Obama Library Funds Routed to Tides Foundation, Tax Filings Show
IRS filings indicate millions intended for the Obama Presidential Center were redirected to the Tides Foundation, a donor-advised fund linked to groups under congressional scrutiny.
Public IRS filings show that roughly $2 million earmarked for Barack Obama’s presidential library and related community initiatives were redirected to the Tides Foundation in 2022 and 2023, according to the foundation’s latest tax returns. The Obama Foundation has said the funds were intended to support local programs aimed at reducing violence in Chicago neighborhoods, but the filings indicate the money moved through Tides instead of directly funding the center project. The Obama Presidential Center is planned on the South Side of Chicago and is targeted for a spring 2026 opening.
The Tides Foundation operates as a fiscal sponsor for groups that have not registered with the Internal Revenue Service as charities. The foundation is funded by several major donors, including George Soros, and has raised questions on how funds pass through to political and advocacy organizations. The filings show that the foundation distributed grants to groups such as the Adalah Justice Project, Samidoun and the People’s Forum, which have been connected to anti-Israel protests and campus demonstrations in the wake of the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. The House Ways and Means Committee has scrutinized Tides for handling such donations.
In addition to the transfer to Tides, the Obama Foundation reported more than $3 million in 2022 and 2023 in grants to GoFundMe.org for undisclosed 'grassroots leaders to empower girls through education,' according to the filings. Separately, the foundation says it has spent more than $615 million on the Obama Presidential Center, which remains privately funded and is expected to open in spring 2026. The center’s plans call for a 20-acre complex featuring athletic facilities, gardens and other public amenities in Chicago’s Jackson Park.
The funding arrangement has drawn scrutiny from Republicans on Capitol Hill. The Ways and Means Committee has cited the Tides Center’s handling of donations for anti-Israel groups and its role in administering funds for causes tied to campus demonstrations after October 7. The broader financial picture includes compensation for key executives and board members; filings show Valerie Jarrett, a former senior adviser to President Obama and chief executive of the foundation, earned more than $750,000 in 2023, while Robbin Cohen, executive vice president of the center, earned about $650,000. Penny Pritzker, also a director, is listed without a salary in the period. Soros remains listed as an investor in the Tides network, underscoring the high-profile funding relationships surrounding the project.
Local residents have offered mixed reactions to the project’s pace and scope. One longtime Chicago attorney, Ken Woodward, said the center’s construction has been controversial, saying, "It’s a monstrosity … it’s taking way too long to finish and it’s going to drive up prices and bring headaches and problems for everyone who lives here. It feels like a washing away of the neighborhood and culture that used to be here." Comment requests to the Obama Foundation and related offices were not returned.
Asking questions about the flow of money, governance, and the center’s timeline continues to shape the narrative around the Obama Presidential Center and its funding sources. The foundation has said it remains focused on completing the project and extending its educational and community initiatives on the South Side, while lawmakers review the way donor funds are directed through third-party intermediaries.
