By Lauren Carroll on Friday, September 23rd, 2016 at 12:26 p.m.
Wait — who did what with which foundation? These days, it seems the media is constantly jumping from story to story about the charitable giving practices of presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
You might be left wondering how to compare the Clinton Foundation and the Trump Foundation, so we decided to prepare this chart to keep handy.
As you’ll see, they’re very different animals. For one, the Clinton Foundation is an international humanitarian charity, while the Trump Foundation is a comparatively small grant-giving organization. The controversies surrounding each of them reflect these differences.
What does the foundation do?
The Clinton Foundation is a public charity that operates its own humanitarian programs around the world. For example, it runs a farming project in Tanzania and has expanded access to lower-cost HIV/AIDS drugs.
The Trump Foundation is a private, non-operating foundation that donates money to causes. It gave about $600,000 in 2014, including $100,000 to Citizens United and $50,000 to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
How big is the foundation?
Clinton Foundation:
— $354 million in assets (2014)
— $91 million in expenses (2014)
— Nearly 500 staff members
Trump Foundation
— $1.2 million in assets (2014)
— $596,700 in expenses (2014)
— Zero staff
Do Trump or Clinton give to their foundation?
Yes. Bill and Hillary Clinton gave annually from 2007-14, totaling $4.6 million in that time frame.
Yes. Trump donated $5.4 million between 1987-2008, but he has not given since then.
Do the foundations pay Trump or Clinton directly?
No, the Clintons are not paid.
No, the Trumps are not paid.
What's the problem?
There are concerns that:
— Hillary Clinton gave foundation donors special access to the State Department.
— The foundation took donations from foreign governments with a checkered history on human rights.
There are concerns that:
— In recent years, Donald Trump hasn’t contributed to his foundation, while others have, yet he takes personal credit for the foundation’s grant-giving.
— Trump used foundation money to serve personal interests.
What have others found?
Several investigative reports have found a handful of examples of Clinton Foundation business intersecting with State Department business. Congressional Republicans have said they hope to launch their own investigation.
A Washington Post review of the Trump Foundation has suggested it is operating on shaky ethical and legal grounds. The New York attorney general has opened an inquiry into the foundation.
