Kuhn Foundation
The Kuhn Foundation was a private operating foundation that served as the fiscal vehicle for Epstein-funded PBS science programming, while its founder's parallel role as a long-standing US-China intermediary provided Epstein access to geopolitical analysis of Chinese leadership.
The Kuhn Foundation (EIN 33-0783933) is a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation established in 1999 by Robert Lawrence Kuhn to produce Closer To Truth, a long-running PBS science series. Registered at 723 Euclid St, Unit B, Santa Monica, CA 90402, the foundation held $9–12 million in assets at Morgan Stanley SmithBarney and was run as a family enterprise — Kuhn as president (25 hrs/week), with his wife Dora as vice president, sons Aaron and Adam as VP and CFO, and daughter Daniella as secretary, all at zero compensation. Its sole program was CTT television production. Between August 2017 and June 2018, the foundation received $650,000 from Gratitude America Ltd, Jeffrey Epstein’s USVI-registered private foundation funded primarily by Leon Black’s $10 million donation.
The Epstein money entered a dedicated sub-account Kuhn created specifically for the purpose: “Kuhn Foundation CTT JE – Radical Breakthroughs,” where “JE” stood for Jeffrey Epstein. The funds supported a 13-episode PBS season called Radical Breakthroughs, covering topics from mathematical truth to consciousness. Epstein shaped episode content directly, directing which topics to cut and proposing new ones. Kuhn deliberately kept Epstein’s sponsorship secret from PBS, assessed which scientists were “safe” for Epstein to meet, and simultaneously provided Epstein real-time analysis of Chinese and Middle Eastern leadership dynamics drawn from Kuhn’s three decades as an advisor to the Chinese government and host on CGTN state television.
The Kuhn Foundation connected two dimensions of Epstein’s interests: science-media funding through PBS programming, and access to geopolitical analysis through Kuhn’s dual role as media host and advisor to Chinese leadership. The foundation’s established scale ($9–12M in assets, two decades of CTT production) gave the Epstein funding the appearance of ordinary philanthropic support, while the dedicated “JE” sub-account, the secrecy protocols, and the temporal coincidence of the first wire with a Belt and Road discussion suggest the relationship extended beyond standard philanthropy. At least 20 documented meetings occurred between Epstein and Kuhn from October 2016 through June 2019 — the last just 23 days before Epstein’s arrest.
Corporate Identity and Structure
The Kuhn Foundation is a California-based 501(c)(3) private operating foundation (EIN 33-0783933) with an IRS ruling date of April 29, 1999. It is classified under NTEE code A99 (Arts, Culture & Humanities) and registered at 723 Euclid St, Unit B, Santa Monica, CA 90402. A second address — 357 Waverly Dr, Pasadena, CA 91105 — appears in Gratitude America correspondence and may be Robert Lawrence Kuhn’s personal residence used for grant paperwork.
As a private operating foundation, the Kuhn Foundation makes zero outgoing grants. It operates programs directly — specifically, the production of Closer To Truth (CTT), a PBS television series exploring science, philosophy, and consciousness that has aired since 2000. Under this structure, the foundation’s annual 990-PF filings consistently show a single program activity (CTT production) and $0 officer compensation. End-of-year 2018 assets totaled $12,075,165, held primarily at Morgan Stanley SmithBarney, with a small $66,895 position in Sealantis Ltd, an Israeli biotech company. The foundation’s accountant is William H. Hranchak of Temo Arjani LLP, Pasadena. The family governance structure — five Kuhn family members filling all officer positions at zero compensation — means the foundation functioned as Robert Kuhn’s production vehicle for CTT.
Epstein Financial Flows
The financial relationship began with a February 15, 2017 exchange in which Epstein asked Kuhn: “is it a charity that received the funding?” Kuhn responded by sending the IRS tax-exempt determination letter, establishing the Kuhn Foundation as the fiscal conduit months before any money moved. On July 31, 2017, Epstein replied to a Kuhn email about China’s “Belt and Road” initiative with: “details of where to wire money?” The next day, August 1, 2017, Kuhn sent formal wiring instructions for a newly created sub-account: “Kuhn Foundation CTT JE – Radical Breakthroughs,” described as “dedicated to our project, to facilitate monitoring use of funds.” The first wire — $150,000 from Gratitude America — landed that same day.
