On Wednesday, former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, announced the launch of the Biden Foundation. The Foundation will seek to work on a spectrum of "pillars" that are reflective of the issues to which the Bidens have dedicated their careers. You can already easily donate to the Biden Foundation via its newly-launched website, as well as learn a bit more about the work and activities your funds will help advance should you choose to contribute.
The Biden Foundation's website indicates that the family chose to launch the Foundation as a way of continuing their lifelong commitment to public service. As many know, Biden was one of the youngest U.S. Senators ever elected to office and was subsequently re-elected six times before serving as Vice President. Indeed, Biden's career since graduating from law school in 1968 has almost been entirely dedicated to serving in public office. The extent of his contributions to public life were widely recognized earlier this year when he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country's highest civilian honor.
Dr. Jill Biden has served as an educator her entire life, first teaching English in high school and then subsequently moving to the college level, where she continued to teach while her husband was in office. Dr. Biden has also previously founded several non-profit organizations, including "Book Buddies," a reading program for underprivileged children, and the "Biden Breast Health Initiative," which provides free breast health awareness education programs throughout Delaware.
The Foundation's issue areas all center around a central goal of "protect(ing) and advance(ing) the rights and opportunities of all people. The Biden Foundation's issue areas are also known as "pillars" and reflect policy and issue areas that hold particular significance for the Bidens. There are seven pillars and they include: Foreign Policy, The Cancer Initiative, Community Colleges and Military Families, Protecting Children, Equality, Ending Violence Against Women, and Strengthening the Middle Class.
If you wish to donate to the Biden Foundation, your funds will go toward advancing the tenets of each of these pillars through the Foundation's work. Donating at the Biden Foundation's early stages constitutes an exciting opportunity to help the organization grow and flourish in its first chapter.
If you are interested, you can donate directly on the Biden Foundation's website, and the only requirements for making a donation via the website are that you are at least 18 years old, and that you are donating money that is either your own or that of an authorized corporation.
According to the Washington Post, the Biden Foundation's sought-after funding-base is primarily domestic entities, both individuals and organizations. The Post mentioned that the Foundation "...will not accept donations from foreign citizens, entities or other sources, unlike the Clinton Foundation." However, the scope of its donation pool does go beyond individuals and also will likely include "foundations or donor-advised funds, as well as corporate foundations."
Overall, the work of the Biden Foundation looks to be a passionate and dedicated continuation of the public service in which the Bidens have engaged their entire lives. The Foundation provides a new way for Joe to pursue issues he felt strongly about as a Senator, such as ending violence against women, while it allows Jill to translate her public service experience as an educator at the community college level to working directly on advocacy for policies affecting community colleges.
Donating could be an exciting way to be a part of a robust civil society movement that is certainly needed now more than ever. Plus, donations to the Biden Foundation are tax-free, providing even more of an incentive to donate (if you needed one).
