Newly surfaced public records are raising fresh questions about the financial networks surrounding former President Barack Obama and the political causes indirectly supported by his foundation.
According to federal tax filings reviewed by the New York Post, the Obama Foundation transferred $2 million in charitable funds during 2022 and 2023 to the Tides Foundation, a powerful progressive funding hub that also receives substantial backing from billionaire donor George Soros.
While the Obama Foundation described the grants as support for “reducing violence in communities,” critics argue the money’s ultimate destination paints a more troubling picture.
A Financial Pass-Through With Political Implications
The Tides Foundation is not a conventional charity. Instead, it operates as a fiscal sponsor, allowing donor funds to be routed to activist organizations that are not themselves registered nonprofits. This structure has long drawn scrutiny from lawmakers and watchdog groups, who argue it obscures transparency and accountability.
That scrutiny has now intensified.
The House Ways and Means Committee is currently reviewing Tides’ role in directing money to several far-left organizations, including the Adalah Justice Project, Samidoun, and The People’s Forum.
Each of these groups has been tied to aggressive anti-Israel activism, including organizing or supporting campus encampments and demonstrations that erupted across Ivy League and elite universities following the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks, which left roughly 1,200 Israelis dead.
Campus Protests and Radical Messaging
Those protests, often described as “pro-Palestinian,” frequently crossed into overt anti-Israel — and in some cases antisemitic — rhetoric, prompting backlash from Jewish students, university donors, and lawmakers.
Several of the organizations supported through Tides have been accused of promoting narratives that minimize or justify Hamas’ actions, while pressuring universities to divest from Israel or cut academic ties altogether.
While there is no evidence the Obama Foundation directly funded these specific protest activities, the revelation that its money flowed through a financial conduit supporting such groups has fueled criticism that progressive nonprofit ecosystems operate with deliberate distance but shared ideological goals.
Obama Foundation Responds
After the Post published its report, a spokeswoman for the Obama Foundation issued a statement seeking to downplay the controversy.
According to the foundation, the $2 million was distributed across more than 50 organizations nationwide as part of a broader initiative to address what it described as “surging summer violence” and to create “safe spaces” for young people.
The statement did not directly address the political activism of Tides’ sponsored groups or the concerns raised by lawmakers.
A Familiar Network Under Renewed Scrutiny
The Tides Foundation has been at the center of numerous investigations over the years due to its role as a clearinghouse for progressive funding. Its ties to Soros’ Open Society network and other major Democratic donors have made it a frequent target of Republican oversight efforts.
Critics argue that Tides functions as a financial firewall, allowing high-profile donors and institutions to maintain plausible deniability while money flows to controversial activist causes.
Supporters, meanwhile, claim the model enables grassroots organizations to function without bureaucratic hurdles.
Why This Matters
At a moment when antisemitism on U.S. campuses has surged to levels not seen in decades, revelations about indirect funding streams are likely to intensify calls for stricter oversight of charitable organizations — especially those connected to former presidents and major political figures.
For Republicans already pushing DOJ and congressional investigations into Soros-backed networks, the Obama Foundation disclosures add another layer to a broader argument: that elite progressive institutions are financially intertwined with activist movements far more radical than they publicly acknowledge.
Whether the controversy leads to legislative action or fades into the background remains to be seen. But one thing is clear — the nonprofit funding world surrounding Democratic politics is once again under a microscope, and the questions are not going away.
