Amazon quietly donated $400,000 to a conservative nonprofit last year as the group pushed back on antitrust bills being considered in Congress, according to documents reviewed by CNBC.
The Independent Women’s Forum received the six-figure contribution from the e-commerce giant in 2021, the same year the group wrote columns speaking out against bills that could strengthen antitrust enforcement.
Related: US: Amazon execs donated to antitrust investigator’s campaign
The donation is tied for the second-highest contribution listed on the documents showing last year’s top donors to the conservative nonprofit. Amazon disclosed through annual political engagement statements that the Independent Women’s Forum was among the nonprofits to receive at least $10,000 last year and in 2020 from the tech giant. Those disclosures did not list an exact dollar amount for the contributions, however.
Carrie Lukas, the forum’s president, said in a letter last year to House Oversight Committee chair Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., that the group “is proud to receive support from a variety of foundations, individuals of all income levels, and from a few corporations. The vast majority of our donors — 89% — are small, individual donors (under $5,000).” The letter was responding to a request from Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., a member of the Oversight Committee, seeking information on the group’s funding.
