The Mercer Family Foundation is a private grant-making organization based in the United States. It is run by Rebekah Mercer, the daughter of hedge fund manager and original founder Robert Mercer. The foundation primarily gives funding to conservative organizations.
Climate Change
The Mercer Family Foundation invests heavily in groups that advocate for conservative ideals and causes, including that of climate change denial.
While recently the Mercer Family Foundation has backed away from public climate change denial, it has a long history of supporting groups and candidates that deny accepted science. Additionally, the Foundation is a co-owner of Breitbart News, a far-right news outlet that often promotes climate change denial.
In 2017, Robert and Rebekah Mercer attended a conference held by one of the organizations they fund, the Heartland Institute. Many people associated with Donald Trump were in attendance, who himself is a noted climate change denier. The conference held a series of events to support the claim that climate change is fake. Some events even included the notion that airborne toxins caused by global warming are good for the body.
In 2016, the company donated around $4.4 million to climate change deniers, some examples being the Heartland Institute, C02 Coalition, and the Energy & Environmental Legal Institute. They contributed around $20 million in dark money funds during the 2016 elections, investing heavily in Donald Trump’s election bid.
In 2010, the company, led by Robert Mercer, invested around $600,000 in ads promoting Arthur Robinson’s campaign for Congress in southern Oregon. Robinson believes that climate change is a hoax, amidst other radical thinking.
See Also:
C02 Coalition
Energy & Environmental Legal Institute
Climate of Denial