The second tranche came on June 14, 2018, when Epstein wrote to his financial manager Richard Kahn: “robert kuhn we need to send 600k from foundation. remind me torow.” Kahn confirmed the prior $150K had been sent on 8/1/2017 and asked about paperwork, referencing Darren Indyke. By June 15, Epstein revised the amount downward: “send 500k today.” Total confirmed Gratitude America disbursements: $650,000 ($150K + $500K). The 2018 IRS 990 XML for Gratitude America (EIN 66-0789697) confirms the $500,000 grant on Schedule I.
In 2018, the Kuhn Foundation reported $1,216,825 in contributions (line 1) — a sharp increase over prior years when contributions were negligible and revenue came primarily from investment returns ($233K–$793K annually in 2011–2013). The $500K Gratitude America grant represented 41% of total 2018 contributions. The foundation spent $1,339,333 on CTT production that year, with its only external grant being $17,500 to KOCE-TV Foundation, a PBS station in Los Angeles. A March 2019 email from Kuhn revealed that JEVIF (Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation) was the true underwriting source, with Kuhn writing about optimizing “for JEVI Foundation as well as CTT.” Epstein separately confirmed to Gretchen Buhlig: “the formal name is jevi the name on the check was enhanced foundation.”
Secrecy Protocols and Reputational Management
A March 27–28, 2019 email thread documents the secrecy strategy Kuhn maintained around Epstein’s sponsorship of CTT Radical Breakthroughs. Kuhn wrote to Epstein: “My original thinking was to keep your/JEVIF underwriting/sponsor relatively secret until the shows are broadcast — then, after all see our CTT Breakthroughs full season of 13 episodes… we will be in a strong position to go public and be proud.” He explicitly warned: “I worry that someone might tell their girlfriend or cousin, who could try to make a problem with PBS.”
Kuhn’s risk management extended to curating which scientists Epstein could safely meet. He advised Epstein to meet mathematician Gregory Chaitin one-on-one but specifically excluded Danny Chamovitz because “his new position as president of Ben Gurion University might make him nervous.” Kuhn appears to have recognized that a university president associating with a convicted sex offender would create institutional blowback that could jeopardize the production. The pattern indicates Kuhn acted as a reputational gatekeeper, managing which scientists could safely interact with Epstein without triggering public scrutiny.
Epstein also exercised editorial influence over the series. He actively shaped content, directing Kuhn to “cut 11 12 and 13. add, antibiotics and their cognitive impacts.” He rejected topics he found unsatisfying (“did not like multi verse and sensience. seems more blahblah”) and proposed his own (“do we dream all day, can we use music as an insight into the brain that produced it, mathematics relies on truth, biology relies on deception”). The combination of a dedicated “JE” sub-account, concealment from PBS, and direct content direction placed Epstein’s involvement closer to that of an undisclosed production partner than a conventional philanthropic donor.
The China Intelligence Channel
Robert Lawrence Kuhn has extensive connections to Chinese leadership. According to his biography in the Epstein files 1, Kuhn has advised the Chinese government for over 30 years, authored the official biography of President Jiang Zemin (China’s best-selling book in 2005), spoke at the launch of Xi Jinping’s Governance of China, hosts Closer to China with R.L. Kuhn on CGTN (Chinese state television), and was interviewed 24 times on CNN and BBC during the 19th CPC Congress alone. In December 2018, Xi Jinping awarded Kuhn the China Reform Friendship Medal — one of ten given to foreign nationals.
