InfluenceWatch Friday

InfluenceWatch, a project of Capital Research Center, is a comprehensive and ever-evolving compilation of our research into the numerous advocacy groups, foundations, and donors working to influence the public policy process. The website offers transparency into these influencers’ funding, motives, and connections while providing insight often neglected by other watchdog groups.

The information compiled in InfluenceWatch gives news outlets and other interested parties research to use in reporting on significant topics that are often overlooked by the American public.

CRC is pleased to present some of the most significant additions to InfluenceWatch in the past week:

• The Koum Family Foundation is a private foundation that was established by Jay Koum, the co-founder of private messaging app WhatsApp. According to 2024 tax records, the foundation paid philanthropic consulting firm Arabella Advisors over $500,000 for “project support.” That same year, its numerous grantees included the Aleph Institute, the Israel on Campus Coalition, the Hopewell Fund, and the Tides Center.
• The Grand Rapids Community Foundation is a grantmaking organization that primarily provides funding for nonprofits and programs within Western Michigan. Initiatives it supports include local education, healthcare, the environment, and the LGBT community. The foundation’s 2024 grantees included the Chicago Community Trust, Planned Parenthood of Michigan, and Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida.
• The Give Forward Foundation is a private foundation that primarily supports education programs, including in low-income areas of the San Francisco Bay Area. It was founded in 2018 by Brad Gerstner, the founder and CEO of Altimeter Capital. The Give Forward Foundation’s CEO is Michelle Boyers, a former director for the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. In 2024, the Give Forward Foundation’s grantees included Teach For America, the NewSchools Venture Fund, and the Future Forward Education Fund (a project of Our American Future Foundation).
• The Literacy Lab is a nonprofit that provides resources to increase literacy for low-income children by partnering with educational institutions and providing trained tutors. In 2022, it received a $10 million grant from MacKenzie Scott, the billionaire ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Its other donors have included the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Ballmer Group, the GreenLight Fund, the Greater Washington Community Foundation, the Library of Congress, and Results for America.
• The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation (PCLB) is a private foundation established by late Subway co-founder Peter Buck and his wife Carmen. According to its website, in 2025 the foundation made over $106 million in grants and scholarships. Its grant recipients have included the KIPP Foundation, the Leadership for Educational Equity Foundation(LEEF), and Teach for America.