Tides Foundation

Tides was founded in 1976 by Drummond Pike, who worked with Jane Bagley Lehman, heir to the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company fortune.{{Cite book| publisher = Alfred A. Knopf| isbn = 978-1-101-97104-8| last = Callahan| first = David| title = The Givers: Wealth, Power, and Philanthropy in a New Gilded Age| date = 2017 |orig-year=2010|pages=343 }}{{rp|265}}{{Cite book| edition = 1st| publisher = Wiley| isbn = 978-0-470-17711-2| last = Callahan| first = David| title = Fortunes of Change: The Rise of the Liberal Rich and the Remaking of America| location = Hoboken, N.J| date = August 8, 2010}} In the chapter entitled "The Givers" in his 2017 publication by the same name, The Givers: Wealth, Power, and Philanthropy in a New Gilded Age, which is a more recent edition of his 2010 book, Fortunes of Change: The Rise of the Liberal Rich and the Remaking of America, David Callahan wrote that Pike was an "entrepreneurial activist" and that Pike and his "wealthy friends" teamed up" to create Tides which "used donor-advised funds to direct resources to progressive causes."{{rp|202}} Callahan, who is the co-founder of the think tank Demos, contrasted this with a similar approach taken by Donors Trust, an American non-profit donor-advised fund that was founded in 1999 to safeguard the "intent of libertarian and conservative donors".{{cite magazine|last1=Callahan|first1=David|title=Inside DonorsTrust: What This Mission-Driven DAF Offers Philanthropists on the Right|url=http://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2016/3/3/inside-donorstrust-what-this-mission-driven-daf-offers-phila.html|access-date=May 31, 2016|magazine=Inside Philanthropy|date=March 3, 2016}}{{rp|204,205}}

Lehman served as the chair of the organization from its founding to her death in 1988.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/21/obituaries/jane-lehman-55-active-in-philanthropy.html|title=Jane Lehman, 55; Active in Philanthropy|date=April 21, 1988|work=The New York Times|access-date=June 18, 2017}} Tides was conceived as a nationally oriented community foundation, and founded out of Pike's frustration with established philanthropy's perceived neglect of progressive issues.{{sfn|McCarthy|Faber|2005|p=133}} He envisioned using fiscal sponsorship for progressive political activism.{{sfn|Manheim|2004|p=69}} Fiscal sponsorship uses a tax-exempt charity to provide financial support to a non-exempt project or organization, therefore lending it tax exemption as long as the charity retains control of the way its funds are spent.{{sfn|Manheim|2004|p=67}} He served as its CEO until he was replaced by Melissa L. Bradley in 2010.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tides.org/news-and-resources/single-news-item/article/tides-taps-social-entrepreneur-and-progressive-thought-leader-as-new-ceo-1/?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=114&cHash=836d0f3c37c163ff54ad84d27538c361|title=Tides Taps Social Entrepreneur and Progressive Thought Leader as New CEO|date=September 15, 2010|website=Tides|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100925072053/https://www.tides.org/news-resources/news-room/single-news-item/article/tides-taps-social-entrepreneur-and-progressive-thought-leader-as-new-ceo/index.html|archive-date=September 25, 2010}}

Pike founded a Canadian version of the organization, Tides Canada, in 2000.{{cite web |title=Canada Revenue Agency website, Tides Canada Foundation |date = 27 November 2019|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency.html?utm_campaign=not-applicable&utm_medium=redirect&utm_source=cra-arc.gc.ca_redirect |publisher=Canada Revenue Agency}} Tides Canada, which is based in Vancouver, makes grants through its foundation and has a charity that supports environmental and social justice projects.{{Cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/tides-canada-aims-for-unprecedented-transparency-as-tories-threaten-stricter-charity-rules-enforcement/wcm/d561296f-955e-4529-b12d-530833134720|title=Tides, critics clash over charity's claims of transparency|last=Carlson|first=Kathryn Blaze|date=June 27, 2012|work=National Post|access-date=July 10, 2017}} It consists of the Tides Canada Foundation and the Tides Canada Initiatives Society.{{Cite web|url=http://archive.citycaucus.com/2010/09/vision-donor-drummond-pike-steps-down-as-tides-boss|title=Vision donor Drummond Pike steps down as Tides boss|last=Klassen|first=Mike|date=September 25, 2010|website=CityCaucus.com|access-date=July 9, 2017}}{{Cite news|url=http://tidescanada.org/charitable-registration/|title=Charitable Registrations - Tides Canada|work=Tides Canada|access-date=2018-05-29|language=en-US}} As of 2020, Tides Canada is now known as MakeWay.{{cite web |title=Tides Canada is now MakeWay!|url=https://makeway.org/in-the-news/tides-canada-is-now-makeway/ |website=Makeway.org |date=10 June 2020 |access-date=6 April 2025}}{{Self-published inline|date=April 2025}}

