this post was submitted on 08 Dec 2023
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Private foundation is an institution with a very special status. They are tax exempt private organizations yet they are still allowed to invest into for profit companies. Foundations can hold corporate stocks and bonds and generate revenue this way.

There is only one major condition they have to fulfill to keep their tax exempt status - and that is to donate 5% of foundation's total assets on annual basis. So when you hear a billionaire donating their wealth to charity and it's going through a foundation, up to 95% of it can go into profitable investments. In practice, all foundations' assets in the US amount to more than $1 trillion. Yet, they donated only $90.88 billion in 2021.

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[–] MoonManKipper 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

So not having read the article if the foundations total value is $1000 billion and they donated $90 billion that’s 9% so more than 5%. And over twenty years they’ll donate rather more than if they just had a fire sale and gave all the money once to charity? Sounds ok to me.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

I think you might change your mind if you take a look at this video. It does a pretty good job explaining where this money is given and how it is actually used.