Not enough people know about the Tides Foundation, which is one of the original “philanthropic” donation launderers for donors who don’t want to be tied to fringe activist groups. Frankly, there’s too much to tell, but they’re the sugar daddy for ACORN (whose founder, Wade Rathke, is intricately linked within Tides official leadership).
[I’m including some grants of note below — What will you find?]
A look at their 2008 tax return, 160-plus pages, reads like a directory of the New Left. I’ve pulled out the donations to ACORN groups and Big Labor’s Working America Education Fund (not many people know unions take in ostensibly charitable donations) and one theme is clear: “general support” seems to be a popular phrase. Another theme: notice that states receiving money are critical to election-year success for Democrats. And finally, notice just how much money is being thrown around.
ACORN, Inc – 100,000 Latino voter registration and engagement canvass
ACORN International – 100,00 general support
ACORN Institute
49,500 – general support
25,293 – general support
10,000 – general support
Project Vote
275,000 – 2007-08 Election Administration Program
225,000 – election administration work in Arizona, Florida, and Pennsylvania
115,00 – general support
100,000 – 2008 Voter Participation Program
100,000 – Election Administration Program
100,000 – general support
100,000 – civic engagement work in New Mexico
75,000 – general support
65,000 – general support
53,086 – voter registration program
50,000 – Voter Participation Program
48,000 – nonpartisan Get Out The Vote work
35,000 – general support
30,000 – general support
25,000 – general support
10,000 – general supportWorking America Education Fund
261,661 – general support
245,000 – general support
200,000 – civic engagement in Ohio
125,000 – organizing in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Colorado, and Maine
115,000 – general support
100,000 general support
65,006 – general support
30,000 – general support
30,000 – General support