Christopher Hohn, a wealthy British hedge fund manager, is stepping back from funding left-leaning groups following an eye-opening report from Americans for Public Trust (APT).
According to APT, the organizations receiving money from Hohn’s Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) have been involved in efforts leading up to significant changes in the U.S. political arena.
CIFF boasts an impressive $6 billion endowment and is primarily financed by Hohn’s $60 billion activist hedge fund, as stated in the APT report.
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When approached for comments, CIFF simply referred to their recent announcement regarding a shift in funding strategy.
On Wednesday, CIFF made it clear they will now concentrate their financial efforts on non-U.S. NGOs.
“We’re no longer clear about the policies affecting foreign donations to U.S. NGOs, particularly for international work, which is our focus,” stated CIFF. “As a precaution, our Board has decided to redirect funding and alter contracts to align with non-U.S. NGOs until more clarity comes from relevant authorities on the laws involved.”
However, the organization assured that this funding shift won’t impact multilateral institutions based in the U.S.
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A report released by APT last month highlighted that from 2014 to 2023, CIFF allocated over $553 million to U.S.-based groups. This funding supported various initiatives like green energy efforts, climate litigation, and protests related to the fossil fuel industry.
Within its findings, APT also mentioned that funds were directed to the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), an organization tied to promoting a ban on gas stoves, raising concerns about potential violations of laws against foreign influence in local elections.
APT remarked, “With minimal oversight on foreign donations to U.S. organizations, Hohn’s actions through CIFF come off as quite questionable. More thorough investigations are vital to determine if any foreign giving regulations might have been broken by Hohn and CIFF. Reform is essential to limit foreign input in U.S. policy debates.”
Beyond just environmental causes, CIFF also backed groups that advocated diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, including a $1.1 million donation to the New Venture Fund (NVF) since 2016, as highlighted by APT.
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To compose this report, APT utilized various sources including CIFF’s annual records, tax filings of recipient organizations, media coverage, online resources, and legally obtained documents.
The report not only exposes CIFF’s financial援頭 to advocacy groups but also uncovers its possible links to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). As of 2017, CIFF has been registered as an NGO in China, where it’s noted that different Chinese government departments keep tabs on its activities.
The report details that the British nonprofit has funneled millions into several organizations that directly answer to the Chinese government, such as the National Renewable Energy Center and Tsinghua University, known for both energy and military research. Also, CIFF is part of the donor steering committee for the Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT), which promotes climate policies in China, and CIFF supported an ICAT report developed in collaboration with numerous CCP officials.
APT also mentioned that CIFF’s CEO, Kate Hampton, seems to maintain close relations with a variety of “green” initiatives affiliated with the CCP.
The APT findings also indicate connections between CIFF and several other organizations like the Energy Foundation China, the World Resources Institute, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, among others.
Fox Business has reached out to these organizations for their perspectives quite a number of times.
