John William Pope Foundation

Last updated

John William Pope Foundation
FormationJune 18, 1986;38 years ago (1986-06-18)
Type 501(c)(3) organization
58-1691765
Location
Vice president
David Riggs
Chairman
Art Pope
Revenue (2015)
$15,941,873 [1]
Expenses (2015)$11,273,387 [1]
Website jwpf.org OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The John William Pope Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) private charitable foundation based in Raleigh, North Carolina, that contributes to conservative public policy organizations and think tanks, educational institutions, humanitarian charities, and the arts. Art Pope, a businessman and philanthropist, is the current president and chairman of the board of directors. [2]

Contents

The Pope Foundation "has invested millions in a network of foundations and think tanks, and advocacy groups, both in North Carolina and nationally, that are designed to further conservative and free market ideas", [3] including the John Locke Foundation, James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, Americans for Prosperity, and North Carolina Institute for Constitutional Law. [4]

History

John William Pope, founder of the retail discount chain Variety Wholesalers, created the Pope Foundation in 1986.

The Pope Foundation celebrated its 25th anniversary in December 2011 by hosting a fundraiser for StepUp Ministry, a nonprofit that assists low-income individuals in getting a job and achieving a stable lifestyle. [5] The ministry gained $300,000 from the Pope Foundation dinner.

Philanthropy

In the 2011–2012 fiscal year, the John William Pope Foundation made over $9.3 million in grants, of which 60% went to support North Carolina public policy organizations, 28% went to support educational causes, 7% went to support national public policy organizations, 4% went to support humanitarian organizations, and 1% went to support the arts. [6]

The Pope Foundation also underwrites scholarships for Eagle Scouts to attend college. Since the first class of scholars in 2001, the Pope Foundation has invested over $1 million in Scouts who plan to pursue careers in the free-enterprise system. [7]

The Pope Foundation also has invested heavily in capital construction projects for area universities, including $3 million to UNC-Chapel Hill for the renovation of Kenan Memorial Stadium; [8] $4.5 million for a convocation center at Campbell University; [9] and $1.2 million to finish renovations on Campbell University's law school – Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law. [10]

In December 2012, the Pope Foundation announced $810,500 in grants to community charities, schools, churches, and the arts. [11] To counter the effects of the federal government shutdown in October 2013, the Pope Foundation gave $185,000 in grants to "13 food bank-type groups" in central, eastern, and western North Carolina., [12] including three charities in Vance County. [13] The Pope Foundation gave a total of over $1 million to humanitarian and arts nonprofits in 2013. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill</span> Public university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolling students in 1795, making it one of the oldest public universities in the United States.

The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death of the two founders, the foundation owned 90% of the non-voting shares of the Ford Motor Company. Between 1955 and 1974, the foundation sold its Ford Motor Company holdings and now plays no role in the automobile company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of North Carolina at Charlotte</span> Public university in Charlotte, North Carolina, US

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs through nine colleges. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conrad N. Hilton Foundation</span> American non-profit charitable foundation

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is an American non-profit charitable foundation, established in 1944 by hotel entrepreneur Conrad Hilton. It remained relatively small until his death on January 3, 1979, when it was named the principal beneficiary of his estate. In 2007, Conrad's son, Barron Hilton announced that he would leave about 97% of his fortune to a charitable remainder unitrust which names the foundation as the remainder beneficiary.

Children International is a global nonprofit humanitarian organization that helps children break the cycle of poverty. It addresses children’s critical needs through early intervention and regular interaction in community centers. The goal is to help children overcome the effects of poverty, support their education, and prepare youth to contribute to society.

The Foundation for New Era Philanthropy was a Ponzi scheme that operated from 1989 until its collapse in 1995 after having raised over $500 million from 1100 donors and embezzling $135 million of this. Most of the money was stolen from Christian religious organizations and charities in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. The scheme was publicly discovered by Albert Meyer, an accounting teacher at Spring Arbor College and the auditing firm Coopers & Lybrand working with its client, a local religious college in Los Angeles who suffered no loss in its participation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh McColl</span> American banker, former CEO of Bank of America

Hugh L. McColl Jr. is a former business executive who was the CEO of NationsBank and the former chairman and the first CEO of Bank of America. Active in banking since around 1960, McColl was a driving force behind consolidating a series of progressively larger, mostly Southern banks, thrifts and financial institutions into a super-regional banking force, "the first ocean-to-ocean bank in the nation's history".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Locke Foundation</span> American conservative think tank

