Schumann Center for Media and Democracy

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The Schumann Center for Media and Democracy (formerly The Florence and John Schumann Foundation) was established in 1961, by Florence Ford and John Schumann. The foundation states that its purpose is to renew the democratic process through cooperative acts of citizenship, especially as they apply to governance and the environment. It is based in Montclair, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area.

[edit] Establishment

John Schumann was a member of the Florida Citrus Commission. He also founded several banks and credit unions. He eventually became president of General Motors Acceptance Corporation. Florence Ford brought to the foundation wealth that she had inherited from her father, who was one of the founders of IBM.

Current officers and trustees of the foundation include the founders' sons Robert F. Schumann, chairman and W. Ford Schumann, vice president as well as Bill Moyers, president. Bill Moyers' son, John Moyers, was approved by the Board of Directors on Monday, October 9, 2006, to follow his father as president of the foundation when the senior Moyers retires in January 2007. John Moyers was the recipient of significant funds from the-then Schumann Foundation to found TomPaine.com, which he headed for several years.

[edit] Statistics

The foundation reported 2001 assets of $60,963,043 and expenditures of $5,096,495. Recipients of recurring Schumann Foundation grants during the 1990s, ranging from under $100,000 to more than $5 million annually, include the Tides Foundation and Tides Center, Environmental Working Group, Union of Concerned Scientists, Natural Resources Defense Council, Western Organization of Resource Councils, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, and the Center for Media and Democracy.