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| Image courtesy of Boaz Yiftach at FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
INTRODUCTION:
Many have had questions about how the Sutherland Institute is funded.
While I don't have a complete answer, I do have some information that you may find quite interesting.
My purpose in putting forth this information is to help bring Sutherland's funding out of the shadows - so that people can judge what impact, if any, this information might have on their thinking about Sutherland or its policy positions.
A significant amount of Sutherland Institute's funding for the period 2003-2010 came from three foundations which are either currently or formerly associated with the Swim family. Gaylord Swim was the founder of the Sutherland Institute in 1995 - so this funding makes sense. The foundations are:
ALS Foundation
GFC Foundation
The Foundation for the American West
One of the foundations, ALS, merged with the GFC Foundation in 2006.
From a 2009 article about the GFC Foundation, the following gives us more information about the relationship of the Swim family and the ALS and GFC foundations:
"The 34-year-old president [Stan Swim] of GFC Foundation in Orem, Utah, comes from a long line of investment managers—four generations, actually. His grandfather Dudley was successful during the Great Depression and formed a charitable foundation in 1941, the Arthur L. Swim Foundation (later renamed ALS), named after his father. When Dudley passed away in 1972, his family continued the foundation’s work. Eventually Gaylord and his wife, Laurie, established GFC Foundation in 1994 with further funds from his parents’ estate. (The Swim family folded ALS into GFC in 2006 to minimize overhead costs.) Gaylord passed away in 2005."
The article, "The GFC Foundation Serving God, Family, and Country," by Michael Leaser, is available at:
http://www.
An article which appeared in the Deseret News following Gaylord Swim's passing in 2005 tells us that Mr. Swim founded the Sutherland Institute in 1995.
The same article also tells us that he established the Foundation for the American West (FAW).
The article is available at: http://www.deseretnews.com/
The Foundation for the American West (FAW) does not appear to have had a Swim family member on its board for a number of years.
Both the GFC Foundation and the Foundation for the American West remain key funding sources for the Sutherland Institute.
One interesting thing about the funding is the high level of support.
Another is how, in addition to direct grants from ALS and GFC to Sutherland, money also flowed from these two foundations to the Foundation for the American West. The Foundation for the American West, in turn, has been a significant source of funds to Sutherland.
It is difficult to determine whether the money going to FAW from ALS and GFC was sent to be primarily used for grants to Sutherland - with FAW acting as an intermediary in some fashion. It could also be that the grants were going to FAW for some other purpose or purposes. In this type of arrangement, the money to Sutherland may have been the result of the internal decision-making of FAW or by request of the donors. If the money to Sutherland was going at the donors' request, then part of the money may have been dedicated to Sutherland and some dedicated to other purposes. Some other arrangement may also exist that I have not outlined here. I don't have a clear answer as to why the money flowed in this manner to Sutherland or how the arrangements were set up for the FAW grants to Sutherland (see Endnote #1).
Another curiosity regarding this funding is the fact that Paul Mero was either on the board or held key positions in both Sutherland and GFC for much of the time considered here.
The close relationship between GFC and Sutherland will be considered in more detail in the "Informational Points" section below.
In addition to ALS, GFC and FAW, two other organizations have also become instrumental recently in the funding system of Sutherland: Donors Trust, Inc. and Donors Capital Fund, Inc.
Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund are very closely related organizations.
For example, Whitney L. Ball has served both organizations for a number of years as the secretary/treasurer. She is listed as the president and CEO of Donors Trust on its 2010 IRS Form 990 and as president of Donors Capital Fund on its 2010 IRS Form 990. If you examine these 2010 IRS Form 990s, for instance, you will also see that they send significant amounts of money back and forth for different purposes and list the other as a related organization (see, for example, Schedule R of each of the 2010 990s: http://990s.foundationcenter.
There are also a number of other organizations which have made smaller grants to the Sutherland Institute over the years. These have been left out of this presentation in order to focus on the primary funding system. They have also been left out due to not having a complete picture of all the grants and amounts. Locating all the grants is akin to hunting for a few needles in a haystack.
The five major donor sources identified here account for the majority of Sutherland's funding over an 8-year period (2003-2010).
Even so, when examining the money from DT/DCF to Sutherland, the possibility of one or more significant donors working through those organizations is raised - although the grants come from DC/DCF to Sutherland.
In this presentation I will sometimes use abbreviations for the organizations being discussed. The abbreviations are as follows:
SI = Sutherland Institute
ALS = ALS Foundation
GFC = GFC Foundation
FAW = Foundation for the American West
DT = Donors Trust, Inc.
DCF = Donors Capital Fund, Inc.
