Obama Foundation Draws High-Dollar, International Donations

Obama Foundation Draws High-Dollar, International Donations

CHICAGO —

Former President Barack Obama's foundation collected contributions of more than $1 million from 11 firms and individuals in the first three months of 2019, records show.

The Obama Foundation's donor list, which is updated quarterly, included the AT&T Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation on Monday, along with other family trusts and foundations. The list also included foreign investors like Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes, who is chief executive of AirAsia, and Rumi Verjee, who is a member of the British House of Lords.

The foundation, which is responsible for developing the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, lists the donors by monetary range instead of detailing the specific amount each donor gave. Other notable donors who gave from January through March of this year include Dropbox co-founder Andrew "Drew" Houston and the San Francisco 49ers.

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The latest update that includes wealthy and charitable individuals and families differs from last year's list of donors. During 2018, the Obama Foundation drew celebrity support, including from Oprah Winfrey, Shonda Rimes and NBA star Stephen Curry's foundation.

The foundation didn't disclose Monday how much money it has on hand specifically to build the presidential center campus. The foundation's annual report and tax documents show that it raised more than $232 million from private donors during 2017 and spent about $21.3 million on operations.

The foundation plans to build the Obama Presidential Center on about 19 acres of parkland on Chicago's South Side. Officials want to break ground this year on the estimated $500 million project but a federal lawsuit and federal review process have stalled construction.

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