Donald Friese
American businessman (born 1940)
Source: Wikidata — retrieved 7/12/2026 (wikidata)
Profile Summary
Donald Friese is an American businessman (born 1940) based in California and associated with the manufacturing industry, with an estimated net worth of ~$1.0B. Wikidata
Philanthropy
ProPublica-reported 2023 filings list three foundations connected to the Friese name with combined assets of $65,837,766 and total grants paid of $0. The Friese Foundation (Chatsworth, CA) reported $59,874,759 in assets, $2,078,999 in revenue, $5,780,712 in expenses, and $0 grants paid in tax year 2023. The Friesen Foundation (Redding, CA) reported $5,963,007 in assets, $1,070,892 in revenue, $84,297 in expenses, and $0 grants paid in tax year 2023. ProPublica 990
Political Activity
FEC data shows 100 contributions totaling $1,724,014.19 from 2024-04-05 to 2025-08-22. The largest reported recipients were AMERICA FUND ($1,000,000), NRCC ($217,500), FRIENDS OF KENNEDY ($75,000), TED CRUZ VICTORY FUND ($58,800), and NRSC ($51,600). By category, the reported breakdown was REP $551,493.69, PAC/Other $1,165,920.50, and NNE $6,600. FEC
U.S. Presence
Philanthropy
Political Contributions
By Party
Top Recipients
Score Breakdown
The PBS is a weighted average of 2 components. The formula is open and versioned — the weight percentages below show how much each component contributes to the final score.
Evidenced charitable giving — built on what they actually give each year, not parked assets. Dominated by generosity (annual giving relative to net worth — the share of your fortune you give), plus the absolute scale of that giving, plus a small nudge for signing the Giving Pledge (a commitment, not a realized action).
Data: ProPublica 990 charitable disbursements, net worth, The Giving Pledge registry
How much sourced, public accountability data exists — net worth, political contributions, SEC filings, foundation 990s, news coverage, and a verified profile. More public disclosure scores higher.
Data: FEC, SEC EDGAR, ProPublica 990s, GDELT / NewsAPI, Wikidata
Formula (v2): PBS = 65% x Philanthropy + 35% x Transparency
Scored on 6/23/2026 on a 0–100 scale. The score uses only the signals we have populated data for. Goal Impact, Controversy, and Community Approval are deferred until that data exists — Phase 1 goal adoption, controversy detection, and community votes respectively.
All data is sourced from public records. Each section links to its original source. View on Wikidata