Obama Foundation's first annual report shows spike in fundraising

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE
By Lolly Bowean

The design for the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park was unveiled May 3, 2017.

The Obama Foundation raised nearly $233 million mostly from private donors last year and spent about $1.5 million of that on local businesses including Chicago public relations, marketing and consulting firms, caterers, printers, contractors and other local businesses, according to its first annual report, which was released Thursday morning. The group hosted eight public meetings, held training events in three major cities and developed a fellowship program for 20 ambitious social entrepreneurs with innovative projects. The foundation spent more than $22 million on operating expenses, with a little more than half of that money used for its programs. [More]