Robert Bowditch is a former Massachusetts real estate developer and left-of-center activist. ¹ Bowditch is the co-founder and board chair of Scholars Strategy Network, founder of the Blossom Fund, and a Democracy Alliance partner.

He is in support of a “wealth tax,” which critics have noted has been abandoned by 11 out of the 15 European countries that adopted it from 1995. ²

He has donated large amounts of money to various Democratic Party candidates and groups, as well as the left-of-center lobbying group Every Voice Action.

Background

Robert Bowditch is a graduate of Harvard College, the University of Washington, and Harvard Law School. ³ He is the founder and trustee of the Blossom Fund, an independent grant-making foundation that focuses on women’s economic issues, and youth programs. ⁴

He is the co-founder of the Scholars Strategy Network, a nonprofit association of left-wing university academics that networks with journalists and policymakers in order to use research to influence debate on public policy. ⁵

Bowditch also co-founded Voices for Progress, an advocacy and coordination group for left-wing donors that promotes its issues by educating lawmakers and their staffs on left-of-center proposals and ideas. Voices for Progress is a project of The Advocacy Fund, which is affiliated with the incubation and funding group the Tides Foundation. ⁶

Wealth Tax

Robert Bowditch co-signed a letter to President Barack Obama in 2010 calling for more taxes on the wealthiest people in America. The so-called “Patriotic Millionaires for Fiscal Strength” asked the Obama administration to allow tax cuts on income over $1,000,000 to expire at the end of 2010. ⁷

The letter was co-signed by others such as Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and George Soros. ⁸

Bowditch also co-signed another letter requesting a “wealth tax” in 2019, alongside people such as Abigail Disney, Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, George Soros, and his son Alexander Soros. ⁹

Funding

Bowditch has donated large amounts of money to various Democratic Party candidates and aligned groups.

He donated $171,300 to Democratic Party candidates and groups in the 2014 election cycle,¹⁰ and $233,900 in the 2018 election cycle. ¹¹ He also donated $250.000 to the Democratic National Committee in 2018, and $50,000 in 2019. ¹²

He donated $10,000 to the Democratic Party of Nevada in 2012 and $10,000 each to the Democratic State Central Committee, the Democratic Party of Alaska, the Democratic Party of Colorado, the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee, the Democratic Party of Wake County, and the Democratic Party of New Hampshire in 2014. ¹³

Bowditch donated $600,000 to the Progressive Majority PAC between 2005 and 2014. ¹⁴ He donated $25,000 to Every Voice Action, the campaign arm of Every Voice, a left-of-center lobbying group that was created when the Public Campaign Action Fund merged with Friends of Democracy.

1. Rogers, Taylor Nicole. “Meet the 18 Ultra-Wealthy Americans Begging for a Wealth Tax, from a Facebook Cofounder to a Disney Heiress.” Business Insider. Business Insider, June 27, 2019. https://www.businessinsider.com/ultra-wealthy-americans-asking-for-wealth-tax-disney-soros-2019-6#2-robert-s-bowditch-2.
2. “Democrats Love A Wealth Tax, But Are Ditching The Idea.” Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, March 28, 2019. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-28/democrats-love-a-wealth-tax-but-europeans-are-ditching-the-idea?mod=article_inline.
3. “Robert Bowditch, Jr.: Scholars Strategy Network.” Robert Bowditch, Jr. | Scholars Strategy Network. Accessed October 21, 2019. https://scholars.org/authenticated/robert-bowditch-jr.
4. “The Blossom Fund.” The Blossom Fund – Sponsor Information on GrantForward | Search for federal grants, foundation grants, and limited submission opportunities. Accessed October 21, 2019. https://www.grantforward.com/sponsor/detail/the-blossom-fund-12349.
5. “Robert Bowditch, Jr.: Scholars Strategy Network.” Robert Bowditch, Jr. | Scholars Strategy Network. Accessed October 21, 2019. https://scholars.org/authenticated/robert-bowditch-jr.
6. “Robert Bowditch, Jr.: Scholars Strategy Network.” Robert Bowditch, Jr. | Scholars Strategy Network. Accessed October 21, 2019. https://scholars.org/authenticated/robert-bowditch-jr.
7. CBS Boston. “Brookline Millionaire Says ‘Tax Me.’” CBS Boston. CBS Boston, January 7, 2011. https://boston.cbslocal.com/2010/12/10/brookline-millionaire-says-tax-me/.
8. “The Rich Want to Pay More Tax: Here’s How to Do It.” The Fiscal Times. Accessed October 21, 2019. https://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2010/12/14/You-Said-It-But-Will-You-Do-It.
9. Rogers, Taylor Nicole. “Meet the 18 Ultra-Wealthy Americans Begging for a Wealth Tax, from a Facebook Cofounder to a Disney Heiress.” Business Insider. Business Insider, June 27, 2019. https://www.businessinsider.com/ultra-wealthy-americans-asking-for-wealth-tax-disney-soros-2019-6?r=US&IR=T#18-george-soros-18.
10. “Top Individual Contributors: Hard Money, by Individual.” OpenSecrets.org. Accessed October 21, 2019. https://www.opensecrets.org/overview/topindivs.php?cycle=2014&view=hi.
11. “Top Individual Contributors: Hard Money, by Individual.” OpenSecrets.org. Accessed October 21, 2019. https://www.opensecrets.org/overview/topindivs.php?cycle=2018&view=hi.
12. “The Center for Responsive Politics.” OpenSecrets. Accessed October 21, 2019. https://www.opensecrets.org/search?q=robert+s+bowditch+jr&type=donors.
13. “The Center for Responsive Politics.” OpenSecrets. Accessed October 21, 2019. https://www.opensecrets.org/search?q=robert+s+bowditch+jr&type=donors.
14. “Progressive Majority: Donor Search.” OpenSecrets.org. Accessed October 21, 2019. https://www.opensecrets.org/527s/527cmtedetail_donors.php?url=527cmtedetail_donors.php?cycle=2010&ein=522207216&cname=bowditch&ein=522207216&cycle=2010.