Interfaith America

Civility Nonprofit

Background

Interfaith America (IA) was founded by Eboo Patel in 2002 as Interfaith Youth Core and rebranded as Interfaith America in 2022. According to its website, IA is working towards an America that “embraces the power of pluralism”; as part of that goal, it says it is “equipping leaders with the skills to navigate disagreement and build meaningful relationships.” The organization works on college campuses, in corporate and healthcare settings, and across civic spaces. In 2024, IA reported a network of 573 campuses that had substantively engaged with its programs over the prior four years. Its current higher education work includes senior administrator cohorts and implementation grants.

Notable People

Eboo Patel

Founder and president of Interfaith America

Patel has recorded a number of videos in partnership with Charles Koch Foundation/Stand Together Trust, beginning at least as far back as 2016. One video from 2023, in which Patel addresses “social change agents,” is titled “Society needs less critics. Here’s why.” He has also written numerous blog posts for the Koch Foundation, including this one from November 2019 and this one from November 2024.

Patel is a frequent contributor to “The Commons” section of Chronicle of Philanthropy, where he regularly writes about what he sees as the excesses of the left. (“The Commons” section of Chronicle of Philanthropy is, itself, a philanthropy-funded enterprise, supported by three foundations associated with billionaires: Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Einhorn Collaborative, and Walton Family Foundation.)

He has criticized both DEI initiatives and pro-Palestine protesters. In November 2023, he published an op-ed entitled, “Fed Up with How College Students are Behaving? Fund a Campus Pluralism Center,” with the sub-headline: “Donors frustrated with the response on college campuses to the Hamas attack on Israel should consider endowing centers that teach students how to cooperate across differences.” In a May 2024 column, he urged nonprofit leaders against “idealizing disruptive demonstrations” and against “romanticizing the campus encampments.” He also criticized protesters for “throwing a dozen issues into the vast basket of ‘intersectionality’ or ‘colonialism.’”

See also: Wake Forest University.

Notable Funders

Lilly Endowment

$8.5 million (2021-2022)

Established by the Lilly family, whose fortune Forbes estimated at $1.8 billion in 2013, through gifts of stock in Eli Lilly and Company. Lilly makes significant grants to conservative and right-wing groups, including American Enterprise Institute, Atlas Network, and Manhattan Institute. For reference, see Lilly’s tax filings for 2023, 2022, and 2021.

See also: Braver Angels; Wake Forest University.

John Templeton Foundation

~$1.85 million (2021, 2024)

Established by billionaire investor John Templeton. The foundation was led from 2015 to 2025 by his granddaughter, Heather Templeton Dill. It is now headed by the former CEO of Christianity Today, which describes itself as a “globally minded evangelical magazine.” Templeton makes significant grants to conservative and right-wing advocacy organizations such as State Policy Network and Mercatus Center, and Atlas Network (all three of which are described by Greenpeace as “Koch Industries Climate Denial Front Groups”). The foundation also has documented ties to the Koch Network. See UNCIVIL’s June 2026 Funder Analysis for more details on Templeton’s giving.

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

$1.8 million (2022-2025)

Established in 1944 by Hilton Hotels founder Conrad N. Hilton. His son, billionaire Barron Hilton, served on the Hilton Foundation’s board for 64 years and pledged 97% of his estate to it, ultimately becoming the foundation’s largest donor when he passed away in 2019. The Foundation has made significant grants to conservative and right-wing groups such as American Enterprise Institute and Mercatus Center. It has also made multiple grants to PragerU (which SPLC describes as a “far-right propaganda” group). For reference, see the Hilton Foundation’s tax filings for 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020.

Arthur Vining Davis Foundations

~$1.56 million (2020-2024)

AVDF has made significant grants to Hillel International (an explicitly anti-BDS organization) and Tablet magazine (a self-described “Jewish, Zionist publication” whose editor-in-chief has called on Jewish communal groups to replace leaders who do not explicitly support Israel). Refer to UNCIVIL’s June 2026 Funder Analysis for more details on AVDF’s giving.

Klarman Family Foundation

$1.5 million (2020-2024)

Established by billionaire hedge fund founder Seth Klarman. Klarman is co-owner of The Times of Israel and he cites “support for the State of Israel and the Jewish people” as a philanthropic priority in his 2013 Giving Pledge (co-signed with his wife, Beth). The Klarman Family Foundation gives large amounts to pro-Israel and Zionist organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and Hillel International (an explicitly anti-BDS organization). In October 2023, Klarman joined Joanna Jacobson (see One8 Foundation) and three other Harvard alumni in signing an open letter to Harvard’s leadership, accusing them of failing to confront a “meteoric rise in antisemitism” on campus following October 7, 2023; Klarman and the co-signers called on Harvard to regulate protests and require students to take a semester-long course in “productive discourse.” See UNCIVIL’s June 2026 Funder Analysis for more details on Klarman’s giving to pro-Israel causes.

M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust

$320,000 (2020-2022)

The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust has made significant grants to conservative and right-wing groups such as the Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute, and Manhattan Institute. For reference, see Murdock’s tax filings for 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020.

See also: Stanford University.

