The Arca Foundation is a

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

American philanthropic foundation. Founded in 1952 as the Nancy Reynolds Bagley Foundation, the foundation was renamed the Arca Foundation in 1958. The foundation was founded with assets from the

R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) is an American tobacco manufacturing company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and headquartered at the RJR Plaza Building. Founded by R. J. Reynolds in 1875, it is the second-largest tobacco comp ...

. Since its inception, the Arca Foundation has made grants totaling over $50 million. The foundation was formerly headed by

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Donna Edwards Donna Fern Edwards (born June 28, 1958) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2008 to 2017. The district included most of Prince George's County, as well as part of Anne Arundel County. She is a member of the D ...

, who in 2008 took a leave of absence from Arca to run successfully for

Maryland's 4th congressional district Maryland's 4th congressional district comprises portions of Prince George's County and Anne Arundel County. The seat is represented by Anthony Brown, a Democrat. The district includes most of the majority-black precincts on the Maryland side of ...

. In the 1980s, the Arca Foundation funded lobbying efforts against U.S. policy in Central America. Since 1994, the Arca Foundation has donated millions of dollars to organizations and Democratic politicians working to lift sanctions against Cuba and normalize relations between Cuba and the United States.

References

External links

Arca Foundation on Influence ExplorerArca Foundation on Open Secrets
{{Authority control Political and economic research foundations in the United States Organizations established in 1952 Progressivism in the United States R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company 1952 establishments in the United States