Q&A on the News

Q: The Koch brothers seem to have an infinite amount of money to contribute to the Republican candidates of their choice. Do they contribute to any charitable foundations?

—Eldridge Holland, Atlanta

A: The Koch family has been giving to charitable institutions through several foundations for nearly 60 years, according to the Koch Family Foundations' website – KochFamilyFoundations.org. The Koch family, which made its fortune in oil, has funded "cancer research and a number of arts and science organizations, including the American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History," according to the website. Foundation projects include the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, the Great Plains Nature Center in Wichita, Kan., and the Bill of Rights Foundation in Arlington, Va. David Koch has become one of New York City's most prominent philanthropists, according to The New Yorker. David Koch and his brother Charles Koch are worth $25 billion each, according to Forbes.

Q: The AJC stated that the state of Georgia is low on the list of states that get government earmarks. Which states get the most money/benefit from government earmarks?

—Donna Mittenthal, Atlanta

A: Hawaii, North Dakota and West Virginia gain the most from government earmarks, per capita, according to a U.S. News & World Report article in November 2010 that used information from the Taxpayers for Common Sense and U.S. Census Bureau. Hawaii had earmarks of $412,202,850 – or $318.26 per capita -- in 2010 despite having a population of approximately 1.295 million in 2009. Other states in the top 10 included Vermont, Mississippi, Alaska, Montana, South Dakota, Rhode Island and Nevada.