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Person

Eric Colombel

Nationality:

French
Occupation:

Information Technology Specialist and Liberal Donor

Eric Colombel is the husband of Andrea Soros Colombel, the daughter of financier and liberal political donor George Soros. He is the president and founder of the Tsadra Foundation,1 a nonprofit organization which funds the study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism in the west. 2 He is also a trustee of the Trace Foundation, a grantmaking organization founded by Andrea Soros Colombel which supports the preservation and development of Tibetan culture, economy, and environment.

Personal Life

According to his Tsadra Foundation biography, Eric Colombel is French but lives in the United States. 3 He began learning about Buddhism at the age 17 and studied at the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations in Paris and at various Buddhist centers. He also attended college in Paris and studied information technology. He helped develop the digital architecture for the Asian Classics Input Project. 4

When Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, got married in Rhinebeck, New York, in 2010, Bill and Hillary Clinton stayed at Glenburn, the Rhinebeck mansion of Eric and Andrea Colombel. 5

In 2015, Eric and Andrea Colombel sold their Greenwich Village townhouse in New York City for $20 million. The couple previously purchased the home in 2006 for $11.5 million. 6

In 2020, a lawsuit by WG Project Management alleged that Eric and Andrea Colombel withheld construction payment in retaliation for the contractor’s refusal to perform illegal work on one of their New York City properties. The plaintiff also accused the couple of breach of contract, unjust enrichment, conspiracy to commit fraud, and $435,000 in damages. 7

Nonprofit Work and Giving

Looking to apply a western philanthropic model to further the study of Tibetan Buddhism, Eric Colombel founded the Tsadra Foundation in 2000. 8 The Tsadra Foundation provides scholarships for the study of Tibetan Buddhism, sponsors conferences, and translates important Buddhist texts. 9

The organization donates to various Tibetan Buddhist centers in Nepal, India, France, and the United States. 10 It also supports the U.S. chapter of the Institute of Cultural Affairs,11 a global organization of non-profit groups that focus on human development. 12 The organization is partnered with the World Health Organization, the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and the United Nations Children’s Fund. 13

The Tsadra Foundation is partially funded by the Fourdoves Foundation,14 Eric and Andrea Colombel’s private foundation. 15 The Fourdoves Foundation also funds the Soros-Colombel affiliated Buddhist Trace Foundation. 16 The Fourdoves Foundation also gives money to Acumen, the ACLU Foundation, and the Center for Community Change, a left-of-center nonprofit that focuses on issues of poverty, race, housing policy, and the treatment of released prisoners. 17

Along with Andrea Soros Colombel, Eric Colombel is a co-founder and early funder of the Acumen Fund, a non-profit “impact investment fund” that makes equity investments in early-stage companies that provide products or services to the poor in the developing world. 18

Eric and Andrea Colombel financially support the French-American School of New York, an international and bilingual school in Westchester County, New York. 19

Eric and Andrea Colombel also financially support the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, the university’s interdisciplinary research center for Ancient Near Eastern studies. 20

Political Giving

In 2020, Eric Colombel has given over $30,000 to Democratic Senate candidates. 21

Between the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, Colombel gave over $11,000 to Barack Obama’s Presidential campaigns. 22

Colombel has given thousands of dollars to Hillary Clinton over the years, both for her 2008 presidential bid and her 2000 bid for U.S. Senate. 23

Colombel has also personally donated to the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, ActBlue, and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. 24

Combined, Eric Colombel and his wife have given more than $300,000 in individual contributions to Democratic candidates and liberal organizations since 1999. 25

