AEG Owner Philip Anschutz’s Controversial Charitable Giving Detailed In New Report

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Philip Anschutz appears at a September 2017 MLS game at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.

Philip Anschutz, the owner of concert titan AEG, continues to support at least two controversial organizations opposed to LGBTQ rights, according to a new Billboard report and a tax return from The Anschutz Foundation, which documents charitable giving from December 2017 to November 2018. Though the foundation supports a wide range of charitable causes across the ideological spectrum, the two identified beneficiaries received over a million dollars combined.

The bulk of Anschutz’s giving benefited apolitical charities, from animal rights (A New Leash On Life Pet Rescue and Transport) to music education (Take Note Colorado) to drug rehabilitation (Colorado Meth Project) to civic enrichment (Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver Art Museum). But Anschutz’s giving, which decreased about 5% year-over-year, according to Billboard, also included examples of the types of anti-LGBTQ organizations that he has been criticized for donating to in the past. Among them were a $1 million grant for a new student center at Colorado Christian University, which prohibits students from practicing or advocating for same-sex relationships, and a $20,000 donation to Sky Ranch, a Dallas-based Christian camping organization that identifies homosexual and transgender behavior as sinful on its website.

The Anschutz Foundation also gave to Alternatives Pregnancy Center, a Denver-area network of clinics that offers “a meaningful alternative to abortion.”

Additionally, The Anschutz Foundation donated to six think tanks – the Independence Institute, the Steamboat Institute, the American Enterprise Institute, the Leadership Program of the Rockies, Philanthropy Roundtable, and the E Foundation for Oklahoma – affiliated with the State Policy Network, which helps to write and publicize conservative legislation.

“The Anschutz Foundation was formed 36 years ago with the purpose of improving the lives of individuals and strengthening communities by supporting organizations that focus on health and wellness, human services, youth development and education and improving quality of life for Americans,” an Anschutz Foundation spokesperson told Billboard. “The Foundation awards in excess of 500 grants annually totaling approximately $50 million dollars. Each grant application is evaluated against the Foundation’s giving guidelines and grants are made based on the specific intended use outlined in the grant proposals. Presently, less than 5% of the average annual grants awarded by the Foundation go to conservative or faith-based organizations. Today, faith-based organizations comprise approximately one-third of U.S. non-profits and are doing important and necessary work to strengthen communities around the country.

“The Foundation reviews grant applications based upon the specific purpose stated in the application,” the spokesperson continued. “Each grant application is evaluated against the Foundation’s giving guidelines. Given the number of donations given annually, the Foundation does not review the entire historical record relating to an applicant. The Foundation satisfied itself that the specific grants in question were not intended for anti-LGBTQ purposes.”

Anschutz’s financial ties to conservative-leaning groups have been at odds with AEG’s programming for years, which has consistently uplifted LGBTQ artists; this year, queer headliner Frank Ocean tops Coachella’s bill which is promoted by the AEG-owned Goldenvoice. That also extends to AEG itself: In January, the promoter once again received perfect marks from the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, which evaluates protections against anti-LGBTQ discrimination, fair healthcare coverage for queer and transgender employees and more.