At the outset, I want to state that I am only critical here of the work SI does regarding immigration, which I consider to be wrong-headed and counterproductive to a sound and reasonable set of policy initiatives that would serve the national interest rather than the more narrow political or financial interests of those who share Sutherland's views on this issue. I have no comment on any other Sutherland project or of anyone's association with the institute. I think that much of Sutherland's work and associated foundations and individuals is positive and worthy of support.
I have a significant difference of opinion, however, when it comes to the issue of illegal immigration and the approach promoted by the Sutherland Institute in Utah. The institute played a key role in promoting a "comprehensive approach" to immigration law in Utah - which led to the odious and unworkable HB116, or the unconstitutional Utah-amnesty bill, being passed and signed into law in 2011.
Paul Mero (president and the most public face of the institute) has written a rather lengthy essay, "The Poison of Extremism." In this essay, Mr. Mero tends to portray those who disagree with certain views on illegal immigration as being immersed in extremist thinking:
http://www.
The essay seems designed to marginalize opposition. As such, it fails to provide much enlightenment about the principled opposition to the immigration views promoted by the institute. His goal appears to be to not grant any credibility to his opposition, but merely to excommunicate their views from the public square.
In terms of funding the think-tank, therefore, it might be interesting to know how much money this organization has to fund its projects and where much of this money comes from.
The information outlined below is derived from IRS Form 990s available to the public at the Foundation Center website (http://foundationcenter.org/)
In the presentation below, amounts will be listed according to the fiscal year or corresponding calendar year in which the reported amount occurs. Different organizations file their reports according to one or the other format.
The ALS, GFC, and FAW, along with the Sutherland Institute, follow a fiscal year reporting. Thus, amounts reported for 2004, which occur on the report for the period 7/1/03 - 6/30/04, will be listed as being for the year 2004.
Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund report by calendar year and their information will be listed by calendar year in the discussion below.
Examining reports of both types together, however, creates a bit of a problem. Because specific grant dates are unknown, a grant made in the second half of 2004, for instance, will be listed on a calendar year report for 2004 and will not appear on a fiscal year report of another organization until 2005. Although this might cause some confusion when examining a specific year, this should not be too large of a problem for our purpose here, however, which is to primarily identify major sources of funding to the Sutherland Institute. To mitigate the differences in reporting, therefore, I have aggregated the information for much of the discussion below into an 8-year block.
INFORMATIONAL POINTS:
1. The goal of the section:
The goal of this section is to provide the reader with a snapshot of various aspects of Sutherland Institute funding and related issues.
In order to give a good snapshot of the funding, the 8-year period for which IRS 990s are available for all the foundations and organizations involved will be examined as a whole. A year-by-year breakdown is provided in the data section which follows. The 8-year period covers 2003 - 2010. Some information for 2002 and 2011 is also provided in the data section, but as not all 990s were available, it is incomplete for those years.
2. Total Sutherland Grant Income:
Sutherland Institute, for the period 2003-2010, had a total income from grants, etc., of: $7,086,678.00
This amount is a rather nice sum. The interesting thing is how the amount increases each year:
2003 - $315,956.00
2004 - $685,970.00
2005 - $717,375.00
2006 - $721,453.00
2007 - $942,846.00
2008 - $1,056,774.00
2009 - $1,310,315.00
2010 - $1,335,989.00
The trend has continued into 2011, where the listed income is: $1,453,942.00
3. Grant totals to Sutherland from ALS and GFC:
Grants to Sutherland Institute from ALS for the period 2003-2010 totaled: $550,000.00
Grants to Sutherland Institute from GFC for the period 2003-2010 totaled: $2,286,198.00
The totals of both ALS and GFC to Sutherland for the 8-year period totaled: $2,836,198.00 or 40% of the total.
4. Grant totals from ALS and GFC to the Foundation for the American West and FAW total grants to Sutherland:
Grants from ALS to the Foundation for the American West for the 8-year period: $1,300,000.00
Grants from GFC to the Foundation for the American West for the 8-year period: $1,396,356.00
Total of ALS and GFC grants to FAW for 2003-2010: $2,696,356.00
Total of Grants from the FAW to Sutherland Institute for 2003-2010: $2,078,815.00 or 29% of the total.
5. Grant totals of ALS, GFC, and FAW to Sutherland:
Combined total of ALS, GFC and FAW grants to Sutherland for 2003-2010: $4,915,013.00 or 69% of the total.
6. GFC Grants to Donors Trust, Inc.:
There were a number of grants from GFC to Donors Trust. There does not appear to have been money going from ALS or FAW to Donors Trust.
The grants to Donors Trust are interesting. In the beginning there were just a few and were relatively small grants. They have grown in size in recent years:
2003 - $10,000.00
2004 - 0
2005 - $5,000.00
2006 - 0
2007 - $5,000.00
2008 - $189,394.00
2009 - $250,000.00
2010 - $175,000.00
The amount of money going to Donors Trust from GFC remained high for 2011: $258,000.00
The grants have only gone to Donors Trust. There are no grants directly to Donors Capital Fund from GFC.