This geopolitical access ran in parallel with the science-media relationship. Kuhn regularly sent Epstein analysis of Chinese politics, Belt and Road strategy, Trump-era trade tensions, Xi’s power consolidation, and North Korea developments. The first $150K payment coincided with a Belt and Road email exchange: Epstein’s “details of where to wire money?” came as a direct reply to Kuhn’s China briefing. On November 9, 2016, Kuhn emailed Epstein from Beijing about the Trump election: “You are a prophet… I forgot to congratulate you on winning your l000000ng-odds bet on Trump with Woody. Everyone I know, including me, would have bet against you.”
The overlap of science-media funding and geopolitical briefings through a single relationship gave Kuhn a distinctive role in Epstein’s network. The Kuhn Foundation funded the PBS production, while the China analysis ran through the same personal channel. Kuhn’s regular CGTN appearances and absence of FARA registration, combined with the China Reform Friendship Medal from Xi and the interleaving of China analysis with PBS funding discussions, leave the full scope of information flowing through this channel undetermined. Epstein’s October 4, 2016 schedule placed Kuhn alongside Leon Black, Vitaly Churkin (Russian UN Ambassador who died months later), and Peter Thiel — spanning finance, diplomacy, and technology on a single day’s schedule.
Scientist Brokerage Network
The Radical Breakthroughs series also functioned as a channel through which Kuhn brokered introductions between Epstein and scientists. The production team — Kuhn as host/writer and Peter Getzels as producer/director — assembled a roster of interviewees that overlapped substantially with Epstein’s existing science network. Key scientists included Misha Gromov (mathematician, added to the series in December 2017), Giulio Tononi (consciousness researcher, Integrated Information Theory), Gregory Chaitin (algorithmic information theory), Paul Davies (physicist), V.S. Ramachandran (neuroscientist), Danny Chamovitz (plant biology, president of Ben Gurion University), and Martin Nowak of Harvard’s Program for Evolutionary Dynamics — Epstein’s longest-running academic affiliation.
Several of these scientists were independently connected to Epstein before appearing on the series. Gromov and Nowak in particular had pre-existing Epstein relationships. The April 6, 2019 meeting at Epstein’s residence included Kuhn, Chaitin (with wife and infant), and producer Getzels. In May–June 2019, Kuhn conducted filming interviews in Boston, including with Nowak, then returned to New York — just weeks before Epstein’s July 6 arrest. Epstein’s calendar shows Kuhn meetings frequently scheduled alongside other contacts: the December 1, 2018 entry reads “10:00am Appt w/Misha Gromov, 12:00pm Appt w/Robert Kuhn, 12:30pm Appt w/Vincenzo Lozze, 2:00pm Go See Kathy Ruemmler’s NEW Apartment, 5:00pm Appt w/Richard Axel.” At least 20 documented meetings between Epstein and Kuhn occurred from October 2016 through June 2019, averaging roughly one meeting per six weeks over a 32-month period.
All Connections
7 total
All Connections
7 totalKuhn Foundation (Pasadena CA) received $650,000 from GA: $150K in 2017 and $500K in 2018. Second largest cumulative recipient. Relationship between Epstein and Kuhn Foundation needs investigation.
Gratitude America granted $150,000 to Kuhn Foundation in 2017 and $500,000 in 2018 (total $650,000) per 990-PF filings
Robert Lawrence Kuhn is President of The Kuhn Foundation (EIN 33-0783933), devoting 25 hours/week. Foundation run as family enterprise: Dora Kuhn (VP), Aaron Kuhn (VP, NYC), Adam Kuhn (CFO), Daniella Kuhn (Secretary). All at $0 compensation. Foundation's sole program is Closer To Truth (CTT), created and hosted by Kuhn.
Finding #157: Summers asked Epstein for financial advice on cryptocurrency tax avoidance (Jan 8, 2018). Summers wrote: 'This is for me in a minor way and for a pal
Finding #357: Walker told Epstein she was instructed by 'the inner circle' not to communicate with him (post-2008 conviction), and would be 'in deep trouble' if she
Finding #372: Michael Wolff (Epstein's PR strategist, 303 emails) drafted narrative for publication: 'It is Bill Gates who at the end of the summer began prodding E
Gratitude America (Epstein-controlled, funded by Leon Black $10M) sent $650K to The Kuhn Foundation: $150K on 8/1/2017 and $500K in June 2018 for 'Closer To Truth' PBS series.
