Overview: Fred Eychaner has been one of the Democratic party’s leading donors for several election cycles. He has made significant contributions to the campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and has been a reliable booster of the party’s key PACs and funds.
Location: Chicago, IL
Total Donated (2016-2020): $55,162,600
Top Recipients: Senate Majority PAC, House Majority PAC
Key Issues and Tactics: LGBTQ+ Rights, Public Health, Voter Mobilization.
Largest Donation to Date: $5 million to House Majority PAC
Profile: Eychaner is the founder and chairman of Newsweb Corporation, a Chicago-based media company that began as a printing business and now owns many local alternative newspapers, as well as television and radio stations. Through the years, Eychaner has given to many PACs that prioritize the rights of the LGBTQ community, such as L PAC. As a philanthropist, he has made many donations to AIDS research. In 1991, he founded the Alphawood Foundation, which provides grants to nonprofit organizations that deal with issues such as AIDS/HIV prevention, domestic violence prevention and gay rights.
From 2012 to 2016, Eychaner was a top-five individual donor each election cycle and the leading liberal individual donor of both presidential cycles. He has a long history of giving to Democrats and liberal PACs, as well as to groups focused on LGBTQ rights and women’s rights. Eychaner has repeatedly given millions to the Senate Majority PAC and the House Majority PAC—he gave more than $10 million to each in 2016, and gave SMP another $6 million in 2018 as the Democrats failed to take a majority in the chamber. He has hosted fundraisers in Chicago with President Barack Obama and helped raise money for Hillary Clinton’s run. In fact, in 2016, Eychaner was the fourth-largest individual donor of the cycle, outspending the Mercers, Michael Bloomberg and George Soros, spending $37.8 million, according to Open Secrets. Donor records show he eased off the gas a bit in 2020, giving a total of around $19 million, which kept him within the top 15. He donated just $362,800 to the Biden Victory Fund, along with his typical HMP and SMP gifts (he gave $9 million to each this cycle.)
Ideological Vibe: Eychaner is a dedicated liberal with a long history of support for Democratic candidates and causes.
Hits and Misses: Eychaner was a top donor to the campaigns of Barack Obama in 2012 and Hillary Clinton in 2016. He has an extensive donor record, spreading his donations to Democrats around the country with a notably impressive win-loss record for someone of his donor caliber.
Looking Forward: While he doesn’t often discuss his intentions in public, expect Eychaner to continue funding Democrats and liberal causes, particularly toward key issues like LGBTQ rights.
Relationships: Founder: Alphawood Foundation
Trustee: John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Appointed by President Barack Obama). The Art Institute of Chicago, Asian Art Museum (San Francisco)
Executive Committee: Joffrey Ballet
Contact Information: (773) 975-5727