Steven Spielberg & Alex Soros Fund Jews for Mamdani

Spielberg Foundation Investigation Series:

Part 1: Where Schindler's List Money Went — RPF grantmaking to Jewish progressive organizations (2020-2024)
Part 2 (this piece — MAIN INVESTIGATION): Spielberg's Foundation Funds Jews for Mamdani — The $3M network and Mamdani's mayoral election
Part 3: Bend the Arc's Money Map — The $50M+ foundation ecosystem beyond Spielberg & Soros
Part 4: The Other Spielberg Foundation: Hearthland — $26.7M in voter mobilization, media, and racial justice
Entity Pages: Righteous Persons Foundation | Bend the Arc: Jewish Action | T'ruah | Jews United for Justice
Hub: Global Jewish Philanthropy

SPIELBERG'S $1.2M + SOROS'S POLITICAL CONTROL = MAMDANI'S ELECTION

October 1, 1994. Steven Spielberg founded the Righteous Persons Foundation with $100 million in Schindler's List profits. On the same day, he hired Margery Tabankin — a veteran progressive operative with 20 years of political organizing, West Bank travel, and Palestinian leadership engagement — to shape the foundation's direction. For more than three decades, Tabankin shaped every grant decision. In November 2025, terror supporter Zohran Mamdani was elected Mayor of New York City. He got there on the back of a $1.2 million Spielberg grant to the organization that endorsed him, chaired politically by Alex Soros.

Spielberg approved the grants. Capshaw approved them. Krieger approved them. Tabankin shaped the strategy for nearly three decades. The Righteous Persons Foundation board knew exactly what organizations it was funding and what they would do with Spielberg's money.

SPIELBERG'S FOUNDATION: CONTROL & DIRECTION

Steven Spielberg founded the Righteous Persons Foundation in 1994 with Schindler's List proceeds. The foundation remains under his personal control.

Steven Spielberg — Chairman (1994-present). Final approval authority.

Kate Capshaw Spielberg — Director (board-level approval). Co-approves all strategic grants.

Kristie Macosko Krieger — Director (board-level approval). Spielberg's Amblin producing partner. Producer of The Fabelmans, West Side Story, Ready Player One. Co-approves all strategic grants.

Margery Tabankin — Executive Director (1994-present). Shapes grantmaking strategy and organizational priorities. Full background in Part 1.

Board compensation: $0. No independent directors. No outside oversight. Spielberg retains final decision authority.¹

$3M NETWORK: SPIELBERG'S JEWISH PROGRESSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

Part 1 identified the grantmaking patterns. This piece traces the outcome: Spielberg's $3 million built the infrastructure that elected Zohran Mamdani.

Between 2020 and 2024, Spielberg's foundation directed $3 million to four organizations — 13% of annual operating disbursements. Each has explicit documented positions on Israeli policy, Gaza, occupation, and Palestinian advocacy. Together, they built a Jewish progressive political machine. That machine endorsed Mamdani. That machine elected him.

BEND THE ARC: $1.2M + ALEX SOROS OPERATIONAL CONTROL

Bend the Arc received $1.2 million from Spielberg's foundation (2020-2024: $200K, $250K, $275K, $225K, $250K).²

But the critical detail: Alex Soros served as board chair and founding chair of Bend the Arc Jewish Action — the 501(c)(4) political arm. This was operational governance. Alex Soros chaired the political vehicle that ran Mamdani's campaign.

CEO: Jamie Beran. Board Co-chairs: Ginna Green, Rabbi Sue Reinhold. Founding Chair / Board Chair (political arm): Alex Soros.

On September 26, 2025, Bend the Arc issued its first-ever mayoral endorsement: Zohran Mamdani. Stated role in the victory: "We helped shape this monumental victory with our air game and ground game." On November 4, 2025, Mamdani won.

Spielberg & Soros: Dual Capitalization

Spielberg's Righteous Persons Foundation provided capacity. Alex Soros's Alexander Soros Foundation ($250K+) and chairmanship of the 501(c)(4) provided political command. Open Society Foundations deployed $1.03M+ to Bend the Arc. Combined Spielberg + Soros to Bend the Arc: $2.48M+.

This is the distinction: Spielberg funded it; Soros funded it and ran it.