All Findings
20 total
All Findings
20 totalfinancial (8)
The Kuhn Foundation (EIN 33-0783933) has $9-12M in assets as a private operating foundation - indicating it is a substantial entity well beyond Epstein's $650K contribution. The foundation was established in 1999 (matching Kuhn's statement). It is classified as NTEE A99 (Arts). It also produces 'Closer To Truth' PBS series, which has aired since 2000. The Epstein funding was for specific new series ('Radical Breakthroughs', 'Science of Sleep and Dreams'), not general operating support.
The Kuhn Foundation (EIN 33-0783933) is a private operating foundation at 723 Euclid St Unit B, Santa Monica CA 90402, ruling date 1999-04-29. Officers (all /bin/zsh compensation): Dr Robert Kuhn (President, 25hrs/wk), Dora Kuhn (VP), Aaron Kuhn (VP, 245 W 107th St Apt 4B NYC 10024), Adam Kuhn (CFO), Daniella Kuhn (Secretary). Total assets end-2018: $12,075,165 at Morgan Stanley SmithBarney. Also holds $66,895 in Sealantis Ltd (Israeli biotech). Accountant: William H Hranchak, Temo Arjani LLP, 301 E Colorado Blvd Ste 426, Pasadena CA 91101.
ProPublica 990 confirms The Kuhn Foundation (EIN 33-0783933) is a substantial private operating foundation with $9-12M in assets (2011-2023), annual expenses of $1-2.5M. The foundation makes ZERO outgoing grants - it operates programs directly (private operating foundation status). It filed 990-PF forms annually. The IRS 990 XML confirms Gratitude America Ltd (EIN 66-0789697) granted $500,000 to the Kuhn Foundation in tax year 2018. The $150K in 2017 may not appear in Schedule I because Gratitude America's 2017 filing is not yet ingested.
On Feb 15, 2017, Epstein asked Kuhn 'is it a charity that received the funding?' establishing the initial financial due diligence. Kuhn responded with the IRS tax-exempt determination letter: '501(c)(3) - private operating foundation - The Kuhn Foundation, which I set up in 1999 to support Closer To Truth. IRS letter attached.' This exchange occurred BEFORE the first Gratitude America wire ($150K on 8/1/2017), showing the foundation as fiscal conduit was deliberately established. The Kuhn Foundation 990-PF consistently shows $0 officer compensation and sole program being CTT production, confirming it exists primarily as a pass-through for TV production funding.
Epstein asked Kuhn 'details of where to wire money?' on Jul 31, 2017 (EFTA02641395), in response to a Kuhn email about China 'Belt and Road.' The next day (Aug 1, 2017), Kuhn sent formal wiring instructions for the Kuhn Foundation sub-account. The $150K from Gratitude America was wired on 8/1/2017. This suggests the initial CTT funding may have been triggered by or connected to the Belt and Road discussion.
Robert Lawrence Kuhn created a dedicated sub-account 'Kuhn Foundation CTT JE - Radical Breakthroughs' under his 501(c)(3) private operating foundation (EIN 33-0783933, est. 1999) to receive Epstein funding. Wiring instructions sent Aug 1, 2017. The sub-account was specifically 'dedicated to our project, to facilitate monitoring use of funds.'
In 2018, the Kuhn Foundation received $1,216,825 in contributions (line 1), including $500,000 from Gratitude America Ltd (confirmed via IRS 990 XML Schedule I). The foundation spent $1,339,333 on its sole program: Closer To Truth (CTT) television production. Only external grant was $17,500 to KOCE-TV Foundation (PBS station, 10100 Santa Monica Blvd No 1070, Los Angeles CA 90067). The $1.2M+ in contributions versus the normal $0 contribution years (2011-2013 showed $233K-$793K revenue, mostly investment) indicates the Epstein money significantly augmented the foundation's operating budget.