The amount of money going to Donors Trust from GFC remained high for 2011: $258,000.00
The grants have only gone to Donors Trust. There are no grants directly to Donors Capital Fund from GFC.
After five years of small or no grants to Donors Trust, the amounts jump significantly for 2008-2010.
For the years 2003-2010, the totals of these grants is: $634,394.00
7. Grants from Donors Trust, Inc. (DT) and Donors Capital Fund, Inc. (DCF) to Sutherland:
One interesting thing is that grants to Sutherland come from both Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund - even though money only goes from GFC to DT and not to DCF.
Another is that the amounts coming to Sutherland exceed the amounts going to Donors Trust from GFC.
This may indicate another large funding source or sources working through the DT/DCF to send money to Sutherland or that the DT/DCF itself is funding Sutherland.
As with the situation with the Foundation for the American West, it is unknown if the money from GFC is being sent to Donors Trust with the purpose of sending it to Sutherland (by using DT or DCF as an intermediary) or if the money is being sent to DT for a purpose unrelated to Sutherland and the grants to Sutherland are the result of internal decisions by DTDCF. It is also possible that the money to Sutherland may have nothing to do with GFC and may come from other sources. There is not enough public information to get a more clear picture of the arrangements that send money to Sutherland from DT/DCF (see Endnote #1).
A couple of the 990s had no grantee list included in the pdf at the Foundation Center. In those cases, the grant is listed as "0" below.
The grant totals to Sutherland from DT/DCF are:
Donors Trust, Inc. grants to Sutherland:
2003 - 0
2004 - 0
2005 - 0
2006 - 0
2007 - $187,500.00
2008 - 0
2009 - $235,000.00
2010 - $405,000.00
Donors Capital Fund grants to Sutherland:
2003 - 0
2004 - 0
2005 - $50,000.00
2006 - 0
2007 - $20,000.00
2008 - $145,000.00
2009 - $100,000.00
2010 - $191,000.00
Total from Donors Trust to Sutherland for 2003-2010: $827,500.00
Total from Donors Capital Fund to Sutherland for 2003-2010: $506,000.00
Total for DT and DCF to Sutherland for 2003-2010: $1,333,500.00
This amount far exceeds the money that went from GFC to Donors Trust ($634,394.00).
The total of $1,333,500.00 - $634,394 (GFC money to DT) = $699,106.00 (the difference in Sutherland's favor).
Even if we add in the 2011 grant from GFC to Donors Trust ($258,000.00), there is still a significant difference.
This difference may indicate another large donor or donors in the recent background helping to fund SI (it could be DT/DCF itself or a third party or parties working through DT/DCF).
8. Total amount of money to Sutherland from the five major sources:
At this point we are able to compute the total money to Sutherland from the five major identified sources (ALS, GFC, FAW, DT, and DCF):
From ALS: $550,000.00
From GFC: $2,286,198.00
From FAW: $2,078,815.00
From DT: $827,500.00
From DCF: $506,000.00
The total amount to Sutherland from these five organizations for 2003-2010: $6,248,513.00 or 88% of Sutherland's total revenues from grants, etc.
9. Overlap Between GFC Foundation and Sutherland Institute Boards/Staff
One issue only briefly mentioned so far is the close relationship between Sutherland and the GFC Foundation.
In addition to the fact that Paul Mero serves on the boards of both GFC and Sutherland, Stan Swim also has a role in both organizations.
Mr. Swim is on Sutherland's board and is listed as "Chairman" on Sutherland's "Board Members" page linked below. The short profile there also states that Mr. Swim serves as president of the GFC Foundation. From Sutherland's website:
"Stanford D. Swim is the president of GFC Foundation, a Utah-based private foundation. Prior to taking his current post as a Trustee of the Sutherland Institute, he was senior analyst for Probity Advisors..."
(http://sutherlandinstitute.
Although Stan Swim is not listed as a board member of GFC on its 2011 990, he is listed as "Executive" on the 990 and received $108,108.00 in compensation from GFC. Paul Mero received $6,100.00 and Brent McKinley received $8,100.00 as compensation from GFC.
The 2011 990 for GFC only lists three officers and/or board members and one staff member. In the data section below, the officers and/or board members are listed from the GFC 990s. If GFC has other officers or board members that do not appear in the 990s, they are not considered here.
GFC's officers and/or board members listed on the 2011 990 are (Stan Swim is listed as an employee):
Lauralyn B. Swim
Paul T. Mero
Brent McKinley
Lauralyn Swim on the list may cause some confusion as it appears that she has a daughter by the same name. Her daughter is most likely not the Lauralyn Swim listed on the 990s for GFC.
