The Next Layer

A Scott Friedman + ChatGPT inquiry

September 27, 2026

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Scott: Who funds EWG.org? It smells wrong.

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ChatGPT

Yeah — there are some legitimate reasons to look closely at EWG's funding, although I wouldn't jump from that to “EWG is secretly funded by industry” based on the records I found.

Here’s what stands out:

• EWG says roughly half of its 2024 revenue came from individuals, about a third from private foundations, with the rest from licensing/consulting, events and other sources. (Environmental Working Group)
• The most striking item is Foundation for the Carolinas, which gave EWG about $13.8 million across five grants from 2020–2024. That's an unusually large concentration of funding from one source. (Inspiring Generosity)
• Those grants were $4M in 2023 and $4M in 2024, according to the underlying grant records. (Inspiring Generosity)
• Other substantial funders include Freedom Together Foundation ($3M), Marisla Foundation ($1.8M), Boston Foundation ($1.8M), Vanguard Charitable ($1.6M), Yellow Chair Foundation ($1.6M) and Walton Family Foundation ($1.3M) over 2019–2025. (Inspiring Generosity)
• EWG also receives money through donor-advised funds, which can make the ultimate individual donor less transparent. Foundation for the Carolinas is explicitly identified as a donor-advised-fund sponsor in the grant data. (Inspiring Generosity)

And there's an interesting wrinkle: EWG itself says it accepts some corporate support, including through its EWG VERIFIED licensing program, but says it doesn't accept programmatic funding from companies in industries whose products it evaluates, or payment for product ratings. (Environmental Working Group)

So if your reaction is “something about this organization feels financially/politically loaded,” that's not an unreasonable question. The funding isn't simply “ordinary grassroots donations.” There is substantial foundation money, some very large grants, and donor-advised-fund money.

But I'd want to answer the more interesting question: who ultimately sits behind that $13.8M from Foundation for the Carolinas, and whether any of EWG's major funders have financial interests that could benefit from EWG's positions.

That's where we can determine whether the smell you're noticing is actually there.

• Sources for this answer (5)