Epstein personally directed Richard Kahn to wire $600K from Gratitude America to Kuhn Foundation on Jun 14, 2018, writing 'robert kuhn we need to send 600k from foundation. remind me torow.' Kahn confirmed $150K had already been sent on 8/1/2017 from Gratitude. Epstein then revised the amount downward to $500K the same day (Jun 15, 2018), writing 'send 500k today.' Total confirmed: $650K ($150K + $500K).
communication (1)
Documented Epstein-Kuhn meeting timeline: Oct 4, 2016 (same day as Leon Black TBD, Vitaly Churkin TBD, Peter Thiel TBD); Oct 7, 2016; Nov 9, 2016 (Kuhn emails from Beijing: 'You are a prophet' re Trump win, 'Quite extraordinary'); Jan 22, 2017 (Kuhn arrives NY from DC inauguration); Feb 9, 2017; Jun 15, 2017 (breakfast 9am); Jul-Aug 2017 (multiple); Nov 29, 2017 (same day as Gromov, Chopra); Jan 5, 2018; Dec 1, 2018 (noon - same day as Gromov 10am, Lozze 12:30, Ruemmler 2pm, Axel 5pm); Jan 9, 2019; Apr 6, 2019 (with Chaitin + Getzels); May-Jun 2019 (Boston filming with Nowak, then NY). At least 20+ documented meetings Oct 2016-Jun 2019.
relationship (4)
Robert Kuhn described the Kuhn Foundation as: '501(c)(3) - private operating foundation - The Kuhn Foundation, which I set up in 1999 to support Closer To Truth. IRS letter attached.' Foundation address: 723 Euclid St Apt B, Santa Monica CA 90402 (ProPublica) / 357 Waverly Dr, Pasadena CA 91105 (990 filing). Assets: $9-12M (2011-2023). Revenue $550K-2.4M annually. NTEE code A99 (Arts/Culture). Phone: (818) 519-7586.
Epstein funded 'Closer To Truth - Radical Breakthroughs' TV series: 13-episode season on PBS stations exploring math, science, consciousness. Kuhn proposed initial 'Science of Sleep and Dreams' series (Jan 2017) then pivoted to 'Radical Breakthroughs' (late 2017). Episodes covered: mathematical truth, power laws, plant biology, strong emergence, deception in biology, evolution, consciousness (Tononi's IIT), dreams. Epstein actively shaped content: 'cut 11 12 and 13. add, antibiotics and their cognitive impacts.' Gromov added Dec 2017.
Robert Lawrence Kuhn is a US-China intermediary with extraordinary access to Chinese leadership. Biography in Epstein files identifies him as: advisor to Chinese government for 30+ years, author of Jiang Zemin biography (China's best-selling book 2005), wrote introduction for CPC book series, host of 'Closer to China with R.L. Kuhn' on CGTN (Chinese state TV), senior commentator on CGTN. Described as 'investment banker, business consultant, brain scientist and philosopher.' Spoke at launch of Xi Jinping's 'Governance of China,' introduced Xi as 'core' of CPC to foreign audiences. Interviewed 24 times on CNN/BBC for 19th CPC Congress alone.
CTT Radical Breakthroughs production team: Robert Lawrence Kuhn (host/writer), Peter Getzels (producer/director). Key scientists interviewed or planned: Misha Gromov (mathematician), Giulio Tononi (consciousness/IIT), Gregory Chaitin (algorithmic information theory), Paul Davies (physicist), VS Ramachandran (neuroscientist), Danny Chamovitz (plant biology, Ben Gurion Univ president), Martin Nowak (Harvard evolutionary dynamics - Epstein's program), Patrick McNamara (Boston Univ sleep researcher). Several of these are also independently connected to Epstein.