Lauralyn (Laurie) Swim is the mother of Stan Swim and the widow of Gaylord Swim. Together they (Gaylord and Lauralyn) established GFC (see: http://www.
"She [Laurie Swim] is chairman of the board of the GFC Foundation—a charitable foundation dedicated to preserving and protecting faith, family and freedom."
(http://svu.edu/news/archives/
In addition, she is featured in a recent Sutherland Institute video tribute to Sutherland's founder, Gaylord Swim:
http://sutherlandinstitute.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Paul Mero is president of Sutherland and serves on the board of GFC. Mr. Mero is compensated by Sutherland - $141,600.00 on the 2011 Sutherland 990. He is also compensated by GFC for his work related to his board position: $6,600.00 on the GFC 2011 990.
Three of four key board members or staff of GFC, therefore, have strong connections to Sutherland. What about Brent McKinley?
Brent McKinley is also listed on Sutherland's board page as a trustee: http://sutherlandinstitute.
Mr. McKinley has been listed as a GFC officer and/or board member every year since 2005. His LinkedIn profile lists him as chairman of GFC and as trustee of Sutherland:
"Chairman, GFC Foundation - Public policy focus, Faith, Family, Freedom; Boy Scouts of America, Chairman, Advancement Committee, Counselor; Sutherland Institute, Trustee"
(http://www.linkedin.com/in/
We now see that the four key officers/board members or staff of GFC, as listed on its 2011 990, are also closely tied to Sutherland.
Below is a year-by-year list of Swim family members and Paul Mero and their organizational affiliates relevant to Sutherland for 2003-2011. Generally, there were other board members listed for each year for each organization. We are only interested here, however, in the overlap between Paul Mero, the Swim family and the foundations funding Sutherland. If a foundation is listed for an individual, it means that that individual served as an officer/board member of the foundation and/or as staff member for that year. For 2004 and 2005, Sutherland listed some spouses of board members as part of the board as well. Officers/board members and/or relevant staff (to our discussion of Sutherland funding) who did not appear, if any, in the 990s are not considered here. To see the exact listing, go to the corresponding 990 for the organization and year. The following information is from the organizational 990s:
2003:
Paul Mero: SI
Gaylord Swim: SI, ALS, GFC, FAW
Lauralyn Swim: GFC
Roger Swim: ALS
2004:
Paul Mero: SI
Sally Mero: SI
Gaylord Swim: SI, ALS, GFC, FAW
Lauralyn (Laurie) Swim: SI, ALS
Roger Swim: ALS
(Paul and Sally Mero are listed jointly)
(Gaylord and Laurie Swim are listed jointly)
2005:
Paul Mero: SI, ALS
Sally Mero: SI
Lauralyn Swim: ALS, GFC
Lyall Swim: SI
Roger Swim: ALS
(Paul and Sally Mero are listed jointly on the 990 pdf)
(Gaylord Swim died in February, 2005)
(No Swim family members on board of FAW beginning this year)
2006:
Paul Mero: SI, ALS
Lauralyn Swim: ALS, GFC
Lyall Swim: SI
Roger Swim: ALS
(ALS merged with GFC in 2006)
2007:
Paul Mero: SI, GFC
Lauralyn Swim: GFC
Lyall Swim: SI
Stan Swim: SI, GFC
(Lyall Swim and Stan Swim are brothers)
2008:
Paul Mero: SI, GFC
Lauralyn Swim: GFC
Lyall Swim: SI
Stan Swim: SI, GFC
2009:
Paul Mero: SI, GFC
Lauralyn Swim: GFC
Stan Swim: SI, GFC
2010:
Paul Mero: SI, GFC
Lauralyn Swim: GFC
Stan Swim: SI, GFC
2011:
Paul Mero: SI, GFC
Lauralyn Swim: GFC
Stan Swim: SI, GFC
10. Concluding Points:
The relationship of Paul Mero and Stan Swim to both Sutherland and GFC indicates very strong ties between the two organizations.
Through its direct grants to Sutherland, GFC is a significant funder of the institute by itself. This makes the relationship between Sutherland and GFC an especially important one.
Because more information is not currently public, I don't quite know what to make of how the money flows to Sutherland from FAW, DT and DCF. It seems a bit odd.
Perhaps Paul Mero could issue a statement and clarify the relationships between these organizations and Sutherland Institute and explain why the money is set up in this fashion.
If I am correct in thinking there may be another major donor working through DT/DFC to send funds to Sutherland, perhaps Mr. Mero could clarify that as well and give us some information as to who this donor (or donors) is and what their interest may be in the Sutherland Institute.
These questions are important ones given Paul Mero's public persona as a spokesman for immigration issues.
