Pierre and Pam Omidyar believe that transparency drives accountability—and that both concepts are essential pillars in a healthy society. In 2019, the Omidyars committed to disclosing the donations they made to 501(c)(4) entities, even though disclosure is not required by current law.

The Omidyars’ 2020 personal contributions reflect their longstanding interest in strengthening democratic systems, while addressing the unprecedented challenges that arose during the past year. As the U.S. prepared for an historic and contentious presidential election, national and global crises emerged that tested our fortitude and shook our foundations—from the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating toll, to the steadily increasing surge in violence and injustice, particularly targeted at the Black and AAPI communities. There were also less visible, but no less important threats including those against Transgender women of color.

The widespread protests for racial justice further intensified the need for responsive and inclusive institutions that are accessible—and accountable—to the people they are designed to serve. At the same time, withering and unfounded attacks on our election systems and other institutions called on civil society to help defend our democratic processes.

The Omidyars made the personal choice to support efforts towards a more diverse, representative political process as well as safe, secure, and credible elections. For example, the now-closed Civic Action Fund focused on building a stronger, more representative democracy in 2020 by supporting local voter outreach and engagement of young people and people of color.

Please see the list immediately below for The Omidyars’ 2020 501(c)(4) contributions:

Organization	Focus	EIN	2020 Contributions
Civic Action Fund	Strengthening our democracy through expanded voter outreach, engagement, and participation.	26-4486735	$45,000,000
Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest	Developing solutions that promote transparency and responsiveness in government.	46-3490671	$350,764
Democracy Fund Voice	Advocating for a stronger democracy that is responsive to the public and able to meet our nation’s greatest challenges.	46-5051755	$14,658,119
Humanity United Action	Advocating for legislative policies that help transform human exploitation and violent conflict to enduring freedom and peace.	26-2583379	$1,110,826
Republican Voters Against Trump	Amplifying the voices of those who were concerned by the statements and actions of President Donald Trump, including Republicans, former Republicans, conservatives, and those who had previously voted for Trump.	82-3877328	$1,000,000
2020 Total			$62,119,709

 

I arrived in the United States from France with my parents when I was six years old. Like so many others around the world, my family saw the opportunity and promise of America as unmatched. I believe much of that opportunity is rooted in our uniquely democratic and participatory government.

In the eighth grade, I took the oath of citizenship. Becoming American—instead of being born American—has inspired in me a deeply personal responsibility to defend and uphold that pledge by supporting democratic ideals and institutions that are the underpinning of our system. From supporting the integrity of our elections to the fundamental role of a free press in our society, our philanthropic giving in these areas has increased and evolved to meet the mounting threats to our democracy.

And while I believe our system is the best in the world, it has some dubious features, including the ability to make untraceable contributions aimed at influencing our democracy in ways that potentially undermine our democratic institutions and ideals. As philanthropists, Pam and I support a number of efforts—both within and outside of The Omidyar Group. A portion of these donations are made to 501(c)(4) organizations, which are not legally required to submit donor names to the IRS. In fact, there are currently no standard disclosure procedures for such donations, even though they may potentially have an outsized impact on debate and dialogue of important issues of public concern in our country.

We believe transparency and accountability are critical to securing and sustaining a healthy society and a strong democracy. These are among the core values of the organizations we create and support through our philanthropic giving. Fundamentally, we believe that Americans have the right to know who’s influencing them and their elections—and under current laws and across various platforms, that can be very difficult to discern. In that spirit, we have decided to disclose our annual personal giving to organizations that might influence, impact, or directly intersect with fundamental matters of democracy, elections, voting rights, or public policy in the United States.

As there is no model for disclosing this class of donations, we are starting here by listing the contributions we made in 2019 to 501(c)(4) organizations in the United States. It is not our intent to personally advocate for others to do the same. It is our intent to do what feels right to us. Many Omidyar Group organizations also support groups that advocate for openness and transparency in giving, including the Center for Public Integrity, the Center for Responsive Politics, Issue One, Open the Government, and the Project on Government Oversight.

Please see the list immediately below for our 2019 501(c)(4) contributions:

Organization	Focus	EIN	2019 Contributions
Civic Action Fund	Strengthening democracy through greater representation, voter engagement, and civil empowerment.	26-4486735	$7,000,000
Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest	Developing solutions that promote transparency and responsiveness in government.	46-3490671	$272,500
Democracy Fund Voice	Advocating for a stronger democracy that is responsive to the public and able to meet our nation’s greatest challenges.	46-5051755	$9,379,609
Humanity United Action	Advocating for legislative policies that help transform human exploitation and violent conflict to enduring freedom and peace.	26-2583379	$855,000
2019 Total			$17,507,109

In addition to our direct giving above, some Omidyar Group organizations we support also give to 501(c)4s, including Omidyar Network (ON). More information about ON’s 2019 contributions can be found here.

Our support for a strong democracy is aimed at protecting democratic institutions, systems, and values and not at supporting specific candidates or political parties (we have not contributed to an individual candidate or political party since 2011 and will not be giving to any candidates in the upcoming elections). In the years to come, we look forward to sharing details of our 501(c)4 giving on an annual basis.