intelligence (5)
SYNTHESIS: Robert Lawrence Kuhn served dual roles for Epstein: (1) intellectual legitimacy via PBS science programming (Closer to Truth / Radical Breakthroughs), and (2) real-time geopolitical intelligence channel to Chinese and potentially Saudi leadership. The $650K from Gratitude America (Leon Black money) funded a dedicated 'CTT JE - Radical Breakthroughs' sub-account. Kuhn actively managed Epstein's reputational risk, keeping JEVIF sponsorship secret from PBS and assessing which scientists were 'safe' to meet. 15+ meetings Oct 2016-Jun 2019, continuing 23 days before arrest. Kuhn also served as scientist broker, connecting Epstein to Gromov, Chaitin, Axel, Tononi. The Belt and Road timing of the first $150K payment, Kuhn's China Reform Friendship Medal from Xi Jinping (2018), and absence of FARA registration despite CGTN work raise intelligence questions. Oct 4, 2016 schedule places Kuhn alongside Leon Black, Vitaly Churkin (Russian UN Ambassador), and Peter Thiel.
Kuhn's Mar 2019 email reveals JEVIF (Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation) was the funding source, not just Gratitude America. Kuhn wrote about optimizing 'for JEVI Foundation as well as CTT.' This confirms JEVIF underwrote the series. Separately, Epstein told Gretchen Buhlig (Jan 7, 2019): 'the formal name is jevi the name on the check was enhanced foundation.' JEVIF and Enhanced Education Foundation appear to be overlapping or co-named entities in Epstein's USVI nonprofit architecture.
Critical Mar 27-28, 2019 email thread reveals Kuhn's deliberate secrecy strategy for Epstein's sponsorship of CTT Radical Breakthroughs. Kuhn wrote: 'My original thinking was to keep your/JEVIF underwriting/sponsor relatively secret until the shows are broadcast - then, after all see our CTT Breakthroughs full season of 13 episodes... we will be in a strong position to go public and be proud.' He warned: 'I worry that someone might tell their girlfriend or cousin, who could try to make a problem with PBS.' He advised Epstein to meet Chaitin one-on-one but NOT Chamovitz because 'his new position as president of Ben Gurion University might make him nervous.'
Epstein's response to Kuhn demonstrates personal engagement with science content beyond mere patronage. Epstein wrote: 'do we dream all day, can we use music as an insight into the brain that produced it, mathematics relies on truth, biology relies on deception, probability and why it is not intuitive, do we talk to ourselves using an encrypted signal.' He also rejected topics: 'did not like multi verse and sensience. seems more blahblah.' This is consistent with Epstein's pattern of active intellectual engagement with funded scientists.
The Kuhn-Epstein relationship has a dual-track nature: (1) Science/media track: CTT Radical Breakthroughs PBS series funded via Gratitude America/JEVIF, and (2) China/geopolitics track: Kuhn is one of the most connected Americans to Chinese leadership, hosted shows on Chinese state TV (CGTN), and sent Epstein regular China analysis (Belt and Road, Trump-China trade, Xi power consolidation, North Korea). Kuhn congratulated Epstein on his Trump election bet: 'I forgot to congratulate you on winning your l000000ng-odds bet on Trump with Woody. Everyone I know, including me, would have bet against you. Quite extraordinary.' This dual access - world-class scientists AND Chinese leadership - made Kuhn uniquely valuable to Epstein.
identity (2)
Robert Lawrence Kuhn confirmed The Kuhn Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation (EIN 33-0783933) he set up in 1999 to support his PBS science series 'Closer To Truth'. Kuhn opened a dedicated sub-account 'Kuhn Foundation CTT JE - Radical Breakthroughs' to receive and track Epstein funding.
The Kuhn Foundation (EIN 33-0783933) is registered at 723 Euclid St Apt B, Santa Monica CA 90402. ProPublica shows it as a 501(c)(3), NTEE code A99 (Arts), ruling date April 1999. Assets ranged from $9.3M to $12M (2011-2023). Annual expenses $1-2.4M. This is distinct from the Pasadena address (357 Waverly Dr) referenced in Gratitude America filings - the Pasadena address may be Kuhn's personal residence used for grant correspondence.