by Andrew Kerr
- The Tides Center funneled nearly $6 million into bail funds in 2020, some of which have a history of helping allegedly violent criminals back onto the street, tax records show.
- The dark money group donated $880,000 to the Massachusetts Bail Fund, which helped post bail for a woman accused of stuffing her newborn baby in a garbage can outside a Boston pizza shop in February 2021.
- The group also donated $737,000 to the Louisville Community Bail Fund, which, according to Wave 3 News, helped post bail for dozens of people in 2020 that faced charges for violent crimes including rape, domestic violence and murder.
A prominent Democratic dark money group funneled nearly $6 million into bail funds in 2020, some of which have a history of helping allegedly violent criminals back onto the street, tax records show.
Among the bail funds that received funding from the Tides Center in 2020 include the Minnesota Freedom Fund, which helped post bail for a man accused of sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl in July 2020, and the Massachusetts Bail Fund, which helped post bail for a woman accused of stuffing her newborn baby in a garbage can outside a Boston pizza shop in February 2021.
The Tides Center
The Tides Center reported in its 2020 Form 990 that it provided a sum total of $5.97 million to 23 bail funds in 2020, a dramatic increase from the year prior when it reported donating just $216,000 to eight bail funds.
The Tides Center is one of the five Tides charitable funds, which, according to their consolidated financial statements, raised nearly $1.4 billion from anonymous donors in 2020 to support left-wing causes.
Bail funds across the country saw an influx of cash following the police killing of George Floyd in late May 2020. The Minnesota Freedom Fund reportedly received $40 million in 2020 thanks in part to support from prominent politicians such as Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Bail funds are seeking radical change,” Tides wrote in a July 17, 2020, Facebook post. “We must end the two-tiered bail system of those who can afford to pay, and those who cannot. Philanthropy can greatly aid in achieving this crucial goal.”
The Minnesota Freedom Fund helped post bail for multiple individuals accused of committing violent crimes after donations started pouring in following Floyd’s killing, the Daily Caller News Foundation previously reported. The bail fund helped bail out a man accused of assaulting an elderly woman as he burglarized her home, court records show, as well as an additional six men accused of domestic violence between June and August 2020.
Freedom Fund
And in August 2021, a Minneapolis man allegedly shot and killed a driver during a road rage incident just weeks after the Minnesota Freedom Fund helped release him from jail on an unrelated domestic assault case.
“We are aware of reports of the tragic and fatal shooting in Minneapolis earlier this week allegedly involving George Howard, an individual the Minnesota Freedom Fund had previously provided with bail support,” the group said in a now-deleted tweet in early September. “MFF believes that every individual who has been arrested by the law enforcement is innocent until proven guilty, and if a judge deems them eligible for bail, they should not have to wait in jail simply because they don’t have the same income or access to resources as others.”
The Tides Center also provided $737,000 to the Louisville Community Bail Fund, which, according to Wave 3 News, helped post bail for dozens of people in 2020 that faced charges for violent crimes including rape, domestic violence and murder.
The Tides organizations are not required to publicly disclose the identity of their donors due to being structured as 501(c)(3) charity groups. Known donors to Tides groups include left-wing billionaires George Soros and Pierre Omidyar, according to Influence Watch.
“Anonymity is very important to most of the people we work with,” Tides founder Drummond Pike said in 2004.
Tides did not return a request for comment.
Donation Amounts:
| Bail Fund | Tides Center Donation in 2020 |
|---|---|
| Baltimore Legal Action Team | $355,000.00 |
| Bay Area Immigration Bond Fund | $8,000.00 |
| Believers Bail Out | $42,500.00 |
| Bukit Bail Fund of Pittsburgh | $25,000.00 |
| Carolina Justice Policy Center | $75,000.00 |
| Colorado Freedom Fund | $350,146.00 |
| Columbus Freedom Fund | $407,698.00 |
| Community Bonds, Inc | $195,000.00 |
| Dauphin County Bail Fund | $15,000.00 |
| Emergency Release Fund | $1,607,000.00 |
| Forsyth County Community Bail Fund | $22,500.00 |
| Immigrant Freedom Fund of Colorado | $11,000.00 |
| Kansas City Community Bail Fund | $322,886.00 |
| Louisville Community Bail Fund | $737,225.00 |
| Massachusetts Bail Fund Inc | $880,000.00 |
| Minnesota Freedom Fund | $20,000.00 |
| Montgomery Bail Out Fund | $318,827.00 |
| National Bail Out | $10,000.00 |
| NC Community Bail Fund of Durham | $391,422.00 |
| Northwest Community Bail Fund | $30,000.00 |
| Philadelphia Bail Fund | $100,000.00 |
| Philadelphia Community Bail Fund | $22,500.00 |
| Tucson Second Chance Community Bail Fund | $22,500.00 |
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