Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) launched investigations into the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the Ford Foundation for their funding of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and linked groups.
“According to recent reports, [the organizations], through grants and direct payments, have funded the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its allies,” Grassley wrote. “I am writing today to ask you whether these reports are true or not and, if true, how your organization’s conduct comports with 501(c)(3) requirements.”
“In order to maintain tax-exempt status, an organization’s activities must be charitable in nature and may not directly support or promote the interests of a foreign government,” the letters to the entities add, further stating that under IRS guidance, “private foundations ‘can distribute funds to foreign organizations to conduct activities outside of the United States, but must follow special rules when dealing with foreign organizations to avoid the excise taxes under Section 4942 and Section 4945.'”
Grassley’s office explained that the Gates Foundation provided millions of dollars to the CCP, as well as $2 million to a “corporation working with the Chinese military and $6.7 million to state-run Chinese universities” in 2023. Similarly, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund donated $7.4 million to organizations that were connected to the CCP. The Ford Foundation engaged in the same activities, providing nearly $10 million to the CCP in support of the Belt and Road Initiative.
A Gates Foundation spokesperson told the National Review that it “complies with all laws governing our charitable work and tax-exempt status. Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives.”
The Ford Foundation noted to the outlet that its “grants in China are intended to reduce poverty and injustice, strengthen democratic values, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement—these are fundamental American values and priorities.”
