Report ties Charlotte foundation to donation to anti-immigration group

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A report published Tuesday criticized the Foundation For The Carolinas for making donor-directed gifts totaling $1.6 million to the Center for Immigration Studies, an anti-immigrant think tank.

Since 2016, the Southern Poverty Law Center has listed CIS as a hate group for espousing white nationalist views.

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The report appeared in Sludge, a reader- and member-funded publication whose motto is, “Relentlessly uncovering corruption.” Sludge focuses on stories about money and lobbying in politics.

Alex Kotch, an investigative reporter at Sludge, wrote about the CIS donations from the Charlotte-based foundation in a story headlined, “Major Charity Finances Anti-Immigrant Hate Group Tied to Stephen Miller.” Miller is an adviser to President Donald Trump and has played a leading role in shaping the president’s immigration policies.

Foundation For The Carolinas CEO Michael Marsicano, in an interview with the Charlotte Business Journal on Tuesday afternoon, did not dispute the donations to CIS. He responded by saying the foundation has long maintained a policy — set by its 18-member board — of dispersing funds at the direction of a donor to any nonprofit that is IRS-approved.

Read the full story here.

Cox Media Group