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In response to The Almanac’s Public Records Act request, the town of Atherton agreed to disclose records relating to a then-anonymous donation it received for three new police motorcycles along with previous anonymous donations. Atherton initially declined to disclose the donor citing the request for anonymity, but after meeting with legal counsel, reversed course and provided the records on May 2.
The $180,000 came from the Koum Family Foundation, created by WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum. Koum is an Atherton resident and billionaire. According to Internal Revenue Service filings in December 2023, his foundation had over $2 billion in assets. The foundation has previously focused on donations to jewish community organizations, including a legal group that is suing Menlo-Atherton High School.
As part of its request, The Almanac received email conversations between town and police staff and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which organized the donation on behalf of Koum. The Koum Family Foundation is a donor-advised fund run by SVCF.
The Silicon Valley Community Foundation has previously made contributions to the Embarcadero Media Foundation, the parent company of The Almanac. These funds did not come from the Koum Foundation.
The Koum Foundation never requested anonymity in email conversations or the grant agreement. The Koum Foundation initially approached Atherton Chief of Police Steve McCulley on April 2 about a potential grant of $180,000 to purchase motorcycles. McCulley had a phone call the same day with a foundation official, however the discussions during the phone call were not disclosed.
McCulley did not respond to requests for comment.
SVCF declined to comment. Atherton Deputy City Manager Anthony Suber, who originally told The Almanac that Koem requested anonymity, declined to confirm how Koum made that request or provide additional information.
The initial email from SVCF states that the grant is made “in honor of the Redwood Support Group.”
According to the California Secretary of State’s website, only one organization is registered under that name, Redwood Support Group Incorporated. Redwood Support Group Inc. has three licenses from the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, which issues licenses to private security companies.
Redwood Support Group has a license for private patrols, private investigations and a firearms training facility.
Other donations
As part of The Almanac’s request, this news organization obtained records about other donations.
Atherton has a five-year commitment from Goldman Sachs’ corporate giving program, starting in 2024, for $40,000 annually in donations to support a police officer nutrition program and training in “perishable skills.” The program is funded by Goldman Sachs’ corporate funds and is allocated based on recommendations from employees.
The California Commission on Police Officer Training requires police officers receive a combined 20 hours of training across five categories of perishable skills every two years. The skills include tactical firearms, driving, arrests, communications and use of force.
Goldman Sachs’ letter awarding the grant does not mention anonymity as a condition of the grant.
Atherton also received $195,000 in 2023 and $200,000 in 2024 from the Schwab Charitable Fund, which according to its website, is a donor advised fund into which individuals can donate and select where their funds go. The $195,000 donation was used for an officer wellness program, as previously reported.
Policy
Neither Atherton nor the Atherton Police Department have an official policy on anonymous donations, The city only requires that officers direct citizens interested in a donation to the chief of police.
Menlo Park also does not seem to have a policy on donations to the city, although it did benefit from Schwab’s $195,000 donation for wellness. Menlo Park police was not immediately available for comment.
