March 25, 2008
Barack and Michelle Obama Donated $240,000 to Charity Last Year
By Grant Williams
Barack Obama, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, donated $240,000 to charity in 2007, according to his campaign, and has released information about his charitable gifts dating back to 2000.
The data show that the Illinois senator’s giving was higher over the past three years, when he and his wife, Michelle Obama, were making more money and he was beginning to run for president.
The Obamas have not yet released their federal tax return for 2007, so it is unclear what percentage of their total income their charitable contributions represented last year or to which organizations their gifts were made.
The Obamas gave $60,307 to charitable organizations in 2006, about 6 percent of their $991,296 in total income that year (the most recent year for which his campaign provided tax returns).
Recipients of the couple’s donations included their church, Trinity United Church of Christ (whose pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., has made headlines for controversial sermons), $22,500; CARE, the international relief organization, $15,000; and the Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago, $5,000.
In 2005, the Obamas reported total gifts of $77,315, or about 5 percent of their total income of nearly $1.7-million. Among the recipients in 2005: the Illinois Reading Council, $25,000; CARE, $16,000; and Trinity United Church of Christ, $5,000.
From 2000 through 2004, the Obamas’ total income was much smaller, ranging from $207,647 in 2004 to $275,123 in 2001. During this five-year period their charitable giving represented about 1 percent of their total income.
Tax returns that detail the Obamas’ charitable gifts from 2000 through 2006 are available on the campaign’s Web site.
— Suzanne Perry contributed to this article.
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That’s more than most Americans give to charity on an annual basis!
— Long Tall Texan Mar 25, 04:53 PM #
He puts his money where his mouth is.
— ms Mar 26, 01:28 PM #
why are we dealing with uncertainty? this is how you reflect on your priorities and exspectations in order to put your concerns in perspective. in these moments is where you truly create a message of hope.
— Kesha Mar 26, 09:49 PM #
Long Tall— you could’n‘t be more wrong. What he gave was less than 1% of his annual income. He made 1.7 million. Most American’s give more than that as every single study on the issue has shown.
Even studies by democrats have the same results. http://www.beliefnet.com/story/204/story_20419_1.html You’ll also note, that most of his charitable donations go to charities/churches that support African and/or African Americans, and/or African American groups. He did give over $25K to CARE which helps the poor around the world. But the bulk of their work is in the black areas of Africa. He also gave $22,500 to his racist and hate-filled pastor’s church, which on it’s own website, proudly hails itself as
“a congregation which is Unashamedly Black…. Our roots in the Black religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an African people, and remain “true to our native land,” the mother continent”
In it’s list of 10 commitments of vision, one of them is a “non-negotiable commitment to AFRICA.” Not America, but Africa. And that’s where Obama put his money. He also donated a healthy amount to the Muntu Dance Theatre, a Chicago based African Dance theatre. Yes, he DOES put his money where his mouth is. In 2006, Obama’s mouth was in Kenya, campaigning for Raila Odinga when he was running for President of Kenya. Odinga is a Muslim who promised to enforce Sharia Law in a mostly Christian country.
— Ruth Mar 28, 05:18 PM #
Ruth,
Thank you for your comment. I wonder why you feel it necessary to point out that “most of his charitable donations go to charities/churches that support African and/or African Americans, and/or African American groups.” Do we make a habit of pointing out when most of a person’s contributions are to White causes or Asian causes or education causes for that matter. What exactly are you trying to say here?
— Joan Mar 31, 11:46 AM #
Cheapo,
Cheapo,
CheapObama
— Todd Apr 4, 03:38 PM #