The John Locke Foundation (JLF) is a free market think tank based in North Carolina. The organization was founded in 1990 to work "for truth, for freedom, and for the future of North Carolina." It is named after the philosopher John Locke, who was a primary contributor to classical liberalism. JLF was co-founded by Art Pope, a North Carolina businessman active in politics. Pope's family foundation provides most of the support for the center.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, also known as the Knight Foundation, is an American non-profit foundation that provides grants for journalism, communities, and the arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Kresge Foundation</span> American philanthropic private foundation

The Kresge Foundation is a philanthropic private foundation headquartered in Troy, Michigan, United States. The foundation works to expand opportunities in America's cities through grantmaking and investing in arts and culture, education, environment, health, human services and community development efforts. The Kresge Foundation is one of wealthiest charitable organizations in the world, with an endowment of $4.3 billion as of June 2021.

Google.org, founded in October 2005, is the charitable arm of Google, a multinational technology company. The organization has committed roughly US$100 million in investments and grants to nonprofits annually.

Candid is an information service specializing in reporting on U.S. nonprofit companies. In 2016, its database provided information on 2.5 million organizations. It is the product of the February 2019 merger of GuideStar with Foundation Center.

The Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore (CFES) was established in 1984, and is located in Salisbury, Maryland. Its mission is to "To strengthen our community by connecting people who care with causes that matter to improve quality of life in our region" and its vision is for "...a community where all can live, learn, work, create and prosper". It serves the three lower counties of the Eastern Shore of Maryland: Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Policy Network</span> US civil policy advocacy organization

The State Policy Network (SPN) is a nonprofit organization that serves as a network for conservative and libertarian think tanks focusing on state-level policy in the United States. The network serves as a public policy clearinghouse and advises its member think tanks on fundraising, running a nonprofit, and communicating ideas. Founded in 1992, it is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with member groups located in all fifty states.

The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, formerly known as the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy and simply the Pope Center, is an American conservative nonprofit institute located in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Donors Trust is an American nonprofit donor-advised fund. It was founded in 1999 with the goal of "safeguarding the intent of libertarian and conservative donors". As a donor advised fund, Donors Trust is not legally required to disclose the identity of its donors, and most of its donors remain anonymous. It distributes funds to various conservative and libertarian organizations, and has been characterized as the "dark money ATM" of the political right.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art Pope</span> American politician from North Carolina

James Arthur Pope is an American businessman, attorney and former government official. Pope is the owner, chairman and CEO of Variety Wholesalers, a group of 370 retail stores in 16 states. He is also the president and chairman of the John William Pope Foundation. He previously served in the North Carolina House of Representatives and recently served as the Budget Director for North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Center for Documentary Studies</span> Nonprofit support corporation of Duke University

The Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit support corporation of Duke University dedicated to the documentary arts. Having been created in 1989 through an endowment from the Lyndhurst Foundation, The organization’s founders were Robert Coles, William Chafe, Alex Harris, and Iris Tillman Hill. In 1994, CDS moved into a renovated nineteenth-century home, named it the Lyndhurst House. That structure and a large addition house the main activities of CDS on the edge of Duke University’s campus in Durham, North Carolina. The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, a CDS program, has its offices on the American Tobacco Campus in the American Tobacco Historic District in downtown Durham.

The Foundation for the Carolinas is a donor-advised charity with a non-exclusive focus on North Carolina and South Carolina.

References

  1. 1 2 "John William Pope Foundation" (PDF). Foundation Center. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  2. Miller, John J. (December 21, 2009). "The Fisherman's Friend". National Review . Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  3. Art Pope subject of New Yorker profile | newsobserver.com projects The News & Observer , Archived October 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  4. "About – The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal". The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal . Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  5. "Pope group steps up for StepUP". Triangle Business Journal . November 18, 2011.
  6. John William Pope Foundation Grants
  7. "Pope Foundation Announces 2013 Class of Eagle Scout Scholars". John William Pope Foundation. February 19, 2013.
  8. Ferreri, Eric (April 6, 2011). "UNC-CH receives $3 million for athlete study center". The News & Observer .[ permanent dead link ]
  9. "John William Pope Foundation completes $4.5 million grant to Convocation Center". Campbell University. January 15, 2009.
  10. "John W. Pope Foundation Gifts Campbell Law $1.2 Million for Raleigh Building". Campbell University. November 15, 2009.
  11. "Foundation announces $800k in December donations". The News & Observer . December 13, 2012. Archived from the original on December 16, 2012.
  12. "Pope Foundation gives money to ease government shutdown" . Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  13. Mansur, Sarah (23 October 2013). "Pope Foundation steps up, helps three in Vance County". The Daily Dispatch . Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  14. "Art Pope is no Grinch" . Retrieved November 14, 2013.