[2] The Vanguard Public Foundation established in 1972 by a group of inheritors of corporate fortunes, including Obie Benz, Peter Stern[citation needed], Christine Russell, Maggie Roth, Penny Gerbode, and Daisy Paradis.
[1][2] Further, as reported by American Greed,[4] a show on CNBC, Cohen had already been forced out of Ecast and was no longer affiliated with the company by the time he had become involved with Dillon.
[2][3][5] Vanguard's grant making put money into social movement causes, often before they became politically acceptable and often to organizations and actions that were never going to generate mainstream support.
[citation needed] Provided grant support, access to professional consultants, and skills workshops for community-based organizations that focused on environmental justice and other health-related problems in the Central Valley of California.
[1] Among the groups that received Vanguard grants:[1][6] Their focus on projects often before they became politically acceptable attracted negative attention from conservative pundits.
[1] Largely modeled on Vanguard are the Haymarket People's Fund in Boston, Massachusetts and the Liberty Hill Foundation in Santa Monica, California.