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Christopher Hohn, a British billionaire and hedge fund manager, is halting funding for left-wing groups and charities following a report by American for Public Trust (APT).
APT said in its report that the groups that received funding from the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), which lists Hohn as founder and board chairman, “sought nothing less than the complete radicalization of the American political landscape.”
CIFF, which reportedly has a $6 billion endowment, is “heavily funded by Hohn’s nearly $60 billion activist hedge fund,” according to APT.
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A British billionaire has stopped funding left-wing causes following a report by American for Public Trust. (Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo/File Photo/Reuters / Reuters)
CIFF announced on Wednesday that it would shift funding to non-US NGOs.
“Unfortunately, we are no longer confident in our understanding of the U.S. policy environment for foreign funders of U.S. NGOs, including for the international work we focus on,” CIFF wrote. “As a result, the CIFF Board has decided that, as a precautionary measure, and until the applicable laws and regulations, and their implementation, are made clearer by the relevant authorities, CIFF should redirect its funding to, and restructure its contracts to work with, non-US NGOs.”
The organization noted in its update that multilateral institutions headquartered in the US will not be affected by the funding shift.
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APT released a report late last month showing that the CIFF funneled more than $553 million to U.S. organizations between 2014 and 2023. The funding went to groups that support causes like green energy and was used to fund climate lawsuits as well as protests against the fossil fuel industry, the report said.
APT also said money was given to a China-linked group known as the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), which is working to ban gas stoves. APT claims this is a violation of federal law prohibiting foreign nationals from directly or indirectly influencing U.S. elections.
“Because there is little oversight and few restrictions on foreign donations to U.S.-based organizations, Hohn’s actions through CIFF are highly questionable and shady. More investigations are needed, at both the state and federal levels, to determine the extent to which foreign donation laws and regulations may have been violated by Hohn and CIFF,” APT said in its report. It also called for reforms to prevent “undue foreign influence in U.S. policy struggles.”
In addition to environmental goals, CIFF funded organizations pushing for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, such as the New Venture Fund (NVF). APT reported that the NVF has received $1.1 million from CIFF since 2016.
Anti-climate change protesters, also known as Extinction Rebellion activists, gather outside the governor’s office to protest against Governor Kathy Hochul in New York City on January 25, 2022. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images/Getty Images)
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APT said it compiled its report using CIFF annual reports, tax returns of organizations that received money from CIFF, media articles, “additional electronic resources” and legal documents.
In addition to exposing CIFF’s funding of advocacy groups, APT has also exposed the charity’s alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). CIFF has been a registered NGO in China since 2017, according to APT, which noted that several Chinese ministries oversee CIFF’s work in the country.
A report from Americans for Public Trust (APT) found that the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) had ties to the Chinese Communist Party. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images/iStock/Getty Images)
“The British non-profit organization has given millions to several organizations directly under the auspices of the Chinese government, including the National Renewable Energy Center, the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center (FECO) and Tsinghua University, which conduct energy and military research. CIFF is also a member of the donor steering committee of the Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT), which works in China to promote climate action. ICAT’s final report on a workshop in China was supported by CIFF, with numerous CCP officials contributing to its establishment,” APT’s report said.
APT also reports that CIFF CEO Kate Hampton “maintained an apparently cozy relationship” with “green” CCP entities.
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The APT report mentions Energy Foundation China, World Resources Institute, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Natural Resources Defense Council, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, The Sunrise Project, Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, Environmental Defense Fund, Windward Fund, Ceres, RMI, NVF and ClimateWorks Foundation.