By 2009, Tides allocated $75 million per year in donor money, most of which went to fund progressive political causes.{{rp|202}} In 2011, Tides received about $90 million in funding, and awarded about $96 million to various individuals and organizations.{{cite web|url=http://www.tides.org/impact/grantees/|title=Tides > Grantees|work=Tides }}

{{Progressivism}}In 2021, Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse described the Tides Foundation as an instance of "Democratic dark money", which he said mirrored – and had caught up with – similar organizations exercising covert influence on the Republican side.{{cite web |last=Rodgers |first=Jack |date=March 10, 2021 |title=Dark Money Judicial Influence Examined in Senate |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/dark-money-judicial-influence-examined-in-senate/ |access-date=May 30, 2022 |publisher=Courthouse News Service}}

In 2024, the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation sued the Tides Foundation, saying that Tides had "egregiously mismanaged" more than $33 million in donations earmarked for Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter and Tides had been partners, with the former acting as the fiscal sponsor for the latter while the organization awaited its tax-exempt status. Black Lives Matter ended its partnership with Tides in 2022 and alleges that Tides has refused to transfer millions of dollars that are owed to the group. Black Lives Matter alleges that Tides "is operating as an unregulated financial institution that derives significant financial benefit at the expense of the Black-led organizations it sponsors."{{cite news |last1=Daniels |first1=Alex |date=May 22, 2024 |title=Why Tides and Black Lives Matter Are Fighting Over $33 Million |url=https://www.philanthropy.com/article/why-tides-and-black-lives-matter-are-fighting-over-33-million |access-date=10 September 2024 |publisher=The Chronicle of Philanthropy}}

Organizations that began as projects of Tides include Campaign to Defend the Constitution, Higher Education Recruitment Consortium, People for the American Way, Pew Internet and American Life Project, Rockridge Institute, Social Venture Network, Urgent Action Fund, and V-Day.{{cite web|title=History|work=Tides |url=http://www.tides.org/about/history/|access-date=22 February 2015}} The Tides website lists 130 current grantees.{{cite web|title=Project Directory|url=http://www.tides.org/community/project-directory/|publisher=Tides|access-date=22 February 2015}} As Tides is a public charity, it allows sponsors to donate money to different organizations—including for-profit as well as nonprofit entities—through donor-advised funds.{{sfn|Kellow|2007|p=144}} Donor-advised funds are funds held in accounts by nonprofit organizations, like Tides, that then make grants to third-party entities on the donor's behalf.{{cite news |title=A philanthropic boom: "donor-advised funds" |url=https://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21719494-rise-dafs-may-be-much-about-tax-charity-philanthropic-boom |newspaper=The Economist |date=March 23, 2017 |access-date=June 14, 2017}} Organizations that have partnered with Tides to set up these funds include Girl Rising and the Humble Bundle.{{cite web|url=http://girlrising.com/faq/girl-rising-fund/|title=What is the Girl Rising Fund?|publisher=Girl Rising|year=2017|access-date=2017-06-24}}{{cite web|url=https://support.humblebundle.com/hc/en-us/articles/205501708-Humble-Bundle-Giving-Fund-at-Tides-Foundation|title=Humble Bundle Giving Fund at Tides Foundation|publisher=Humble Support|access-date=October 20, 2017}}

In 2000, Tides launched a program called "Bridging the Economic Divide." It focused on funding living wage campaigns and economic justice coalitions. Tides also launched the Tides Death Penalty Mobilization Fund, which supports the anti-death penalty movement. The Michigan Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence was founded with support from Tides.{{sfn|Anheier|Leat|2006|p=57}}

Tides has received at least $3.5 million from liberal financier and political activist George Soros.{{cite web |last1=Egan|first1=Mark|last2=Nichols|first2=Michelle|title=Soros: not a funder of Wall Street protests |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-wallstreet-protests-funding/soros-not-a-funder-of-wall-street-protests-idUSTRE79D01Q20111014 |publisher=Reuters |date=October 14, 2011|access-date=October 20, 2019}}

From 2003 to 2012, Tides gave around $4.4 million to media advocacy organization Media Matters for America.{{citation needed|date=October 2019}} It has stated that it supports the Occupy Wall Street movement. The CEO of Tides, Melissa L. Bradley, stated in a blog post in October 2011 that the movement "represents the best of American ideals and ingenuity."{{cite web |title=Why We Support the #OccupyWallStreet Movement |url=http://blog.tides.org/2011/10/12/why-we-support-the-occupywallstreet-movement/ |first=Melissa L. |last=Bradley |work=What’s Possible: The Tides Blog |publisher=Tides |date=October 12, 2011}}

In 2023, the Washington Examiner, a U.S. conservative news outlet, reported that the Tides Foundation and its affiliate, the Tides Center, had donated over $1 million to anti-Israel groups behind demonstrations pushing for an Israel-Gaza conflict ceasefire and downplaying Palestinian terror in the Middle East.{{Cite web |date=2023-12-01 |title=Hamas-friendly protest groups bankrolled by Democratic dark money juggernaut Tides |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/hamas-protests-bankrolled-democratic-dark-money-tides-israel |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=Washington Examiner |language=en}}

