Obama Foundation fundraising down in 2018, pay for top staffers went up
WASHINGTON — New financial documents released Friday reveal a sharp decrease in fundraising for the Obama Foundation in 2018 — and significant boosts in the salary packages of top staffers.
In 2018, contributions and in-kind gifts to the Chicago foundation totaled $164.8 million, according to the new annual report — a drop of $67.8 million from the record $232.6 million in 2017.
The 2017 rise was attributable to several factors: With former President Barack Obama freshly out of office, he was free to solicit jumbo contributions and harvest pent-up demand. And he lifted the $1 million cap that was in place while he was in the White House.
Last year, Obama, working on his presidential memoir, cut back the time he devoted to wooing contributors.
Read more: https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2019/6/28/19154213/barack-obama-foundation-fundraising-down-2018-higher-pay-top-staffers
