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Christopher Hone, a British billionaire and hedge fund managerAmericans for Public Trust (APT) are cutting funding to left-wing groups and causes following a report.
APT said in its report that the groups that received funding from the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), which lists Hohn as its founder and chairman of the board, “aspired to nothing less than the complete radicalization of the American political landscape.”
According to APT, CIFF, which reportedly has a $6 billion endowment, is “heavily funded by Hoenn’s activist hedge fund of approximately $60 billion.”
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A British billionaire has stopped funding left-wing causes following a report by Americans for Public Trust. (Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo/File Photo/Reuters/Reuters)
In response to Fox Business’ request for comment, CIFF referred to its statement regarding the change in funding.
CIFF announced on Wednesday that it would redirect funding to non-US NGOs.
“Unfortunately, we are no longer confident in our understanding of the US policy environment for foreign funders of US NGOs, including the international work on which we focus,” CIFF wrote. “Consequently, CIFF’s Board has decided that, as a precautionary measure, and until applicable laws and regulations and their implementation are clarified by the relevant authorities, CIFF should redirect its funding to non-US NGOs and restructure its contracts.”
The organization said in its update that multilateral institutions headquartered in the US will not be affected by its funding changes.
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APT released a report late last month showing that CIFF committed more than $553 million to U.S. organizations from 2014 to 2023. According to the report, this funding went to groups supporting causes such as green energy and was used for climate litigation as well as protests against the fossil fuel industry.
APT also said the money was given to a China-linked group known as the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), which is working to ban gas stoves. APT claims this violates federal law prohibiting foreign nationals from directly or indirectly influencing US elections,
“Since there is little oversight and few restrictions on foreign giving to US-based organizations, Hohn’s activities through CIFF are highly questionable and suspicious. More investigation is needed at both the state and federal levels to determine the extent to which foreign donation laws and regulations have been violated by Hohn and CIFF,” APT said in its report. It also called for reforms to prevent “undue foreign influence in US policy fights”.
In addition to environmental causes, CIFF funded organizations emphasizing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, such as the New Venture Fund (NVF). APT reported that NVF has received $1.1 million from CIFF since 2016.
Climate change protesters, also known as Extinction Rebellion activists, gather outside the governor’s office to protest Gov. Kathy Hochul on January 25, 2022 in New York City. (Typhoon Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images/Getty Images)
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APT said it prepared its report using CIFF’s annual reports, tax returns of organizations that receive funding from CIFF, media articles, “additional electronic sources” and legal records.
In addition to exposing CIFF’s funding of advocacy groups, APT also exposed the charity’s alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). As of 2017, CIFF is a registered NGO in China, according to APT, which noted that various Chinese government ministries oversee CIFF’s work in the country.
The American for Public Trust (APT) report revealed that the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) had ties to the Chinese Communist Party. (Milos Bikański/Getty Images/iStock/Getty Images)
“The British non-profit has given millions directly to various organizations under the auspices of the Chinese government, including the National Center for Renewable Energy, the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center (FECO), and Tsinghua University, which conducts energy and military research. CIFF is also a member of the donor steering committee for the Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT), which works in China to promote climate actionICAT’s final report on a workshop in China was supported by CIFF, with several CCP officials contributing to its production,” the APT report reads.
APT also reports that CIFF CEO Kate Hampton “maintains a cordial relationship” with “green” CCP entities.
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The APT report includes Energy Foundation China, World Resources Institute, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Natural Resources Defense Council, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, The Sunrise Project, Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, Environmental Defense Fund, Windward Fund, Ceres, RMI, NVF and ClimateWorks Foundation are listed.
Fox Business contacted each group for comment.