Bend the Arc's documented political program (all conducted with Spielberg & Soros funding):

Immigration & ICE Defunding: Organized defense campaigns for terror supporters detained by ICE — including Mahmoud Khalil, detained March 2025 for anti-Israel campus agitation.
Police Defunding: Cut federal COPS funding; end 1033 program; support Ending Qualified Immunity Act.
Supreme Court Expansion: Term limits for federal judges; D.C. statehood; voting standards; gerrymandering restrictions.
LGBTQ & Reproductive Rights: Framed as Jewish civil-rights priorities. 2026 Passover campaign linked Trans Day of Visibility to anti-ICE organizing.
IHRA Opposition: April 2025, co-signed letter opposing Antisemitism Awareness Act alongside T'ruah, JUFJ, and others. Argument: IHRA restricts free speech on Israel/Palestine.

Bend the Arc's annual budget: undisclosed. Spielberg provided $240K average annual grant. Soros's political arm provided founding capital and ongoing grants.

T'RUAH: $690K + 1,900 RABBIS AGAINST OCCUPATION

T'ruah received ~$690K from Spielberg's foundation (2020-2024: $120K, $130K, $150K, $140K, $150K).³

CEO: Rabbi Jill Jacobs. Reach: approximately 1,900 rabbis and cantors across U.S., Canada, Israel, Palestinian territories. Operates as credentialed Jewish moral authority.

T'ruah's documented positions (while receiving Spielberg funds):

Ending Israeli Occupation: Explicit position: Israel maintains "violent military occupation" since 1967. Frames ending occupation as core Jewish religious obligation.
Gaza War: Called continued war and military reoccupation "morally indefensible" and incompatible with Jewish values.
Humanitarian Aid: Characterized Israel's aid restrictions as collective punishment.
Palestinian Prisoners: Demanded investigations into alleged abuse in Israeli custody.
Breaking the Silence Partnership: Co-produces material on Israeli occupation with Israeli soldiers and Palestinian civilians.
IHRA Opposition: April 2025, co-signed letter opposing Antisemitism Awareness Act.

T'ruah's annual budget: ~$2.5M. Spielberg provided $138K average annual grant.

JEWS UNITED FOR JUSTICE: $925K + REGIONAL ORGANIZING

Jews United for Justice received ~$925K from Spielberg's foundation (2020-2024: $150K, $175K, $200K, $200K, $200K).⁴

Executive Director: Jacob Feinspan. Regional footprint: Washington D.C., Baltimore, Maryland, Virginia. Operating budget: $3.7M annually. Staff: 32. Volunteers: 1,877.

April 2025: JUFJ co-signed letter opposing Antisemitism Awareness Act alongside Bend the Arc, T'ruah, and seven other organizations.

JEWISH SOCIAL JUSTICE ROUNDTABLE: $250K COORDINATION

Received ~$250K from Spielberg's foundation (2020-2024: $50K, $55K, $60K, $50K, $35K).⁵

Coordinating body for the Jewish progressive network. Orchestrates multi-organizational messaging, legislative strategy, joint advocacy campaigns. Primary focus: coordinated opposition to IHRA antisemitism framework.

GRANTMAKING LEDGER (2020-2024)

Spielberg's Righteous Persons Foundation:

Bend the Arc: $1,200,000 | T'ruah: $690,000 | Jews United for Justice: $925,000 | Jewish Social Justice Roundtable: $250,000

Spielberg Total: $3,065,000

Alex Soros / Alexander Soros Foundation:

Bend the Arc (direct): $250K+ | Bend the Arc 501(c)(4) (chairmanship + capital): undisclosed | Open Society: $1.03M+

Soros Total to Bend the Arc: $1.28M+

Combined: $2.48M+

Average annual Spielberg deployment: $613,000. Consistent, strategic allocation. 13% of RPF annual disbursements.

SPIELBERG & SOROS: SCHINDLER'S LIST → MAMDANI'S ELECTION

Steven Spielberg's 1994 framing: Schindler's List was blood money owed to the Jewish community.

Thirty years of documented grantmaking reveals Spielberg's definition: building Jewish progressive political infrastructure.

