CHA-CHING! Financial Filings Reveal MASSIVE Grift at the Obama Foundation
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Recently disclosed financial records are drawing attention to how much money is circulating within the Obama Foundation and the salaries being paid to some of its top leaders. For critics, the revelations are reminiscent of past controversies surrounding the Clinton Foundation.
One of the highest-paid figures is Valerie Jarrett, a longtime adviser to Barack Obama and a key figure in his administration. Jarrett, who now serves as CEO of the Obama Foundation, earned about $740,000 in 2024. That amount exceeds the annual salary of the President of the United States.
Tax filings also show that several other foundation leaders are earning substantial six-figure incomes. At the same time, the organization has grown significantly in size, with its workforce expanding to more than 300 employees.
The foundation is currently overseeing the construction of the Obama Presidential Center, an $850 million project being built on about 19.3 acres of publicly owned parkland in Chicago. According to federal filings, the foundation’s payroll has increased sharply over the past several years. Total salaries and benefits rose from $18.5 million in 2018 to $43.7 million in 2024, while the organization’s staff expanded to 337 employees. During that same period, annual revenue climbed to nearly $210 million.
Jarrett became CEO in 2021 and is considered one of the Obamas’ closest advisers. A review of the foundation’s tax filings from 2018 through 2024 indicates that six of the ten highest-paid executives previously held senior roles in the Obama administration or worked on Obama’s campaigns.
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Kathy Salvi criticized the salaries, saying they highlight what she described as a culture of political insiders benefiting financially. She argued that the large paychecks show how some of Barack Obama’s former allies are continuing to profit through their involvement with the foundation.
Meanwhile, even as the foundation spends heavily on salaries and the construction of the presidential center, it is also seeking volunteers from the public.
Plans for the opening of the Obama Presidential Center continue to move forward, and the foundation recently announced a program encouraging Chicago residents to participate. Speaking to members of the City Club of Chicago, Jarrett said volunteers will play a major role in how the center connects with visitors and the broader community.
The foundation said it intends to recruit between 75 and 100 volunteers who will serve as ambassadors at the site once it opens.
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