Sutherland allows Paul Mero's voice to be amplified tremendously in the public sphere. It would be nice, therefore, to have a more complete picture of how the funding system is set up and why.
DATA SECTION:
The information below was pulled from the IRS 990s for each foundation or organization. Links to these documents are provided in the "Source Links" section which follows.
Officers, board members, trustees, etc. are listed in many of the 990s. In order to simplify the presentation, the variety of foundation or organizational officers will be listed under the category of "Officers and/or board" - this category includes the variety of types that occur in the 990s, such as: president, trustee, secretary, executive committee, board member, etc. Officers and/or board members are listed only for SI, ALS, GFC and FAW because these are the organizations which are most relevant in this area for our discussion. A few key staff members will also be listed. If someone served as an officer and/or board member and was not listed on the 990, he or she will not be listed here.
Prior to 2002:
The three amounts below are taken from Sutherland Institute's 2003 IRS Form 990 (for 7/1/02 - 6/30/03), where these amounts are reported:
1999 Sutherland Institute income from grants, etc. - $306,227.00
2000 Sutherland Institute income from grants, etc. - $369,816.00
2001 Sutherland Institute income from grants, etc. - $361,171.00
2002:
Some 990s not available for this year
Sutherland Institute: 990 not available for this year - but grants, etc., totaled $304,792.00 for the 2002 as reported on their 2003 990 form.
ALS Foundation:
Sutherland Institute grant: $100,000.00
Foundation for the American West grant: $300,000.00
Officers and/or board: Katherine M. Swim, Gaylord K. Swim, Roger C. Swim
GFC Foundation:
Sutherland Institute grant: $55,650.00
Donors Trust grant: $10,000.00
Officers and/or board: Gaylord Swim, Lauralyn B. Swim
Foundation for the American West: 990 not available for this year
2003:
Sutherland Institute:
Sutherland Institute income from grants, etc.: $315,956.00
Paul T. Mero listed as Executive Director with a compensation of: $106,000.00
Officers and/or board: Gaylord K. Swim, Robert A. Alsop, Tim Bridgewater, Jaren L. Davis, Maury Giles, James W. Jenkins, Darren Mansell, Paul T. Mero, Maxwell A. Miller, Dan Witte.
ALS Foundation:
Sutherland Institute grant: $100,000.00
Foundation for the American West grant: $300,000.00
Officers and/or board: Gaylord K. Swim, Roger C. Swim
GFC Foundation:
Sutherland Institute grant: $50,000.00
Donors Trust grant: $10,000.00
Officers and/or board: Gaylord Swim, Lauralyn B. Swim
Foundation for the American West:
Sutherland Institute grant: $69,000.00
Officers and/or board: Gaylord K. Swim, Reino O. Kerttula, Charlotte A. Richards, Kevin L. Simister, McKay Marsden, John Valentine
2004:
Sutherland Institute:
Sutherland Institute income from grants, etc.: $685,970.00
Paul T. Mero listed as Executive Director with a compensation of: $106,000.00
Officers and/or board: Bob/Jessica Alsop, Dan Witte, Darren/Shailane Mansell, Gaylord/Laurie Swim, Jaren/Kim Davis Jim/Connie Jenkins, Mary Ellen/Stan Smoot, Maury/Emily Giles, Max/Linda Miller, Paul/Sally Mero, Tim/Laura Bridgewater
ALS Foundation:
Sutherland Institute grant: $300,000.00
Foundation for the American West grant: $100,000.00
Officers and/or board: Lauralyn B. Swim, Roger C. Swim, Victoria M.Rose, Gaylord K. Swim
GFC Foundation:
Sutherland Institute grant: $200,000.00
Foundation for the American West grant: $10,000.00
Officers and/or board: Gaylord K. Swim
Foundation for the American West:
Sutherland Institute grant: $103,500.00
Officers and/or board: Gaylord K. Swim, O. Jeffery Wilde, Charlotte A. Richards, Kevin Simister, Reino O. Kerttula, McKay Marsden, John Valentine
(2004 is the last year a Swim family member is listed as an officer/board member of FAW)
2005:
Sutherland Institute:
Sutherland Institute income from grants, etc.: $717,375.00
Paul T. Mero listed as Executive Director with a compensation of: $126,000.00
Officers and/or board: Bob/Jessica Alsop, Dan Witte, Debra Washburn, Curt Bramble, Jaren/Kim Davis, Lyall Swim, Mary Ellen/Stan Smoot, Maury/Emily Giles, Marty Stephens, Paul/Sally Mero
ALS Foundation:
Sutherland Institute grant: $150,000.00
Foundation for the American West grant: $900,000.00
Officers and/or board: Roger C. Swim, Victoria M. Rose, Laurelyn [sic] Swim, Douglas W. Morrison, Paul Mero
GFC Foundation:
Sutherland Institute grant: $300,000.00
Donors Trust grant: $5,000.00
Officers and/or board: Lauralyn B. Swim (0 compensation), Alan Funk ($2,150.00 compensation), Brent McKinley ($6,200.00 compensation)
Foundation for the American West:
Sutherland Institute grant: $152,500.00
Donors Trust, Inc.:
Sutherland Institute grant: no grant awarded for this year
Donors Capital Fund, Inc.:
Sutherland Institute grant: $50,000.00
2006:
Sutherland Institute:
Sutherland Institute income from grants, etc.: $721,453.00
Paul T. Mero listed as Executive Director with a compensation of: $121,000.00
Officers and Board: Bob Alsop, Dan Witte, Debra Washburn, Curt Bramble, Maury Giles, Paul T. Mero, Justin Reber, Lyall Swim
ALS Foundation:
Sutherland Institute grant: no grant awarded for this year
Officers: and Board: Roger C. Swim, Lauralyn Swim, Paul Mero
(The ALS Foundation transferred $25,726,299.00 to the GFC Foundation this year and merged with it.)