References

  1. “Who We Are.” Tsadra Foundation. Accessed October 4, 2020. https://www.tsadra.org/about-us/who-we-are/
  2. “About Us.” Tsadra Foundation. Accessed October 4, 2020. https://www.tsadra.org/about-us/
  3. “Past Programs.” Tsadra Foundation. Accessed October 4, 2020. https://www.tsadra.org/about-us/past-programs/
  4. “Special Address: The 2018 Shantarakshita Award.” Tsadra Foundation. Accessed October 4, 2020. https://conference.tsadra.org/session/special-address-2017-shantarakshita-award/
  5. [1] “Chelsea Clinton Wedding Tents Go Up At Astor Courts?” HuffPost. December 7, 2017. Accessed October 4, 2020. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/chelsea-clinton-wedding-t_n_658956?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAIrcURN2G5AIg467CNAbxYjk00fF9VawrVAGKCJD8wcsL5IQQieBAHpUcUixkzHe7BkTs0ZQIUqKEyLsPYFOMp6Ij28csnBMnbrxI3g1yf2DRzR7eJ2lcBbJOwCevyqbi4lIbIxX4PMh4thXOK6kcoduxKalrCR2PB6CH3A3gCZu
  6. [1] Halberg, Morgan. “George Soros’ Daughter Sells Greenwich Village Townhouse for $20M.” Observer. October 29, 2015. Accessed October 4, 2020. https://observer.com/2015/10/george-soros-daughter-sells-greenwich-village-townhouse-for-20m/
  7. Sun, Kevin. “Contractor alleges George Soros’ daughter asked him to deceive city.” The Real Deal. January 23, 2020. Accessed October 4, 2020. https://therealdeal.com/2020/01/23/contractor-alleges-george-soros-daughter-asked-him-to-deceive-city/
  8. Special Address: The 2018 Shantarakshita Award.” Tsadra Foundation. Accessed October 4, 2020. https://conference.tsadra.org/session/special-address-2017-shantarakshita-award/
  9. “About Us.” Tsadra Foundation. Accessed October 4, 2020.https://www.tsadra.org/about-us/
  10. Internal Revenue Service. Form 990. Tsadra Foundation. 2018. https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2018/137/224/2018-137224970-116e6f09-F.pdf?_ga=2.203377877.598623316.1601756496-658054072.1598817496
  11. Internal Revenue Service. Form 990. Tsadra Foundation. 2018. https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2018/137/224/2018-137224970-116e6f09-F.pdf?_ga=2.203377877.598623316.1601756496-658054072.1598817496
  12. “About ICA.” Institute of Cultural Affairs. Accessed October 4, 2020. http://www.ica-international.org/about-us/
  13. “Our Global Affiliations.” Institute of Cultural Affairs Accessed October 4, 2020. http://www.ica-international.org/about-us/our-global-affiliations/
  14. Internal Revenue Service. Form 990. Tsadra Foundation. 2018. https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2018/137/224/2018-137224970-116e6f09-F.pdf?_ga=2.203377877.598623316.1601756496-658054072.1598817496
  15. Internal Revenue Service. Form 990. Fourdoves Foundation. 2018. https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2018/455/403/2018-455403404-17034891-F.pdf?_ga=2.35548133.598623316.1601756496-658054072.1598817496
  16. Internal Revenue Service. Form 990. Fourdoves Foundation. 2018.https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2018/455/403/2018-455403404-17034891-F.pdf?_ga=2.35548133.598623316.1601756496-658054072.1598817496
  17. Internal Revenue Service. Form 990. Fourdoves Foundation. 2018.https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2018/455/403/2018-455403404-17034891-F.pdf?_ga=2.35548133.598623316.1601756496-658054072.1598817496
  18. “Our Partners.” Acumen Academy. Accessed October 4, 2020. https://www.acumenacademy.org/our-partners/
  19. “Report of Giving: 2018-2019.” French-American School of New York. Accessed October 4, 2020. https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1587043351/frenchamerican/tq2g7wdd5wplgbvweyll/2018_19ReportofGiving.pdf
  20. “2010-2011 Annual Report: Honor Roll of Donors and Members.” Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. Accessed October 4, 2020. https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/ar/11-20/10-11/10_11_Honor_Roll.pdf
  21. Federal Election Commission. “Individual Contributions: Eric Colombel.” Accessed October 4, 2020. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=eric%20colombel
  22. Federal Election Commission. “Individual Contributions: Eric Colombel.” Accessed October 4, 2020. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=eric%20colombel
  23. “Eric Colombel: Political Campaign Contributions 2016 Election Cycle.” CampaignMoney. Accessed October 4, 2020. https://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/eric-colombel.asp?cycle=16
  24. Federal Election Commission. “Individual Contributions: Eric Colombel.” Accessed October 4, 2020. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=eric%20colombel
  25. “Eric Colombel: Political Campaign Contributions 2016 Election Cycle.” CampaignMoney. Accessed October 4, 2020. https://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/eric-colombel.asp?cycle=16
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