Tides is affiliated with the Tides Advocacy Fund (also known as Tides Advocacy), a liberal lobbying group.{{cite news|last1=Choma |first1=Russ|last2=Vendituoli|first2=Monica|title=Advocacy Fund Spends Millions to Lobby on Immigration |url=http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2013/07/tides-advocacy-fund/| publisher=OpenSecrets|date=July 22, 2013}} In the 2012 election cycle, the Advocacy Fund gave $11.5 million to 501(c)(4) organizations, including $2 million to the League of Conservation Voters, $1.8 million to America Votes and $1.3 million to the Center for Community Change.{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/09/koch-brothers-liberal-counterpart_n_5113492.html|title=Nothing Really Compares To The Koch Brothers' Political Empire|date=April 9, 2014|publisher=Huffington Post|last1=Blumenthal|first1=Paul|access-date=22 February 2015}} The Advocacy Fund has also supported the environmentally-focused groups Bold Nebraska, National Wildlife Federation Action Fund, NRDC Action Fund, and the Sierra Club.{{cite news|last1=Yachnin|first1=Jennifer|title=Still 'electing the best, defeating the worst' -- but with far greater resources than before|url=http://www.eenews.net/stories/1059991640|access-date=23 February 2015|publisher=E&E Publishing|date=December 11, 2013}}

In 2008, the Advocacy Fund contributed to campaigns opposing Colorado Amendment 46, Colorado Amendment 47, Colorado Amendment 49 and Colorado Amendment 54.{{cite web|title=Tides Advocacy Fund|url=http://www.followthemoney.org/entity-details?eid=10243989|website=Follow The Money|publisher=National Institute on Money in State Politics|access-date=23 February 2015}} The Advocacy Fund distributed $11.8 million in grants in 2013 to groups promoting mass amnesty for illegal immigrants, increased worker protections, chemical safety legal reform, and increased investment in the solar energy industry.{{cite news|last1=Blumenthal|first1=Paul|title=Groups With Liberal Ties Tapped To Re-Elect The GOP Establishment|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/29/gop-dark-money_n_6566244.html|access-date=23 February 2015|publisher=Huffington Post|date=January 29, 2015}}

The Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organization which manages Wikipedia, has worked with the Tides Foundation since 2016. The multimillion-dollar Wikimedia Endowment was created in 2016 to support the Wikimedia projects, and is managed by Tides.{{Cite web |title=Wikimedia Endowment - Meta |url=https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Endowment |access-date=2022-11-24 |website=meta.wikimedia.org |language=en}} In 2019, Wikimedia's incoming general counsel, Amanda Keton, had previously served as the general counsel of the Tides Network, the head of Tides Foundation, and the CEO of Tides Advocacy.{{cite news |date=2019-10-03 |title=Wikimedia Foundation welcomes Amanda Keton as General Counsel |work=Wikimedia Foundation |url=https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2019/10/03/wikimedia-foundation-welcomes-amanda-keton-as-general-counsel/ |access-date=25 June 2021}} In 2020, Wikimedia established a $4.5M donor-advised fund, the Wikimedia Foundation Knowledge Equity Fund, at Tides Advocacy.{{Cite web |title=Knowledge Equity Fund/Frequently asked questions - Meta |url=https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_Equity_Fund/Frequently_asked_questions |access-date=2022-11-24 |website=meta.wikimedia.org |language=en}}

• United States Agency for International Development
• 2010 Oakland freeway shootout
• George Soros
• Open Society Foundations
• Thoreau Center for Sustainability
• Black Lives Matter

{{Reflist|30em}}

: {{cite book |last1=Anheier |first1=Helmut K. |last2=Leat |first2=Diana |date=2006 |title=Creative Philanthropy: Toward a New Philanthropy for the Twenty-First Century |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781134197651}}

: {{cite book |last=Kellow |first=Aynsley J. |date=2007 |title=Science and Public Policy: The Virtuous Corruption of Virtual Environmental Science |publisher=Edward Elgar Publishing |isbn=9781847208767}}

: {{cite book |last=Manheim |first=Jarol B. |date=2004 |title=Biz-War and the Out-of-Power Elite: The Progressive-Left Attack on the Corporation |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=9780805850680}}

: {{cite book |last1=McCarthy |first1=Deborah |last2=Faber |first2=Daniel |date=2005 |title=Foundations for Social Change: Critical Perspectives on Philanthropy and Popular Movements |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=9780742549883}}

• {{Official website|http://www.tides.org}}
• {{ProPublicaNonprofitExplorer|510198509|Tides Foundation}}

{{Wikimedia Foundation|state=collapsed}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1976 establishments in California

Category:Charities based in California

Category:Fiscal sponsorship organizations

Category:Non-profit organizations based in New York City

Category:Non-profit organizations based in San Francisco

Category:Organizations established in 1976

Category:Progressive organizations in the United States

Category:Wikimedia Foundation

Category:Left-wing organizations in the United States