GFC Foundation:
Sutherland Institute grant: $150,000.00
Officers: Lauralyn B. Swim (0 compensation), Alan Funk ($2,150.00 compensation), Brent McKinley ($6,200.00 compensation)
Foundation for the American West:
Sutherland Institute grant: $300,000.00
Donors Trust, Inc.:
Sutherland Institute grant: no grant awarded for this year
Donors Capital Fund, Inc.:
Sutherland Institute grant: no grant awarded for this year
2007:
The Sutherland Institute:
Sutherland Institute income from grants, etc.: $942,846.00
Paul T. Mero listed as Executive Director with a compensation of: $121,153.00
Officers and Board: Bob Alsop, Dan Witte, Debra Washburn, Stan Swim, Lavar Christensen, Paul T. Mero, Justin Reber, Lyall Swim
Stan Swim and Lyall Swim are brothers.
Lyall Swim is listed as Operations Director with compensation of: $56,667.00.
Stan Swim is also Director of GFC Foundation.
Paul Mero is also on the board of GFC Foundaton.
GFC Foundation:
Sutherland Institute grant: $262,500.00
Foundation for the American West grant: $375,000.00
Donors Trust grant: $5,000.00
Officers: Lauralyn B. Swim (0 compensation), Paul T. Mero ($7,200.00 compensation), Brent McKinley ($7,200.00 compensation)
Stanford Swim listed as "Executive" with a compensation of $63,000.00.
Foundation for the American West:
Sutherland Institute grant: $511,315.00
Donors Trust, Inc.:
Sutherland Institute grant: $187,500.00
Donors Capital Fund, Inc.:
Sutherland Institute grant: $20,000.00
2008:
Sutherland Institute:
Sutherland Institute income from grants, etc.: $1,056,774.00
Paul T. Mero listed as Executive Director with a compensation of: $126,650.00
Officers and Board: Bob Alsop, Dan Witte, Cindy Kern, Stan Swim, Lavar Christensen, Paul T. Mero, Justin Reber, Lyall Swim, Debra Washburn
Lyall Swim is listed as Director of Operations with compensation of: $84,150.00
Stan Swim and Lyall Swim are brothers.
Stan Swim is also Director of GFC Foundation.
Paul Mero is also a board member of the GFC Foundation.
GFC Foundation:
Sutherland Institute grant: $437,198.00
Foundation for the American West grant #1: $28,500.00
Donors Trust grant: $189,394.00
Foundation for the American West grant #2: $189,856.00
Officers: Lauralyn B. Swim (0 compensation), Paul T. Mero ($7,200.00 compensation), Brent McKinley ($7,200.00 compensation)
Stanford Swim listed as "Executive" with a compensation of $114,188.00.
