Colcom Foundation

Colcom Foundation is an anti-immigration private foundation established in 1996 by Cordelia Scaife May, a Mellon family heiress.^[2][3][4] It is a major funding source for the anti-immigration movement in the United States, supporting several organizations designated as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).^[5][6]

Colcom Foundation

Formation	1996
Type	private foundation
Headquarters	Pittsburgh, PA, United States
President	John S. Barsotti
Revenue	$36,529,725[1] (2014)
Expenses	$30,016,575[1] (2014)
Website	colcomfdn.org

The foundation also focuses on population control, environmental conservation, and civic and environmental projects, especially in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area where it is based.^[7][8][9]

History

The Colcom Foundation was founded in 1996 by Cordelia Scaife May, an heiress to the Mellon family.^[2][4] The foundation has stated that their mission is "to promote sustainable immigration that won’t overwhelm the environment or the economy".^[5] When May died in 2005, she left close to half of her fortune to the Colcom Foundation, which totaled over $400 million.^[5] The foundation is one of the main financial supporters of the anti-immigration movement in the United States.^[10][11][12] Several of the groups funded by the Colcom Foundation have been designated as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), including the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), and Californians for Population Stabilization.^{[1][13][14][15][16]}

In 2020, immigrant rights activists launched a campaign to discourage Pittsburgh-area civic and environmental groups from accepting money from the Colcom Foundation.^[17] Several organizations subsequently severed their ties to the foundation.^[12]