Atlantic Philanthropies

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The Atlantic Philanthropies
File:Atlantic Philanthropies logo.png
Founded 1982
Founder Chuck Feeney
Focus Ageing, youth, human rights, poverty, progressive advocacy[1]
Method Grantmaking
Key people
 Christopher Oechsli, Martin O'Brien
Endowment $1.4 billion (2012)[2]
Website www.atlanticphilanthropies.org

The Atlantic Philanthropies (AP) is a private foundation created in 1982 by Irish-American businessman Chuck Feeney. The Atlantic Philanthropies focuses its giving on health, social, and politically liberal public policy causes in Australia, Bermuda, Ireland, South Africa, the United States and Vietnam.[3] It is among the largest foreign charitable donors in each of the countries in which it operates,[4] and is the single largest funder of programs that encourage the civic engagement of older people and of comprehensive immigration reform in the United States.[5][6] With the single largest advocacy grant ever made by a foundation, the Atlantic Philanthropies committed $27 million to win passage of the Affordable Care Act in the United States. About half of the Atlantic Philanthropies' grants have been made in donations that allow lobbying.[3]

As of the end of 2013, AP had spent $6.5 billion. It is on track to spend a total of $7.5 billion by the time of its planned closure in 2016.[2] The President and CEO of the Atlantic Philanthropies is Christopher Oechsli.[7] He was appointed in 2011, succeeding Gara LaMarche. Martin O'Brien was appointed Senior Vice President of Programmes shortly thereafter.

One tactic used by the Atlantic Philanthropies is to use the promise of substantial gifts to compel governments and other donors to match. A total of $226 million in Atlantic grants have leveraged $1.3 billion of government money to the Irish university system. Atlantic's most recent grantmaking statistics are from 2013.[8] They will cease giving grants by 2016 or 2017, and will cease to operate a year or two after their grantmaking is concluded.[2][9]

History

Irish-American businessman Chuck Feeney established the Atlantic Philanthropies in Bermuda in 1982.[10] Born in 1931 to an Irish-American family from New Jersey, following service with the USAF, Feeney went on to study hotel management at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Feeney made his fortune in the duty-free business, co-founding Duty Free Shoppers (DFS). In 1982, the Atlantic Philanthropies made its first grant of $7 million to Cornell University.[11]

In 1984, Feeney transferred his entire 38.75% ownership stake in DFS to what became the Atlantic Philanthropies. Feeney's charitable giving remained anonymous until 1997, when the world learned that Feeney's $1.6 billion cut of the DFS sale belonged not to Feeney but to his foundation.[11]

In 2011, Feeney signed "The Giving Pledge," a campaign to encourage the wealthiest people in the United States to make a commitment to give most of their money to philanthropic causes while they are still alive.[12]

Activities

AP concentrates its donations in the areas of aging, children and youth, population and health, and reconciliation and human rights.[13] As of 2013, the Atlantic Philanthropies had distributed $6.5 billion.[14]

Australia

In Australia, AP has donated more than $AUD500 million, including $AUD250 million in Queensland. These donations have been directed toward the building or expansion of 20 research facilities in Australia.[15]

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, AP has controversially supported the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission in its work to develop and promote proposals for a Bill of Rights for the region. It has also funded a coalition of civil society groups, the Bill of Rights Consortium.[16]

Republic of Ireland

AP has invested over $1 billion in third-level education on the island of Ireland, funding research facilities at the University of Limerick and Dublin City University as well as a library and sports facility at Trinity College Dublin.[17] AP's grants in Ireland have been credited by some for stimulating the Irish economy in the 1990s.[18]

In 2009, AP indicated that it would grant €80 million in Ireland in 2009 to children, elderly and human rights projects.[19] In 2011, AP awarded a €1.2 million grant to Barnados, one of Ireland's best-known children charities.[20]

In 2004–13, AP provided $11.5m and political advice to the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network and three other Irish gay-rights groups.[21][22][23] Prior to the 2015 same-sex marriage referendum, Catholic commentator Breda O'Brien characterised this as "American money buy[ing] an Irish referendum".[23]

United States

In March 2009, AP pledged $125 million to the University of California, San Francisco to fund a medical center at the Mission Bay campus. At the time, it was the single largest grant the Atlantic Philanthropies had given.[24] The project broke ground in October 2010.[25]

From 2008-10, AP donated $27 million to Health Care for America Now (HCAN) to support their efforts to pass the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[26] It was the single largest advocacy grant ever made by a foundation.[27]

Culminating grants

In 2014, the Atlantic Philanthropies announced that it was making three major culminating grants: one to foster peace and human rights in Northern Ireland, another to help fund a national dementia strategy in Ireland, and a third to expand the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington, D.C.-based liberal think tank.[28]

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ http://www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/grantmaking-statistics
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. BBC report on McWilliams' early departure, and Atlantic Philanthropies funding
  17. ↑ The Examiner April 2008
  18. ↑ CBS interview (video)
  19. ↑ Sunday Tribune May 3 2009
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Synapse - the UCSF Student Newspaper
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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