The foundation concentrates on defending democratic governance, civil liberties, and dissenting public discourse, often supporting organizations that challenge corporate power and protect constitutional rights. Its grantmaking favors legal advocacy groups and independent media that promote free speech, government accountability, and international peace.
A single $1.5 million grant to Free Speech for People stands out in the foundation’s recent record and frames its approach: large support for organizations that defend democracy, resist corporate power, and challenge government practices through legal and civic advocacy. Defense Against Thought Control Foundation Inc C/o Lee Goldstein also backs groups working on constitutional rights, prisoner rights, and independent media, indicating a grantmaking pattern centered on civil liberties and public debate. The foundation’s recent awards show repeated support for organizations rather than isolated one-off gifts. National Lawyers Guild received grants in multiple years for constitutional rights work, while Western States Legal Foundation was funded in consecutive years for international cooperation for peace. The Intercept First Look Media Works also appears across three years for media education, suggesting sustained backing for journalism-oriented public education. Other recipients include Center for Constitutional Rights, Human Rights Defense Center, and Free Speech Tv, all aligned with legal defense, prisoner rights, or press freedom. The overall picture is of a funder using grants to support advocacy institutions that litigate, publish, educate, and organize around rights, democracy, and dissent.
Civil liberties and constitutional rights are a core theme. The foundation gave $75,000 to National Lawyers Guild in 2025 and another $50,000 to Center for Constitutional Rights in 2024, both for constitutional-rights work. Press and media education is another recurring area. It supported Counter Punch with $100,000 in 2025 to educate the general public about journalism and current events, and gave $40,000 to The Intercept First Look Media Works in 2025 for media education. The portfolio also includes social and environmental justice. In 2025, Human Rights Defense Center received $50,000 for prisoner rights, while Greenpeace got $25,000 for protection from toxic pollution. Anti-discrimination and racial justice appear in grants to North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP and Massachusetts Poor People's Campaign for education on non-discrimination, systematic racism, and poverty.
$2.2M
$718K
$295K
$2.2M
Most grants fall between $2K and $20K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$2K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$20K
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Concentrated and strategic: a very large single grant dominates the portfolio while several multi‑year/repeat grants support smaller, mission‑aligned legal and peace organizations. Funding is targeted to advocacy, litigation, and independent media rather than broad service delivery.
Notable grantees: Free Speech For People, National Lawyers Guild, Western States Legal Foundation, CounterPunch
Typical grants cluster around a modest core with a few large outliers: the p25 is $2,000, the median is $10,000, and the p75 is $20,000. That suggests a small-to-mid-size grant pattern, with occasional larger commitments. The recent record also shows repeat support across multiple years, including several organizations funded in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The foundation is structured as a private grantmaker rather than an operating funder that makes program-related investments, and it does not fund individuals. No application process is described in the data.
Grantmaking is national, and every recent grant listed goes to a U.S. recipient. Massachusetts is the top state by grant count, accounting for 33% of grants, but awards also land in New York City, Washington, DC, Oakland, CA, and Raleigh, NC. Recipient locations in the recent list also include Austin, Boston, Brooklyn, Denver, Lake Worth, Lexington, and Petrolia, showing a spread across major advocacy and media hubs rather than a single-region focus.
Its recent grants center on democratic governance, civil liberties, constitutional rights, prisoner rights, independent media, environmental issues, and anti-discrimination work. Named recipients include Free Speech for People, National Lawyers Guild, The Intercept First Look Media Works, Human Rights Defense Center, and Greenpeace.
The grant-size distribution is $2,000 at the 25th percentile, $10,000 at the median, and $20,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards also include larger commitments, such as $1.5 million to Free Speech for People and $100,000 to Counter Punch.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Western States Legal Foundation, National Lawyers Guild, Human Rights Defense Center, The Intercept First Look Media Works, North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, 350 Org, Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting, and the Poor People's Campaign.