Foundation for the American West:
Sutherland Institute grant: $187,500.00
Donors Trust, Inc.:
Sutherland Institute grant: no grant for this year
Donors Capital Fund, Inc.:
Sutherland Institute grants: $145,000.00
2009:
Sutherland Institute:
Sutherland Institute income from grants, etc.: $1,310,315.00
Paul T. Mero listed as President and Board Member with a compensation of: $126,602.00
Officers and Board: Bob Alsop, Todd Reid, Cindy Kern, Stan Swim, Lavar Christensen, Paul T. Mero, Justin Reber
GFC Foundation:
Sutherland Institute grant: $516,500.00
Foundation for the American West grant: $415,000.00
Donors Trust grant: $250,000.00
Officers: Lauralyn B. Swim (0 compensation), Paul T. Mero ($7,200.00 compensation), Brent McKinley ($7,200.00 compensation), Stanford Swim ($106,376.00 compensation)
Foundation for the American West:
Sutherland Institute grant: $250,000.00
Donors Trust, Inc.:
Sutherland Institute grant: $235,000.00
Donors Capital Fund, Inc.:
Sutherland Institute grants: $100,000.00
2010:
Sutherland Institute:
Sutherland Institute income from grants, etc.: $1,335,989.00
Paul T. Mero listed as President and Board Member with a compensation of: $128,776.00
Officers and Board: Matt Barber, Todd Reid, Gail Berry, Stan Swim, Paul T. Mero, Justin Reber
GFC Foundation:
Sutherland Institute grant: $370,000.00
Foundation for the American West grant: $378,000.00
Donors Trust grant: $175,000.00
Officers and Board: Lauralyn B. Swim (0 compensation), Paul T. Mero ($7,200.00 compensation), Brent McKinley ($7,200.00 compensation), Stanford Swim ($108,108.00 compensation)
Foundation for the American West:
Sutherland Institute grant: $505,000.00
Donors Trust, Inc.:
Sutherland Institute grants: $405,000.00
Donors Capital Fund, Inc.:
Sutherland Institute grants: $191,000.00
2011:
Some 990s not yet available for 2011
Sutherland Institute:
Sutherland Institute income from grants, etc.: $1,453,942.00
Paul T. Mero listed as President and Board Member with a compensation of: $141,600.00
Officers and Board: Kyle Bateman, Todd Reid, Stan Swim, Paul T. Mero, Justin Reber
GFC Foundation:
Grant to Sutherland Institute: $475,000.00
Grant to Foundation for the American West: $368,000.00
Grant to Donors Trust: $258,000.00
Officers and Board: Lauralyn B. Swim (0 compensation), Paul T. Mero ($6,600.00 compensation), Brent McKinley ($8,100.00 compensation)
Note: Stanford Swim is listed as "Executive" with the foundation and receives compensation of $108,108.00.
Foundation for the American West:
Sutherland Institute grant: $328,000.00
Donors Trust, Inc.: 990 not yet available
Donors Capital Fund, Inc.: 990 not yet available
SOURCE LINKS:
Foundation Center website: http://foundationcenter.org/
990 finder page at Foundation Center website: http://foundationcenter.org/
Sutherland Institute 990s:
2011: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2010: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2009: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2008: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2007: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2006: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2005: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2004: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2003: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
ALS Foundation 990s:
2006: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2005: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2004: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2003: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2002: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
GFC Foundation 990s:
2011: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2010: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2009: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2008: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2007: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2006: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2005: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2004: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2003: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2002: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
Foundation for the American West 990s:
2011: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2010: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2009: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2008: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2007: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2006: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2005: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2004: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2003: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
Donors Trust, Inc. 990s:
2011: not yet available
2010: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2009: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2008: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2007: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2006: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2005: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2004: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2003: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2002: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
Donors Capital Fund, Inc. 990s:
2011: not yet available
2010: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2009: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2008: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2007: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2006: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2005: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2004: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2003: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
2002: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.
ENDNOTE #1:
Regarding the Foundation for the American West:
It does not appear that the Swim family currently has a role in the
management of the Foundation for the American West. The foundation
does, however, appear to have an association with Riggs Capital
Management, LLC. The following from the Foundation for the American
West website helps us to understand better how money may be set up in
the foundation:
When you open a charitable giving account at FAW, you make an irrevocable contribution of cash, securities or other assets (appreciated assets are an especially advantageous way to give because you avoid paying capital gains tax) and receive a tax deduction for the full market value.
The foundation holds your contribution in a fund that you name and invests your contribution in your choice of four investment pools managed by Riggs Capital Management, LLC. Your contribution has the potential to grow tax-free, thereby increasing the amount available for future giving.
An account with FAW is much like having your own private foundation only you receive better tax treatment and you avoid the start-up costs, tax returns and minimum gifting requirements. In addition, you have the option of choosing to make a grant from your account anonymously."
(http://www.fawdonor.org/)
When we observe money going from either ALS or GFC to FAW, it would
be reasonable to assume there is a relationship between this money and
the money being sent to SI from FAW. Such an assumption may be
accurate, but without more information, it cannot be determined with
certainty. For example, an account could exist, if I understand how the
FAW works, with assets dedicated to funding SI separate from the money
going into FAW from ALS or GFC. The money could also be coming from
another source or sources to such an account. It could also be that
some of the money, but not all of it, may be dedicated to SI per donor
instructions or that such amounts may be variable according to donor
instructions. To determine the exact set-up is not possible given the
currently available public information. At
this point, we will have to be content with just stating that the money
is coming from FAW to SI and the precise source or sources of that
money is not currently available to the public.
