What's Ted's connection?

Ted Stevens Foundation

The Ted Stevens Foundation was founded in 2000 as “an Alaska non-profit corporation…to recognize and honor the career and public service” of Senator Stevens. [Ponying Up For Ted, Washington Post, 3/5/2004]

Former Stevens’ staffer, Trevor McCabe is a former director of the foundation. [Limits Urged On Political Charities; Watchdogs Target Funds Legislators helped Create, Boston Globe, 5/7/2006]

The Ted Stevens Foundation and other charities associated with members of Congress have been widely condemned as opportunities to shakedown lobbyists and circumvent ethics laws. [Ponying Up For Ted, Washington Post, 3/5/2004; Limits Urged On Political Charities; Watchdogs Target Funds Legislators helped Create, Boston Globe, 5/7/2006]

The Washington Post calls it extortion and says “the involvement of high-profile politicians in charity fundraising ought to give pause to anyone concerned about the accountability of nonprofit organizations or the buying and selling of political influence.” These fundraisers are “a way to curry favor with members of Congress while circumventing campaign finance restrictions.” [Giving That's All About Getting, Washington Post, 6/6/2004; Ponying Up For Ted, Washington Post, 3/5/2004]

Since contributions to these types of organizations are tax-deducatble, this activity is subsidized by the public taxpayers. Unlike some of the other charities with ties to lawmakers, The Ted Stevens Foundation does not disclose its donors or the amounts they give. [Ponying Up For Ted, Washington Post, 3/5/2004]

Real Time Investigations, a project of Sunlight Foundation, reported in July 2007 that the foundation was out of compliance with state requirements for charitable organizations and failed to file registration documents or pay fees since 2004. [Out of Compliance: Nonprofit with ties to Stevens’ PAC, Tardy on Paperwork and Fees to the State of Alaska, Real Time Investigations, 7/23/2007]