Part of the reason for the high rate of giving is Romneys contributions to the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon church. According to the church, members are expected to tithe 10 percent of their income. In Romneys case, in 2010 he gave $1.5 million, closer to 7 percent of his adjusted gross income. In 2011, he gave $2.6 million, or 12.4 percent of his income.
But Romney and his wife also gave a considerable amount of money some $1.5 million in 2010 and $500,000 in 2011 to other charities, mainly through the Tyler Charitable Foundation, apparently named for a street Romney and his wife lived on in
Belmont, Mass. In 2010, the foundation had more than $10 million in assets.
In 2010, the largest beneficiaries of the Tyler Charitable Foundation included the Mormon Church ($145,000), the Friends of
George W. Bush Library ($100,000), and the Center for Treatment of Pediatric MS ($75,000). However, the foundation also made contributions to organizations including the US Equestrian Team Foundation ($10,000),
Harvard Business School ($10,000), and Homes for Our Troops ($20,000).
In past years, some of Romneys contributions have gone to conservative groups such as the
Heritage Foundation, the Becket Fund (for religious rights legal aid), and the
Federalist Society, which seeks reform of the current legal system. In 2007, he wrote a check to Citizens for Limited Taxation, a
Marblehead, Mass., organization that strives to limit taxes and the size of government.
