Overview: Reed Hastings is the CEO of Netflix; Patricia Quillin was one of the top individual donors to Democrats in 2020. Together, they’re among the party’s many notable allies in California. Both philanthropists are committed to education, and Hastings is particularly focused on promoting charter schools.
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Total Donated (2016-2020): $4,050,500 (between the two, state-level not included)
Top Recipients: SMP, Charter School Political Action Committee
Key Issues: Education, Charter Schools
Largest Donation to Date: $7 million to Families & Teachers for Antonio Villaraigosa for California Governor 2018, sponsored by California Charter Schools Association Advocates
Profile: Education may be the focus of this big-money couple’s giving, but Reed Hastings and Patricia Quillin have also upped their political giving in recent years. Hastings is the founder and CEO of Netflix, overseeing the company’s transition from DVD-delivery service to digital streaming empire—bringing Hastings’ net worth to roughly $5.2 billion. Quillin makes efforts to keep out of the spotlight, but in the 2020 election cycle, she was among the top individual donors to Democrats, due in large part to her contributions to California ballot measure campaigns. Also in 2020, Hastings and Quillin committed $120 million to fund scholarships at historically Black colleges and universities. The couple have put considerable amounts of money and political weight into promoting charter schools—particularly Hastings. Formerly president of the California State Board of Education, Hastings now serves on the board of KIPP, a charter school network, and most of his largest donations within California have gone to the Charter School Political Action Committee.
Hastings and Quillin are consistent donors to the Democrats, though Hastings’ records show he often gives to Republicans, as well. FEC records show they regularly give to state-level Democratic Party offices around the country, steadily increasing the size of their average gift over the years. In this most recent election cycle, the couple nearly doubled their giving to California ballot measures compared to 2016, supporting the failed Prop 16, which would have reinstated affirmative action in the state, and opposing Prop 20, which would have increased sentences for certain crimes. They each donated a half-million dollars to the Senate Majority PAC this year and gave $720,000 each to the Biden Victory Fund.
Ideological Vibe: Centrist liberal. Both Hastings and Quillin are proven allies to the Democrats, despite Hastings’ habit of bipartisan giving. Hastings’ commitment to charter schools puts him more in the centrist camp of the Democrats, as many progressives take issue with charters.
Hits and Misses: The pair have made a couple of six-figure gifts to the Senate Majority PAC only to see the Democrats fail to take a majority of seats in the chamber. They each typically spread their donations to a variety of candidates and funds, and Followthemoney.com shows they each have notably successful track records of backing winners.
Looking Forward: Quillin’s ascension to mega-donor status in 2020 could indicate she plans to keep upping her giving in the years to come. We should expect both her and Hastings to continue their giving patterns, though considering that Biden has indicated he’s more interested in promoting public schools than charters, we could see Hastings direct his money in new ways.
Relationships: Netflix—Founder and CEO—Reed Hastings; KIPP—Board Member—Reed Hastings
Contact Information: N/A