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Tides Explainer

Tides  U.S. is a nonprofit organization that works on the world's most critical issues, supporting grantees and programs that are central to North America's  nonprofit infrastructure and social service delivery. Tides provides fiscal sponsorship for over 230 groups across the United States, operates and supports green nonprofit centers, and grants millions each year to charitable organizations across the globe.

Issues Tides supports include a veterans re-entry program, the improvement of community clinics in California, people in Africa receiving treatment for HIV, arts programs for inner city youth, adolescent nutrition, ending violence against women, civic participation to make our democracy work, and much more. provides funding for a long list of non profit organizations working on issues from the environment to social justice.

With offices in San Francisco and New York City, Tides is a network of organizations made up of Tides Center, Tides Foundation, and Tides Shared Spaces.

It was founded in 1976 by American social entrepreneur Drummond Pike, who stepped down as CEO last October. Melissa L. Bradley took over as CEO.   Prior to Tides, Bradley founded and served as managing director of New Capitalist, an organization that leverages human, financial and social capital to create economically profitable and sustainable individuals, businesses, and communities. In this role, she facilitated over $20 million in venture capital transactions for seed stage companies.  She has served as a Senior Adviser to the Center for American Progress, as a regular consultant to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation on Family Economic Security and Civic Engagement, and as a Senior Strategist for Green For All. Her prior work experience also includes serving as Vice President at UBS in the Private Client Group and as a Financial Regulatory Affairs Fellow with the US Department of Treasury and has worked with over 15,000 individuals and organizations on social, environmental and economic issues.

As outlined in its website, Tides directs funds from philanthropists to help fund progressive projects and organizations.

Tides has engaged with individuals and organizations to work on issues including:

  • Global Warming
  • AIDS treatment and prevention
  • Urban sustainability
  • Gender equality
  • Environmental conservation
  • Economic disparity
  • Violence prevention

Tides works with organizations such as California Adolescent Nutrition and Fitness Program, Stop Family Violence, and Greenspace Developments. It also regularly funds projects in countries such as Colombia, Rwanda, and Senegal: notably, Tides helps fund projects by the Afghan Women's Resource Center and the African Food and Peace Foundation.

In 2010 alone, Tides received $191 million in contributions and awarded over $143 million in grants.

There is no formal or legal connection between Tides in the U.S. and Tides Canada.

Political connections?

Although the Tides Center funds progressive projects, the organization itself is nonpartisan in scope, focusing more on humanitarian projects and environmental conservation. 

 


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