Federalbrief
Dec 26, 2025

Millions Given to Obama Foundation Redirected to Soros-Linked Group

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.

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