As the long-delayed Obama Presidential Center barrels toward its long-awaited opening in Chicago, new federal tax filings are putting a spotlight on the people running the operation—and the hefty salaries some of them are collecting along the way.
At the center of the scrutiny is Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett, one of former President Barack Obama’s closest longtime advisors. According to newly reviewed filings, Jarrett was paid about $740,000 in total compensation in 2024, placing her at the top of the pay scale among leaders of major presidential foundations.
The Obama Foundation is responsible for operating the massive 19.3-acre Obama Presidential Center, an $850 million project rising on publicly owned parkland in Chicago’s Jackson Park. When it opens, the campus will include a museum, an athletic center, and a public library branch—though notably it will not function as a traditional presidential library overseen by the National Archives.
The filings show the organization’s payroll has ballooned over the past several years. Total salaries and benefits jumped from roughly $18.5 million in 2018 to $43.7 million in 2024. During that same period, the foundation’s workforce expanded to 337 employees, while annual revenue climbed to nearly $210 million.
Jarrett’s compensation exceeds the reported pay of several other presidential foundation leaders. The George W. Bush Presidential Center reported CEO pay of about $661,000 in 2024, while leaders at the Carter Center and the Reagan Foundation typically earn in the $500,000 range. The Clinton Foundation’s most recent filings place its CEO compensation below $500,000.
Today, Michelle and I are proud to announce that we will be hosting the dedication ceremony for the Obama Presidential Center on June 18th in Chicago, and welcoming the public on June 19th.
We can’t wait for you to visit. Go to https://t.co/swMRHuB5Y4 to learn more. pic.twitter.com/8mcbWjs6cz
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 7, 2026
Several other top earners at the Obama Foundation also have deep ties to the former president’s administration.
David Simas, who served as Obama’s White House political director, earned as much as $626,000 annually while leading the foundation from 2017 through 2020. Adewale Adeyemo, another former Obama administration official who later became deputy Treasury secretary under President Joe Biden, earned roughly $540,000 during his time as the foundation’s first president.
Two additional Obama-era insiders—Anne Filipic, a former White House public engagement official, and Christina Tchen, who served as chief of staff to Michelle Obama—each earned roughly $400,000 annually in senior roles. Michael Strautmanis, another former campaign and White House aide, has earned more than $300,000 per year.
Critics say the concentration of former administration figures in high-paying roles raises legitimate questions about transparency and governance.
Illinois GOP Chairman Kathy Salvi blasted the salaries, telling Fox News that the numbers reflect what she described as the state’s entrenched political culture. She accused Democratic insiders of “living their best lives” while overseeing what she mocked as the “ugliest building in Chicago.”
Charity governance experts say political connections alone do not prove wrongdoing—but they do raise the stakes for transparency. Laurie Styron, CEO of the nonprofit watchdog group CharityWatch, noted that politically connected nonprofits face heightened scrutiny when multiple top executives previously served in the same administration.
Still, the Obama Foundation insists its compensation packages are in line with industry standards. In a statement, the organization said executive pay is determined using outside compensation consultants and comparisons with similarly sized nonprofits.
The foundation also points out that its leaders earn far less than executives at some of the nation’s largest philanthropic institutions. CEOs at the Rockefeller and Mellon foundations earned more than $1.4 million in 2023, while leaders at the Ford and MacArthur foundations took home about $1.29 million.
Those organizations, however, manage enormous endowments. The Ford Foundation alone controls roughly $16 billion in assets, while Mellon and MacArthur each oversee more than $8 billion.
The Obama Foundation reported about $1.1 billion in total assets at the end of 2024, though much of that figure is tied to construction costs and restricted funds related to the presidential center project.
The foundation has pledged to build a $470 million endowment to support long-term operations. So far, however, public filings indicate that only about $1 million has been deposited into that fund.
With the center scheduled to open in June and another 150 jobs expected to be added, the financial spotlight on the foundation—and the powerful figures running it—is only likely to grow.
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