Public records show that millions of dollars given to former President Barack Obama’s foundation were later redirected to a progressive fund that has supported anti-Israel groups, including those accused of organizing encampments at Ivy League universities.
According to federal tax filings, the Obama Foundation — established to construct a 19-acre campus in Chicago featuring a museum, athletic facility, and gardens — transferred $2 million to the Tides Foundation in 2022 and 2023, the New York Post reported.
The cash was earmarked to “support local organizations that are working to reduce violence in communities,” according to filings by the foundation.
The Tides Foundation — which also receives funding from Democratic donor George Soros — serves as a fiscal sponsor for organizations that have not registered with the IRS as charities. The group is currently under review by the House Ways and Means Committee for its role in directing donations to groups including the Adalah Justice Project, Samidoun, and the People’s Forum.
These organizations have been linked to pro-Palestinian demonstrations and student encampments that followed the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel, which killed 1,200 people, The Post reported.
Following publication of the story on Friday, a spokeswoman for the Obama Foundation said the $2 million in question was distributed to more than 50 organizations nationwide to reduce “surging summer violence” and to create “safe spaces” for young people.
“The Tides Center played an administrative role in the program by processing grants while Cities United [a nonprofit] managed the application process,” the spokeswoman told The Post in an email.
Tides has also overseen donations for the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, which filed a lawsuit in California Superior Court last year accusing the fund of “egregious mismanagement” of more than $33 million, according to court records. That case remains ongoing.
In addition to its donations to Tides, filings show the Obama Foundation directed more than $3 million in grants to Gofundme.org in 2022 and 2023 for unspecified programs described as supporting “grassroots leaders to empower girls through education.”
The Obama Foundation revelations and connection to an organization funded in part by left-wing billionaire Soros come as a senior Justice Department official has ordered more than half a dozen U.S. attorneys’ offices to draft plans for criminal investigations into Soros’ Open Society Foundation.
The directive, obtained by The New York Times, outlines potential charges including racketeering, arson, wire fraud, and material support of terrorism, The New York Times reported.
It is the latest sign that federal prosecutors are moving aggressively at the urging of President Donald Trump, who has publicly demanded that Soros face criminal charges.
The president sharpened his criticism of Soros after the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah this month.
At a rally, Trump threatened to use government levers to “go after” donors to progressive groups, specifically mentioning Soros by name.
Conservatives argue that the foundation supports unrest, violent protests, and property destruction.
On Monday, Todd Blanche’s office sent a memo to federal prosecutors in New York, California, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Detroit, and Maryland, instructing them to prepare investigative strategies.
The order was signed by Aakash Singh, a Justice Department lawyer tasked with coordinating between the deputy attorney general’s office and U.S. attorneys’ offices nationwide.
Singh cited a report by the conservative Capital Research Center, which tracks liberal spending in politics.
That report accused Soros-backed groups of funneling more than $80 million into organizations connected to terrorism or extremist violence.
“This D.O.J., along with our hard-working and dedicated U.S. attorneys, will always prioritize public safety and investigate organizations that conspire to commit acts of violence or other federal violations of law,” Justice Department spokesman Chad Gilmartin said.
