The Arca Foundation is a progressive American philanthropic foundation. Founded in 1952 as the Nancy Reynolds Bagley Foundation, the foundation was renamed the Arca Foundation in 1958. The foundation was founded with assets from the

R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) is an American tobacco manufacturing company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded by namesake R. J. Reynolds in 1875, it is the largest tobacco company in the United States. The company is a w ...

. The foundation was formerly headed by

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

Donna Edwards Donna Fern Edwards (born June 28, 1958) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2008 to 2017. The district included most of Prince George's County, as well as part of Anne Arundel County. She is a member of the ...

, who in 2008 took a leave of absence from Arca to run successfully for

Maryland's 4th congressional district Maryland's 4th congressional district wraps around the eastern edge of Washington, D.C., taking in most of Prince George's County, Maryland, Prince George's County and a small portion of Montgomery County, Maryland, Montgomery County. It is home ...

. In the 1980s, the Arca Foundation funded lobbying efforts against U.S. policy in Central America. Since 1994, the Arca Foundation has donated millions of dollars to organizations and Democratic politicians working to lift sanctions against Cuba and normalize relations between Cuba and the United States.

References

External links

*
Arca Foundation on Open Secrets
{{Authority control Political and economic research foundations based in the United States Organizations established in 1952 Progressivism in the United States R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company 1952 establishments in the United States