Tim Gill is a software developer and major Colorado Democratic political donor. In business, he is best known for creating Quark, Inc. a privately held corporation most commonly associated with its page layout software¹ and used to develop flyers, websites, graphics, and illustrations. ² In 1999, Tim Gill sold 50 percent of his share in Quark to Quark’s co-owner, Ebrahim Rahimi, who bought a 50 percent stake in Quark from Gill in 1986. ³

Gill has devoted significant resources to pro-LGBT and left-of-center politics since at least 1994,⁴ and is often referred to as a “megadonor” in Democratic circles. ⁵ Andy Kroll of Rolling Stone has referred to him as “the nation’s most powerful force for LGBTQ rights.” ⁶ His Gill Foundation contributes tens of millions of dollars annually, largely to left-of-center and LGBT-interest advocacy.

Gill Foundation

Gill (who is gay) increased his political and LGBT-interests advocacy after the passage of Colorado’s 1992 Initiative 2, which would have prohibited municipalities from enacting ordinances adding sexual orientation as a protected status under anti-discrimination laws. ⁷

Tim Gill created the Gill Foundation in 1994, an organization which underwrites academic research, polling, litigation, data analytics in support of pro-LGBT positions. ⁸

Many cases expanding LGBT rights, including Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health case (which made Massachusetts the first state to recognize same-sex marriage) to the Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision were supported by Tim Gill. ⁹

Over the course of the past 25 years the Gill Foundation has contributed more than $360 million to pro-LGBT causes. ¹⁰

Political Activity

Gill was one of the “Gang of Four” liberal mega-donors, alongside now-Gov. Jared Polis (D), medical device heiress Pat Stryker, and millionaire geophysicist Rutt Bridges,¹¹ who formed the Colorado Democracy Alliance project to build liberal advocacy infrastructure and support left-progressive political candidates in the state. The right-leaning Washington Free Beacon characterized Gill as a “dark money master” for his work with the Colorado Democracy Alliance. ¹²

The Joe Biden 2020 Presidential campaign has listed Tim Gill as a fundraiser on its website, meaning he has assisted in fundraising at least $25,000. ¹³

In down-ballot 2020 races, Gill has contributed $10,000 to the Iowa Democratic Party,¹⁴ as well as $2,800 through the pro-Democratic ActBlue PAC to the U.S. Senate campaign of former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-CO). ¹⁵

Gill’s husband, Scott Miller, was a consultant for the Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign. ¹⁶ Miller had left the pro-Hillary Clinton PAC “Correct the Record” in 2016 in order to push for Biden to run in the 2016 presidential race. ¹⁷

During the 2012 campaign Gill “bundled” a total of $672,800 in contributions to the Obama for America campaign. ¹⁸

1. Healey, Rita. “The Gay Mogul Changing U.S. Politics” Time. April 4, 2007. Accessed January 16, 2020. http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1606679,00.html
2. “QuarkXPress” Quark. http://www.quark.com/Products/QuarkXPress/
3. “Quark founder retires, pledges fortune to gay rights” CNET. January 2, 2002. Accessed January 16, 2020. https://www.cnet.com/news/quark-founder-retires-pledges-fortune-to-gay-rights/
4. “Quark founder retires, pledges fortune to gay rights” CNET. January 2, 2002. Accessed January 16, 2020. https://www.cnet.com/news/quark-founder-retires-pledges-fortune-to-gay-rights/
5. Severns, Maggie.  “Liberal megadonors plan $100 million swing-state blitz to beat Trump” May 5, 2019. Accessed January 16, 2020. https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/05/liberal-donors-trump-2020-1301639
6. Kroll, Andy. “Meet the Megadonor Behind the LGBTQ Rights Movement” Rolling Stones. June 23, 2017. Accessed January 16, 2020. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/meet-the-megadonor-behind-the-lgbtq-rights-movement-193996/
7. “Gill Foundation: Grants for LGBT.” Inside Philanthropy. http://www.insidephilanthropy.com/fundraising-for-lgbt/gill-foundation-grants-for-lgbt.html.
8. Kroll, Andy. “Meet the Megadonor Behind the LGBTQ Rights Movement” Rolling Stones. June 23, 2017. Accessed January 16, 2020. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/meet-the-megadonor-behind-the-lgbtq-rights-movement-193996/
9. Kroll, Andy. “Meet the Megadonor Behind the LGBTQ Rights Movement” Rolling Stones. June 23, 2017. Accessed January 16, 2020. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/meet-the-megadonor-behind-the-lgbtq-rights-movement-193996/
10. Bouchard, Jay. “Who is Tim Gill?” 5280- Denver’s Mile High Magazine. December 2019. Accessed January 16, 2020. https://www.5280.com/2019/12/who-is-tim-gill/
11. “’Gang of Four’ Helped Democrats Win in ’04.” The Denver Post. The Denver Post, September 14, 2007. https://www.denverpost.com/2007/09/14/gang-of-four-helped-democrats-win-in-04/.
12. McMorris, Bill. “Tim Gill: Dark Money Master.” Washington Free Beacon. Washington Free Beacon, November 12, 2012. https://freebeacon.com/democracy-alliance/tim-gill-dark-money-master/.
13. “Volunteer Fundraisers” BidenPresident. https://joebiden.com/ad1841-23efs884wdfjle357/
14. Schedule A (FEC Form 3X) 2019, Iowa Democratic Party, Section A. FEC.gov. Accessed January 16, 2020.    https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?201911219166069920
15. Schedule A (FEC Form 3X) 2019, Hickenlooper for Colorado, Section C. FEC.gov. Accessed January 16, 2020.    https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?201911219166069920
16. Bouchard, Jay. “Who is Tim Gill?” 5280- Denver’s Mile High Magazine. December 2019. Accessed January 16, 2020. https://www.5280.com/2019/12/who-is-tim-gill/
17. Karni, Annie. “Clinton donors place side bets on Biden” October 8, 2015. Accessed January 16, 2020. https://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/clinton-donors-biden-214598
18. Christensen, Jen “LGBT donors back President Obama, big time” CNN. June 6, 2012. Accessed January 16, 2020. https://www.cnn.com/2012/06/05/politics/lgbt-obama-donors/index.html