Regarding Donors Trust, Inc. and Donors Capital Fund, Inc.:
Keeping the situation of FAW in mind, we can see something similar
operating with money going from GFC to Donors Trust, Inc. Money may go from GFC to DT and be distributed in one or more of the
following ways:
1. directly to SI with DT/DCF as intermediaries
2. provide general funds for DT and then DT/DCF provides funds to SI as part of its own decision-making
3. fund one or more "donar advised funds" within the DT/DCF and then DT/DCF funds SI from funds coming into it from other sources in addition to GFC
4. some other unknown possible set-up
5. a combination of the above
From the 2010 990 for DT (page 2 of the pdf):
"DAF PROGRAM - A DONOR ADVISED FUND (DAF) PROGRAM ALLOWING DAF CONTRIBUTORS TO ADVISE GRANTS THAT SUPPORT CHARITIES WHICH ALLEVIATE, THROUGH EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND PRIVATE INITIATIVES, SOCIETY'S MOST PERVASIVE AND RADICAL NEEDS, INCLUDING THOSE RELATING TO SOCIAL WELFARE, HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT, ECONOMICS, GOVERNANCE, FOREIGN RELATIONS AND ARTS AND CULTURE; AND WHICH ENCOURAGE PRIVATE PHILANTHROPY AND INDIVIDUAL GIVING AND RESPONSIBILITY AS AN ANSWER TO SOCIETY'S NEEDS, AS OPPOSED TO GOVERNMENTAL INVOLVEMENT."
The following is from the 2003 990 for DT and may make the idea of a donor advised fund a bit more clear (see page 16 of the pdf):
"ANY PERSON, CORPORATION OR FOUNDATION MAY ESTABLISH A DONOR ADVISED FUND TO ENGAGE IN ACTIVITIES CONSISTENT WITH DONORS TRUST'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES. DONORS CAN MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS CONCERNING GRANTS FROM DONOR-ADVISED ACCOUNTS ; HOWEVER, THE ORGANIZATION'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS IS LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING ALL GRANTS."
My understanding of how a donor advised fund works is that an organization would donate money to DT through a donor agreement or understanding that the money would then be distributed according to instructions from the donor to specific organizations. The final decision as to how to distribute the money, however, is up to Donors Trust.
Money is also coming out of DT/DCF to Sutherland that exceeds the money going to DT/DCF from GFC. The source or sources of this money is not publicly known, but the set-up within DT/DCF may fit one of the alternatives outlined in 1-5 above for the GFC money to DT/DCF.
1. directly to SI with DT/DCF as intermediaries
2. provide general funds for DT and then DT/DCF provides funds to SI as part of its own decision-making
3. fund one or more "donar advised funds" within the DT/DCF and then DT/DCF funds SI from funds coming into it from other sources in addition to GFC
4. some other unknown possible set-up
5. a combination of the above
From the 2010 990 for DT (page 2 of the pdf):
"DAF PROGRAM - A DONOR ADVISED FUND (DAF) PROGRAM ALLOWING DAF CONTRIBUTORS TO ADVISE GRANTS THAT SUPPORT CHARITIES WHICH ALLEVIATE, THROUGH EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND PRIVATE INITIATIVES, SOCIETY'S MOST PERVASIVE AND RADICAL NEEDS, INCLUDING THOSE RELATING TO SOCIAL WELFARE, HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT, ECONOMICS, GOVERNANCE, FOREIGN RELATIONS AND ARTS AND CULTURE; AND WHICH ENCOURAGE PRIVATE PHILANTHROPY AND INDIVIDUAL GIVING AND RESPONSIBILITY AS AN ANSWER TO SOCIETY'S NEEDS, AS OPPOSED TO GOVERNMENTAL INVOLVEMENT."
The following is from the 2003 990 for DT and may make the idea of a donor advised fund a bit more clear (see page 16 of the pdf):
"ANY PERSON, CORPORATION OR FOUNDATION MAY ESTABLISH A DONOR ADVISED FUND TO ENGAGE IN ACTIVITIES CONSISTENT WITH DONORS TRUST'S CHARITABLE PURPOSES. DONORS CAN MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS CONCERNING GRANTS FROM DONOR-ADVISED ACCOUNTS ; HOWEVER, THE ORGANIZATION'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS IS LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING ALL GRANTS."
My understanding of how a donor advised fund works is that an organization would donate money to DT through a donor agreement or understanding that the money would then be distributed according to instructions from the donor to specific organizations. The final decision as to how to distribute the money, however, is up to Donors Trust.
Money is also coming out of DT/DCF to Sutherland that exceeds the money going to DT/DCF from GFC. The source or sources of this money is not publicly known, but the set-up within DT/DCF may fit one of the alternatives outlined in 1-5 above for the GFC money to DT/DCF.