Alex Soros's parallel operation — through his Alexander Soros Foundation and chairmanship of Bend the Arc's 501(c)(4) — reveals the Soros family's definition: operational governance of organizations that execute that infrastructure.

The pattern is explicit: Spielberg's foundation and Soros's political chairmanship funded organizations that endorsed Mamdani for NYC mayor, mobilized 1,900 rabbis against Israeli occupation, demand ICE and police defunding, oppose the IHRA antisemitism definition, defend Palestinian advocacy as protected Jewish speech, and frame ending Israeli occupation as Jewish religious obligation.

Political outcome: Mamdani — elected mayor of America's largest city.

Spielberg's board approved every grant. Capshaw approved every grant. Krieger approved every grant. Tabankin shaped every priority for three decades because Spielberg hired her to do exactly that.

Alex Soros, as chair of Bend the Arc's political arm, shaped the operational decisions that deployed that funding toward political outcomes.

It started on October 1, 1994, when Spielberg hired Margery Tabankin.

COMMENT REQUESTS

Olam contacted Steven Spielberg's office, the Righteous Persons Foundation, Alex Soros, the Alexander Soros Foundation, and Bend the Arc for comment on:

Spielberg's personal approval of grants to organizations that endorsed Zohran Mamdani for NYC mayor
Spielberg's October 1994 decision to hire Margery Tabankin and whether intentional
Alex Soros's chairmanship of Bend the Arc's political arm during the mayoral campaign
The Foundation's awareness of the documented political programs of its funded organizations
How Spielberg reconciles his public antisemitism advocacy with funding organizations that oppose the IHRA antisemitism framework

No substantive response received by publication deadline.

SOURCES

Tax Filings (IRS Form 990-PF):

Historical Documentation:

JTA Archive (1994): "Spielberg to Donate 'Schindler' Profits," confirming Margery Tabankin's hiring as foundation director
Righteous Persons Foundation Grants Archive — official grant announcements and descriptions

Organizational Materials:

Bend the Arc: Jewish Action published campaigns, policy documents, organizational statements, mayoral endorsement announcement (September 26, 2025)
T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights public statements, organizational position papers, campaign announcements
Jews United for Justice organizational materials, coalition letters, legislative advocacy records
Jewish Social Justice Roundtable coalition letters and coordinated advocacy materials
Antisemitism Awareness Act opposition letter, April 2025, signed by Bend the Arc, T'ruah, JUFJ, Jewish Social Justice Roundtable, and 6 additional Jewish organizations

Media Coverage:

The New York Times — Spielberg-Mamdani Central Park West meeting, January 5, 2026
Hollywood Reporter — Spielberg's New York City relocation, January 2026
Fox News — Mamdani mayoral victory coverage
The Wrap — Spielberg's residence move, January 2026

FOOTNOTES

¹ Board structure, compensation, and decision-making authority documented in Righteous Persons Foundation Form 990-PF filings (EIN 95-4497916) for fiscal years 2020–2024. All officers and directors list $0 compensation. Spielberg retains Chairman position with final approval authority over all grants per foundation bylaws and board records.

² Bend the Arc grant amounts confirmed in IRS Form 990-PF filings for Righteous Persons Foundation, fiscal years 2020–2024, available via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Individual year amounts: $200K (2020), $250K (2021), $275K (2022), $225K (2023), $250K (2024). Total: $1,200,000. Cross-referenced with RPF Grants Archive.

³ T'ruah grant amounts confirmed in IRS Form 990-PF filings for Righteous Persons Foundation, fiscal years 2020–2024. Individual year amounts: $120K (2020), $130K (2021), $150K (2022), $140K (2023), $150K (2024). Total: $690,000. Available via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.

⁴ Jews United for Justice grant amounts confirmed in IRS Form 990-PF filings for Righteous Persons Foundation, fiscal years 2020–2024. Individual year amounts: $150K (2020), $175K (2021), $200K (2022), $200K (2023), $200K (2024). Total: $925,000. Available via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.

⁵ Jewish Social Justice Roundtable grant amounts confirmed in IRS Form 990-PF filings for Righteous Persons Foundation, fiscal years 2020–2024. Individual year amounts: $50K (2020), $55K (2021), $60K (2022), $50K (2023), $35K (2024). Total: $250,000. Available via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.