donors-often-bypasses-idea-of-charity.html.
16. “George Kaiser.” Forbes Magazine. Accessed February 28, 2022. https://www.forbes.com/profile/george-kaiser/?sh=336132407f65.
17. Gilbert, Daniel. “Oil Man George Kaiser Proposes Increase in Oklahoma Oil-and-Gas Tax.” Wall Street Journal. May 13, 2014. Accessed February 23, 2022. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303851804579556224282568620
18. George Kaiser Family Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2019. Part I.
19. George Kaiser Family Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2019.
20. George Kaiser Family Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2019.
21. George Kaiser Family Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2019. Part II.
22. George Kaiser Family Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2019. Part II.