Romney aided conservative groups
His foundation gave $50,000 to two nonprofits
Governor Mitt Romney's private foundation -- which often sends money to religious organizations, schools, and social services groups -- gave $50,000 in 2005 to two prominent conservative think tanks that have provided him with a platform as he readies for a potential run for president, public records indicate.
The Tyler Charitable Foundation, headed by Romney and his wife, Ann, gave $25,000 each to the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies, two nonprofit groups based in Washington that are pillars in the conservative community. Romney addressed both groups in 2005 and 2006.
The donations were legal,
``Foundations are supposed to donate their resources to good things and while, for a politician, a good thing includes being elected, that is not what foundations are supposed to do," said Donald C. Alexander, a Washington-based tax lawyer who headed the Internal Revenue Service under Richard Nixon. ``Politics has no business in the charitable world."
The 2005 donations to the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society are the first that Romney's foundation has given to the groups since 2000, according to a review of publicly available filings by the foundation. Romney's foundation donated $211,000 in 2005, including $25,000 to the American Red Cross South Asian Earthquake Relief, $5,000 to the Red Cross Katrina Fund, and $10,000 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Eric Fehrnstrom, a spokesman for Romney, said the governor doesn't make donations for political reasons.
``Governor Romney's support of civic organizations is not something he calls attention to," Fehrnstrom said. ``He does not do it for public acclaim. His charitable giving is done out of a sense of helping groups that rely on the philanthropy of others to carry out their mission."
Analysts with the Heritage Foundation worked closely with Romney in the past year to develop his healthcare initiative, which would require all Bay State residents to obtain medical insurance, a collaboration he often cites during his travels. Romney spoke at Heritage Foundation events at least three times since 2004.
The Heritage Foundation was founded in 1973 as a research and education institute dedicated to promoting ``conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense," according to the group's website. Most recently, it called for tougher immigration laws, published research that linked divorce rates and the rise in welfare applicants, and denounced calls to increase the national minimum wage.
In 2005, Heritage spokesman Brian Philips said, the foundation collected more than $35 million in donations, including $9.5 million from foundations like Romney's. He declined to comment on the Romney donation.
The Federalist Society, a conservative legal group, hosted Romney in November 2005 when he delivered a speech blasting the Supreme Judicial Court for its 2003 decision in favor of gay marriage. The society's members include US Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.
The Federalist Society receives about $6 million a year in charitable donations, said Cindy Searcy, an associate development director. Romney is not a member of the Federalist Society but supports its mission, Fehrnstrom said.
``The Federalist Society is an organization of highly distinguished lawyers that includes members of the Supreme Court and the US Senate who agree with Governor Romney that judges should commit themselves to the rule of law and not legislate from the bench," Fehrnstrom said.
Peggy Riley, a spokeswoman for the IRS in New England, said donations from Romney's foundation to groups like the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society are legal as long as the groups do not participate in political campaign activities.
Tax specialists interviewed this week said the donations could help Romney with conservative activists.
``There is a political interest here that says why is Mitt Romney now giving his money to the Heritage Foundation and what is he trying to accomplish?" said Donald Tobin, an associate professor of law at Ohio State University. ``But if I were a Republican candidate, it would absolutely make sense to give money to organizations that would promote issues I support."
The Romneys established the Ann D. and Mitt Romney Charitable Foundation in 1993. It was renamed the Tyler Charitable Foundation in 2003 , after a street in Belmont, where the Romneys live. The foundation has donated more than $2.9 million to more than 40 healthcare groups, schools, and other charitable organizations since 1999, including $2.2 million to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to a Globe review of IRS documents that are publicly available. 