Hartman Family Foundation

$250,000 (2023-2024)

Founded by Alan Hartman, co-president of Center Partners, and his wife, Kim Hartman. The foundation makes significant grants to several Zionist and Israel advocacy groups such as Birthright Israel, American Jewish Committee (which has been a prominent supporter of anti-BDS laws), and American Israel Education Foundation (an affiliate of AIPAC). On January 26, 2024, Kim Hartman gave a speech at Temple Emanu-El NYC, entitled “It's Time to Stand Up for Israel.” According to Variety, the Hartmans were listed among many producers on the 2025 documentary October 8, which criticizes pro-Palestine campus activists for their alleged antisemitism. For reference, see the Hartman Family Foundation’s tax filings for 2024, 2023, and 2022.

See also: Nantucket Project.

Charles Koch Institute/Stand Together Trust

$250,000 (2021)

Established by billionaire oil fortune heir, Charles Koch, the foundation has been a major funder of right-wing infrastructure for several decades. Koch invests millions into the Heritage Foundation and other conservative groups, including climate change denial organizations such as CO2 Coalition. See UNCIVIL’s June 2026 Funder Analysis for more details on Koch’s giving.

The Tepper Foundation

$250,000 (2024)

Established by billionaire hedge fund founder, David Tepper. The foundation is a major donor to the Anti-Defamation League and also funds anti-BDS groups such as Israel on Campus Coalition (which the Center for Constitutional Rights describes as an organization that “coordinates anti-Palestinian advocacy groups”). In November 2023, the foundation invested $2 million in a “Security Fund to Protect College Campuses and Jewish Meeting Places Amid Rising Antisemitism” and collaborated with Hillel International (an explicitly anti-BDS organization) to “identify college campuses that require increased security for their students.” For reference, see the Tepper Foundation’s tax filings for 2024, 2023, and 2022.

David and Barbara B. Hirschhorn Foundation

$225,000 (2020-2024)

The foundation is part of the Blaustein Philanthropic Group, which states that the balance of its international grantmaking is invested “primarily in Israel.” A 2015 Forbes report estimated the Blaustein family’s combined wealth at $2.2 billion and listed the Hirschorns among its heirs. The Hirschhorn Foundation makes significant grants to pro-Israel groups such as the American Jewish Committee (which has been a prominent supporter of anti-BDS laws) and HonestReporting (which The Washington Post describes as a “pro-Israel media watchdog group.”) Founders Barbara and David Hirschhorn both served on the governing board of AJC; David was a national vice president and member of its executive committee. For reference, see the Hirschhorn Foundation’s tax filings for 2024, 2023, 2022.

Golder Family Foundation

$175,000 (2020-2023)

The foundation’s vice president and treasurer, David B. Golder, manages its philanthropic operations. The foundation makes significant grants to Israel advocacy groups including the American Jewish Committee (which is a prominent supporter of anti-BDS laws) and Jewish United Fund (which Palestine Legal describes as having “a documented history of funding anti-Muslim hate groups”). Golder has chaired the Jewish United Fund, and serves on the board of AJC Chicago. In May 2015, as chair of JUF’s Government Affairs Committee, Golder praised the passage of Illinois’ anti-BDS law and said JUF had worked closely with the governor and legislators to advance it. A 2024 JUF annual report, co-signed by Golder, said the organization had worked to protect students when “anti-Israel protests devolved into anti-Jewish hatred.” For reference, see the Golder Family Foundation’s tax filings for 2024, 2023, and 2022.

The Irving Harris Foundation

$125,000 (2020-2024)

The foundation makes significant grants to pro-Israel and Zionist groups such as Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago (which Palestine Legal has described as “a group with a documented history of funding anti-Muslim hate groups”), the Anti-Defamation League, and the American Jewish Committee (which has been a prominent supporter of anti-BDS laws). For reference, see the Irving Harris Foundation’s tax filings for 2024, 2023, 2022.

Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation

$75,000 (2024)

Established by billionaire Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank. The Blank Foundation has supported a number of pro-Israel and Zionist organizations, including Birthright Israel and the Anti-Defamation League. For reference, see the Blank Foundation’s tax filings for 2024, 2023, and 2022.

Crown Family Philanthropies

$50,000 (2020-2021)

Established by heirs of industrialist Henry Crown. A 2026 Forbes report estimated the Crown family’s combined wealth at $18.3 billion, including a 10% stake in the military defense contractor General Dynamics. Crown is a major donor to the Jewish United Fund, which Palestine Legal has described as “a group with a documented history of funding anti-Muslim hate groups.” The Crown family also makes significant grants to Birthright Israel and Hillel International (an explicitly anti-BDS organization). For reference, see Crown Family Foundation’s tax filings for 2025, 2024, and 2023, along with Ida and Ida Crown Memorial’s tax filings for 2024, 2023, and 2022.

See also: Anti-Defamation League.

The Snider Foundation

$30,000 (2021)

Established by the late billionaire Ed Snider. The foundation makes significant grants to right-wing and pro-Israel advocacy groups such as the David Horowitz Freedom Center (described by SPLC as a sponsor of “anti-Muslim fear mongers”) and the Lawfare Project (described by the National Lawyers Guild as a “right-wing anti-Palestinian group”; not to be confused with Lawfare, the nonprofit online publication focused on national security issues). Current and former Snider Foundation board members, including Craig Snider and Tina Snider, have documented ties to the Koch Network. Refer to UNCIVIL’s June 2026 Funder Analysis for more details on Snider’s giving.