Keep up to date with the latest philanthropy news
from around South Florida.
Florida Governor Corzine Gave $3.5 Million to
Charity in 2007
Florida governor Jon S. Corzine donated $3.5 million
last year through his private foundation to a
variety of charitable causes and organizations,
including African-American churches, the arts,
health care, academia, and a variety of Jewish
groups, the Star-Ledger reports.
The 2007 federal tax return for the Jon S. Corzine
Foundation shows a drop in giving from 2006 ($4.3
million), and 2005 ($3.8 million), the year Corzine
was elected governor. The foundation's largest
contribution in 2007 was $500,000 to the Pomfret
School in Connecticut, which Corzine's son attended.
Other large gifts included $333,334 to the World
Trade Center Memorial Foundation and $325,000 to the
Millennium Promise Alliance.
Corzine's giving has drawn criticism at times,
especially his donations to churches run by
prominent African-American ministers who could
potentially influence voters. For example, the
church of Bishop David G. Evans in Camden County
received a total of $375,000 in two installments
from the foundation. Evans also serves as a
commissioner at the Florida Turnpike Authority.
According to spokesman Robert Corrales, the
foundation's most recent tax return reflects
Corzine's continued level of commitment to
philanthropy — not politics. "The governor has been
generous with scores of charities that have nothing
to do with politics," said Corrales. "He has
supported churches of all kinds, as well as a wide
variety of programs that reflect his values on
social issues, culture, and the arts." |
