MSI-RC anonymous donor funds

In a recent article, Inkstick joined with MSI Reproductive Choices (MSI-RC) to criticise US Christian groups for providing funds to pro-life organisations operating across Africa.[i] They wanted to ring the alarm bells that some rich philanthropists were giving away their own money to support causes that align to their own personally held ideologies. Considering the hundreds of millions that MSI-RC itself receives from rich philanthropists, this is a rather disingenuous position to take.

Speaking to Inkstick, Sarah Shaw, Head of Advocacy at MSI-RC, expressed concerns that US-linked groups might be lobbying national governments and rallying local support for pro-life policies in African countries, where her own organisation does the very same to promote abortion; she seems worried that groups such as Family Watch International might try to roll back progress made by MSI-RC et al. On its website, MSI-RC has an ‘Advocacy’ page in which it says that it works to influence laws and shape policy and decisions. It claims that since 2016, this work has contributed to the reform of more than 92 policies that increase access to contraception and abortion.[ii]

So, in Shaw’s mind, it is perfectly fine for her own organisation to lobby and influence for abortion supporting laws and policies, but those who hold pro-life positions should not be allowed to do the same.

Inkstick signposts an openDemocracy report that estimates between 2007 and 2018, more than 20 US Christian groups provided funds of $54 million for pro-life and pro-family projects across Africa.[iii] MSI-RC refers to the same report on its Advocacy webpage, noting “Opposition to reproductive rights is growing in funding, scale and sophistication. US Christian right-wing groups are pouring money (at least $280 million) into global anti-choice activity to reverse progress and spread misinformation.”

MSI-RC seems to think that calling out such funding will rally its supporters, ranting about how terrible it is that these Christian groups are able to give so much money to support their horrible anti-abortion ideologies. MSI-RC and openDemocracy both seem to think that what’s even worse than giving so much, is that many individuals and foundations want to do so anonymously.

The above mentioned $280 million, £220 million at current exchange rates, is the total spent by 28 US Christian groups for work outside of the US, over twelve years, 2007-18.

MSI-RC receives funding from a small number of philanthropic foundations; in the six years from 2013 to 2018, it received £229 million from five foundations, four based in the US and one in the UK.[iv] So, MSI-RC received as much as the total reported spend for the 28 US Christian groups, but in just six years not twelve.

MSI-RC names the following donors: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and Children’s Investment Fund Foundation. Another donor is listed as ‘Anonymous’ and in various documents and online publications it specifically names a ‘Large Anonymous Donor (LAD)’, e.g., on its Pakistan website, where LAD appears alongside our own UK Aid, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).[v]

In July 2022, MSI-RC was recruiting for the role of a Programme Office, Private Foundations. In the job advertisement, it says, “The Private Foundations team develops and stewards MSI’s relationships with three main foundations: the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and a Large Anonymous Donor (LAD).” It further describes the role-holder’s responsibility for managing “LAD-funded strategic flexible funding (~20% LoE) across 15 countries in the global partnership supporting the delivery of MSI230 strategy.” [vi]

This Large Anonymous Donor is included by MSI-RC in a peer group of donors such as BMGF, CIFF, and FCDO, and it considers this funding to be of strategic importance.

In the ten years from 2013 to 2022, MSI-RC received anonymous donor funding of £264 million. It is worthy of note that MSI-RC has received more in anonymous funding than the full total of all the US Christian funding reported by openDemocracy.

Who is this Large Anonymous Donor? MSI-RC has been very careful to never name this donor, but there are online reports that name the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation (STBF) as a large donor to MSI-RC.[vii] [viii] [ix] [x]

On its form 990-PF, the tax return filed by nonprofit organisations in the US, STBF lists a grant recipient MSI-US, the US-based affiliate of MSI-RC.[xi] [xii] The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation gifted $508 million to MSI-US between 2009 and 2020. In 2020, STBF gifted MSI-US $38.8 million. These funds were transferred to the parent MSI-RC, and yet STBF is not listed by name in MSI-RC’s annual financial reports.

It seems to me to be somewhat dishonest of Shaw and her colleagues at MSI-RC to criticise Christian groups and philanthropists for supporting work that aligns with closely held pro-life principles, when they themselves are in receipt of even larger Foundation donor funding for their abortion work.

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[i] Strickland, P. (2024, March 13). How the US Christian Right Funds Anti-Abortion Activities Abroad. Inkstick. https://inkstickmedia.com/how-the-us-christian-right-funds-anti-abortion-activities-abroad/

[ii] MSI Reproductive Choices. (2024, January 8). Advocating for reproductive rights – MSI Reproductive Choices. https://www.msichoices.org/what-we-do/advocacy/

[iii] Archer, N. N., & Provost, C. (2020, October 27). Revealed: $280m ‘dark money’ spent by US Christian Right groups globally. openDemocracy. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/trump-us-christian-spending-global-revealed/

[iv] MSI Reproductive Choices. (2024, February 29). Governance and Financial statements – MSI Reproductive Choices. https://www.msichoices.org/who-we-are/governance-and-financial-statements/

[v] International Partners | Marie Stopes PK. (n.d.). https://mariestopespk.org/international-partners/

[vi] Programme Officer, Private Foundations. (n.d.). https://careers.msichoices.org/VacancyInformation.aspx?VId=139336

[vii] Influence Watch. (2023, December 28). Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation (STBF) – InfluenceWatch. InfluenceWatch. https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/susan-thompson-buffett-foundation/

[viii] O’Bannon, R. K., PhD. (2020, April 9). Buffett is America’s Big Bucks Abortion Backer – National Right to Life. National Right to Life. https://www.nrlc.org/nrlnewstoday/2020/04/buffett-is-americas-big-bucks-abortion-backer/

[ix] Ludwig, H. (n.d.). The big money behind abortion activism. Capital Research Center. https://capitalresearch.org/article/the-big-money-behind-abortion-activism/

[x] MSI US | Washington, DC | Cause IQ. (n.d.). https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/msi-us,541901882/

[xi] Suozzo, A., Glassford, A., Ngu, A., & Roberts, B. (2013, May 9). The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation – full filing- nonprofit explorer. ProPublica. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/476032365/202341329349101219/full

[xii] SUSAN THOMPSON BUFFETT FOUNDATION. (n.d.). Grantmakers.io. https://www.grantmakers.io/profiles/v0/476032365-susan-thompson-buffett-foundation/?utm_source=grantmakers&utm_medium=301