Income inequality at Obama Foundation, as brass thrives and rank and file seeks union

FIRST ON FOX: The beleaguered Obama Foundation has an income inequality problem: While half of its employees earn six-figure salaries, led by CEO Valerie Jarrett at $771,000, dozens at the other end of the scale are fighting for union representation.

The workplace disparity comes to light just as Fox News Digital reported that the long-delayed — nearly triple the original estimate for the Chicago facility. The Obama Foundation, former President Barack Obama's private nonprofit, reported 172 employees receiving more than $100,000 in salary in its 2025 tax filing — roughly half its 342 reported employees.

Jarrett, one of former President Barack Obama's closest advisors and a former senior White House official, has led the Obama Foundation since 2021, overseeing the final years of construction of the Presidential Center on Chicago's South Side.

Her total pay rose by around $15,500 from 2024 and she is one of at least four of the nonprofit's 10 highest-paid executives with previous ties to the Obama White House or campaign.

"The Foundation pays our employees rates that are competitive with the market," Emily Bittner, the Obama Foundation's vice president of communications, told Fox News Digital. "We have more than 500 employees worldwide, roughly 300 of whom are based at the Center."

The current workforce of more than 500 is substantially larger than the 342 employees reported in the Obama Foundation's 2025 tax filing, which covers the year ending nearly six months before the Presidential Center opened in June. The nonprofit did not provide an updated payroll breakdown.

The Obama Foundation saw its annual payroll and benefits bill come in at $50.4 million in 2025, soaring from $18.5 million in 2018. The nonprofit brought in approximately $159 million in revenue last year, of which nearly $151 million consisted of contributions and grants.

The spending surge came as the Obama Foundation expanded its leadership and civic programs at home and abroad while racing to finish the beleaguered Presidential Center. The sprawling 19.3-acre campus sits on publicly owned parkland in Chicago's Jackson Park.

Brian Mittendorf, an accounting professor at Ohio State University who specializes in nonprofit finances, said the proportion of Obama Foundation employees earning more than $100,000 stood out compared with a typical nonprofit, but noted that the organization relies heavily on specialized staff.

"That's clearly higher percentage than your average nonprofit," Mittendorf told Fox News Digital. "But here we're dealing with a nonprofit that's probably very expertise heavy. It's very heavy on like the think tank side. And as you look at a think tank, it would look very differently than say a local food bank."

Mittendorf said the Obama Foundation's employees likely possess specialized skills that could command substantial pay elsewhere.

"So it does reflect that a lot of their employees are ones that they would consider having an outside opportunity that would justify them getting paid at that level," he said. "Like I said, it is atypical for a standard nonprofit, but probably not that unusual for a nonprofit of its type."

The Obama Foundation also reported a higher proportion of employees receiving more than $100,000 than five other presidential nonprofits examin