Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors draws $50 million in federal aid amid internal scandal

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, which operates as a donor-advised fund and fiscal sponsor for more than 100 left-leaning projects, has taken in over $50 million in federal grants from USAID and the State Department from 2021 through 2024. It has funneled money to groups such as Planned Parenthood, United We Dream, the ACLU, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Environmental Defense Fund, and has transferred funds to entities in the Tides network and the Open Society Foundations.

A former executive, Hilary Castillo, filed a lawsuit in February 2025 alleging significant deficiencies in financial management, accounting policies, and cybersecurity, saying she reported these concerns to the board and was subsequently placed on administrative leave and terminated. The suit also implicates Valerie Rockefeller, chair of the board, for alleged retaliation. The organization faced a roughly $40 million deficit and lost about one-third of its staff earlier in 2025. Despite its scale—$706 million in reported revenue in 2024—RPA has largely escaped public scrutiny.