Center For Public Integrity’s Dave Levinthal: “When The Kochs Spend Money On Universities, Or Even High Schools, They Do It To Advance The Long-Term Objectives Of The Koch Political Network.” According to KCUR, “But, Dave Levinthal, at the Center for Public Integrity isn’t so sure. He’s studied Koch funding for years and says that when the Kochs spend money on universities, or even high schools, they do it to advance the long-term objectives of the Koch political network. ‘At every level that they can operate in, for all intents and purposes they are making investments that will build that next generation of Libertarian economic thinkers, and actors, business people and politicians,’ says Levinthal.” [KCUR.org, 12/17/14]
Koch Giving To Universities Rose From Seven Schools In 2004 To 254 Universities In 2014. According to Forbes, “Brothers Charles and David, who are each worth $42.7 billion and are tied at No. 4 on the Forbes 400 list of America’s Richest, have poured nearly $50 million into 254 universities nationwide since 2005, according to an interactive database recently published by Greenpeace. A decade ago, the same database reports, the Kochs gave to only seven schools.” [Forbes, 11/4/14]
Charles Koch Foundation Program Officer: “When We Support A School’s Initiative, It Is To Expand Opportunity And Increase The Diversity Of Ideas Available On Campus.” According to Inside Higher Ed, “Groups affiliated with the Koch brothers foundations have repeatedly denied that financial support of colleges infringes on academic freedom and did so when asked for a comment on Monday’s campaign. ‘Academic freedom and the free exchange of ideas are cornerstones of our philanthropy,’ said John Hardin, a program officer with the Charles Koch Foundation, in an email. ‘When we support a school’s initiative, it is to expand opportunity and increase the diversity of ideas available on campus.’” [Inside Higher Ed, 11/4/14]
“Most” Koch Gifts To Schools Have Gone Towards “Hiring Professors, Building Economic Research Centers That Promote Capitalism, Or Supporting Research About Libertarian Politics.” According to Forbes, “Most of those gifts go towards hiring professors, building economic research centers that promote capitalism or supporting research about libertarian politics.” [Forbes, 11/4/14]
The Charles Koch Foundation Published Its Set Of “Academic Giving Principles.” According to the Washington Post’s Answer Sheet Blog, “After decades of donating millions of dollars to colleges and universities in an effort to promote its own conservative world view, the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation has just published its set of ‘academic giving principles.’ Let’s look at the reality of the foundation’s giving before the fantasy principles.” [Answer Sheet Blog – Washington Post, 11/7/14]
The Charles Koch Foundation’s Grant Agreements With Utah State University, West Virginia University And Clemson University Included Provisions That The Foundation Be “Involved In Reviewing Candidates For Jobs.” According to the Washington Post’s Answer Sheet Blog, “It was not a singular event. Inside Higher Ed reported in 2011 that foundation grant agreements with Utah State University included a provision that the Koch foundation be involved in reviewing candidates for jobs and requires that tenure-track professors hired with Koch money follow ‘Objectives and Purposes.’ The same was true with the foundation’s grant agreements with West Virginia University and Clemson University in South Carolina. At George Mason University in Virginia, students have pushed the administration to reveal details of its relationship with Koch.” [Answer Sheet Blog – Washington Post, 11/7/14]
Washington Post: When The Koch Foundation “Gives Money, It Expects Something Back.” According to the Washington Post’s Answer Sheet Blog, “When the foundation gives money, it expects something back, which makes it interesting that in its newly published ‘academic giving principles,’ the foundation says it wants to fund ‘scholars and students who are free to teach, learn, research, speak, critique, and receive support for their work without interference from anyone on or off campus.’” [Answer Sheet Blog –Washington Post, 11/7/14]
Koch Campus Donations Contained Conditions That Were “Explicitly Ideological.” According to the Free Expression Policy Project, “Most of the funding has gone to economics departments, and the conditions are explicitly ideological.” [Free Expression Policy Project, 11/13/14]
Koch Funding Went To 250 Programs At 350 Colleges And Universities Nationwide In 2014. According to KCUR, “A decade ago, Koch university funding was limited to a hand full of schools. No more. ‘Currently we’re fortunate to support over 350 programs, and over 250 colleges and universities across the country,’ says John Hardin director of university relations at the Koch Foundation.” [KCUR.org, 12/17/14]