Giving is national, with all recent grants going to U.S. recipients. Massachusetts is the top state by grant count at 33% of grants, and recent recipient cities include Boston, New York, Washington, DC, Oakland, Raleigh, Austin, Brooklyn, Denver, Lake Worth, and Lexington.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FREE SPEECH FOR PEOPLE | AUSTIN, TX | $1,500,000 | 2025 | DEFEND DEMOCRACY, RESIST CORPORATE POWER AND WORK TO ENSURE THAT GOVERNMENT WORKS FOR PEOPLE |
| COUNTER PUNCH | PETROLIA, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | EDUCATE THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT JOURNALISM AND CURRENT EVENTS |
| WESTERN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION | OAKLAND, CA | $75,000 | 2025 | INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR PEACE |
| NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD | BOSTON, MA | $75,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT FOR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS |
| HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENSE CENTER | LAKE WORTH, FL | $50,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT FOR PRISONER RIGHTS |
| UNION THEOLOGICAL | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE |
| SURVIVORS INC | BOSTON, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION FOR ECONOMIC JUSTICE, WELFARE RIGHTS AND HUMAN RIGHT |
| THE INTERCEPT FIRST LOOK MEDIA WORKS | WASHINGTON, DC | $40,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION ON MEDIA |
| NORTH CAROLINA STATE CONFERENCE OF THE NAACP | RALEIGH, NC | $30,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION FOR NON DISCRIMINATION |
| GREENPEACE | WASHINGTON, DC | $25,000 | 2025 | PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT FROM TOXIC POLLUTION. |
| FAIRNESS & ACCURACY IN REPORTING | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2025 | ADVOCATES FOR GREATER DIVERSITY OF PERSPECTIVES IN NEWS REPORTING |
| NATIVE AMERICAN RIGHTS FUND | BOULDER, CO | $20,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION FOR NON DISCRIMINATION |
| FREE SPEECH TV | DENVER, CO | $20,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION FOR FREEDOM OF PRESS |
| ORGANIZATION FOR BLACK STRUGGLE | ST LOUIS, MO | $10,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION FOR NON DISCRIMINATION |
| MASSPIRG | BOSTON, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY |
| MASS HOUSING & SHELTER ALLIANCE | BOSTON, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES IN NEED |
| PUBLIC CITIZENS | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2025 | DEFEND DEMOCRACY, RESIST CORPORATE POWER AND WORK TO ENSURE THAT GOVERNMENT WORKS FOR PEOPLE |
| PARTNERS IN HEALTH | BOSTON, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT FOR HEALTH DISASTER |
| ROSIES PLACE | BOSTON, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT FOR HOMELESS |
| CATCHING THE DREAM | ALBUQUERQUE, NM | $10,000 | 2025 | GRANTS TO NATIVE COLLEGE STUDENTS AND WORKS TO IMPROVE INDIAN SCHOOLS. |
| AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND | DENVER, CO | $10,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT FOR NATIVE AMERICANS |
| AMERICAN INDIAN EDUCATIONAL FUND | RAPID CITY, SD | $10,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT FOR NATIVE AMERICAN EDUCATION |
| NAACP LEGAL DEFENCE FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION FOR EQUAL JUSTICE |
| FREEDOM OF THE PRESS FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION FOR FREEDOM OF PRESS |
| DAVIS PUTTER SCHOLARSHIP FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION ON DISCRIMINATION |
| FOOD FOR FREE | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | FOOD FOR SENIORS AND DISABLED |
| UNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $5,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS OF COLOR |
| DEMOCRACY NOW | NEW YORK, NY | $3,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION ON DEMOCRACY |
| NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE ASSOCIATION | FRONT ROYAL, VA | $2,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION FOR NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY |
| WGBH | BOSTON, MA | $2,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION ON MEDIA |
| ORIGNAL MUSIC WORKSHOP | NEW YORK, NY | $2,000 | 2025 | PROVIDE EDUCATION IN ARTS |
| CITY LIFEVIDA URBANA | JAMAICA PLAIN, MA | $2,000 | 2025 | PROVIDES FREE GUIDANCE FOR PEOPLE FACING FORECLOSURE OR EVICTION |
| HAYMARKET PEOPLE'S FUND | BOSTON, MA | $2,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT FOR GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY |
| MASS CREATIVE | BOSTON, MA | $2,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION ON PUBLIC ART |
| MAINE PBS | LEWISTON, ME | $2,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION ON MEDIA |
| NATIVE HARVEST | CALLAWAY, MN | $2,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION FOR NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE |
| AGITARTE INC | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $2,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION FOR CULTURAL SOLIDARITY |
| NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC TELEVISION | DURHAM, NH | $2,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION ON MEDIA |
| ROSENBURG FUND FOR CHILDREN | EAST HAMPTON, MA | $2,000 | 2025 | AID TO CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS ARE TARGETED, PROGRESSIVE ACTIVISTS |
| A FAR CRY | JAMAICA PLAIN, MA | $1,000 | 2025 | IGNITE A LOVE FOR GREAT MUSIC |
| K9 LIFELINE RESCUE | MERRIFIELD, VA | $1,000 | 2025 | HELP PETS FIND THEIR FOREVER HOMES |
| NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD | BOSTON, MA | $75,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT FOR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS |
| WESTERN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION | OAKLAND, CA | $75,000 | 2024 | INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR PEACE |
| CENTER FOR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION ON CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS |
| HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENSE CENTER | LAKE WORTH, FL | $50,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT FOR PRISONER RIGHTS |
| MASSACHUSETTS POOR PEOPLE'S CAMPAIGN | LEXINGTON, MA | $50,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION ON EVILS OF SYSTEMATIC RACISM AND POVERTY |
| THE POOR PEOPLE'S CAMPAIGN | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION ON MORAL PRINCIPLES, RELIGOUS AND CONSTITUTIONAL VALUES |
| THE INTERCEPT FIRST LOOK MEDIA WORKS | WASHINGTON, DC | $40,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION ON MEDIA |
| NORTH CAROLINA STATE CONFERENCE OF THE NAACP | RALEIGH, NC | $30,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION FOR NON DISCRIMINATION |
| 350 ORG | BROOKLYN, NY | $30,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES |
DEFEND DEMOCRACY, RESIST CORPORATE POWER AND WORK TO ENSURE THAT GOVERNMENT WORKS FOR PEOPLE
COUNTER PUNCH
$100,000EDUCATE THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT JOURNALISM AND CURRENT EVENTS
WESTERN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION
$75,000INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR PEACE
NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD
$75,000SUPPORT FOR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENSE CENTER
$50,000SUPPORT FOR PRISONER RIGHTS
UNION THEOLOGICAL
$50,000EDUCATION FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
SURVIVORS INC
$50,000EDUCATION FOR ECONOMIC JUSTICE, WELFARE RIGHTS AND HUMAN RIGHT
THE INTERCEPT FIRST LOOK MEDIA WORKS
$40,000EDUCATION ON MEDIA
NORTH CAROLINA STATE CONFERENCE OF THE NAACP
$30,000EDUCATION FOR NON DISCRIMINATION
FAIRNESS & ACCURACY IN REPORTING
$20,000ADVOCATES FOR GREATER DIVERSITY OF PERSPECTIVES IN NEWS REPORTING
FREE SPEECH TV
$20,000EDUCATION FOR FREEDOM OF PRESS
ORGANIZATION FOR BLACK STRUGGLE
$10,000EDUCATION FOR NON DISCRIMINATION
MASSPIRG
$10,000EDUCATION FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY
PUBLIC CITIZENS
$10,000DEFEND DEMOCRACY, RESIST CORPORATE POWER AND WORK TO ENSURE THAT GOVERNMENT WORKS FOR PEOPLE
PARTNERS IN HEALTH
$10,000SUPPORT FOR HEALTH DISASTER
GRANTS TO NATIVE COLLEGE STUDENTS AND WORKS TO IMPROVE INDIAN SCHOOLS.
AMERICAN INDIAN EDUCATIONAL FUND
$10,000SUPPORT FOR NATIVE AMERICAN EDUCATION
NAACP LEGAL DEFENCE FUND
$10,000EDUCATION FOR EQUAL JUSTICE
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS FOUNDATION
$10,000EDUCATION FOR FREEDOM OF PRESS
DAVIS PUTTER SCHOLARSHIP FUND
$5,000EDUCATION ON DISCRIMINATION
FOOD FOR FREE
$5,000FOOD FOR SENIORS AND DISABLED
DEMOCRACY NOW
$3,000EDUCATION ON DEMOCRACY
NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE ASSOCIATION
$2,000EDUCATION FOR NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY
WGBH
$2,000EDUCATION ON MEDIA
ORIGNAL MUSIC WORKSHOP
$2,000PROVIDE EDUCATION IN ARTS
PROVIDES FREE GUIDANCE FOR PEOPLE FACING FORECLOSURE OR EVICTION
HAYMARKET PEOPLE'S FUND
$2,000SUPPORT FOR GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY
MASS CREATIVE
$2,000EDUCATION ON PUBLIC ART
MAINE PBS
$2,000EDUCATION ON MEDIA
NATIVE HARVEST
$2,000EDUCATION FOR NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE
AGITARTE INC
$2,000EDUCATION FOR CULTURAL SOLIDARITY
NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC TELEVISION
$2,000EDUCATION ON MEDIA
ROSENBURG FUND FOR CHILDREN
$2,000AID TO CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS ARE TARGETED, PROGRESSIVE ACTIVISTS
A FAR CRY
$1,000IGNITE A LOVE FOR GREAT MUSIC
K9 LIFELINE RESCUE
$1,000HELP PETS FIND THEIR FOREVER HOMES
NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD
$75,000SUPPORT FOR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS
WESTERN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION
$75,000INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR PEACE
MASSACHUSETTS POOR PEOPLE'S CAMPAIGN
$50,000EDUCATION ON EVILS OF SYSTEMATIC RACISM AND POVERTY
THE POOR PEOPLE'S CAMPAIGN
$50,000EDUCATION ON MORAL PRINCIPLES, RELIGOUS AND CONSTITUTIONAL VALUES
THE INTERCEPT FIRST LOOK MEDIA WORKS
$40,000EDUCATION ON MEDIA
NORTH CAROLINA STATE CONFERENCE OF THE NAACP
$30,000EDUCATION FOR NON DISCRIMINATION