Obama Foundation Transferred $2 Million to Tides, Which Funded Controversial Anti-Israel Groups

Public tax filings show funds intended for the Obama library flowed through Tides to groups accused of backing pro-Palestinian encampments at elite campuses.

Public records and tax filings reveal that approximately $2 million in donations to the Obama Foundation, earmarked for violence reduction and community efforts, were instead routed to the Tides Foundation in 2022 and 2023. 

Tides is a progressive donor and grant-administration network under increasing scrutiny. It has been accused by critics, including the House Ways and Means Committee, of acting as a fiscal conduit to organizations linked to anti-Israel protests, including groups alleged to have organized campus encampments at Ivy League schools following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.

“The committees are investigating the sources of funding … for groups who are organizing, leading, and participating in pro-Hamas, antisemitic, anti-Israel, and anti-American protests with illegal encampments on American college campuses,” Reps. Virginia Foxx and James Comer wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in May 2024. 

According to the Obama Foundation, the transfers were part of a broader plan to support more than 50 grassroots groups focused on curbing violence and creating “safe spaces” for youth. They say Cities Unite handled the application process while Tides handled grant administration. 

However, detractors argue this arrangement masks the true end-use of funds. Tides has, in recent years, funded or supported organizations such as Adalah Justice Project, Samidoun, and People’s Forum, which have been tied to pro-Palestinian activism and campus encampment drives. 

The Obama Foundation is also under criticism for simultaneously directing $3 million plus in grants to GoFundMe.org, nominally for “empowering girls through education.”

The Tides Foundation itself is no stranger to controversy. It operates as a donor-advised fund and fiscal sponsor for progressive causes, and has been accused of opacity and “dark money” tactics.