Jack Kemp Foundation to Honor Philanthropist and Entrepreneur Sean Parker
Kay Coles James, Joanne Kemp, Senator Ben Sasse, Senator Tim Scott and Ivanka Trump joining the tribute
WASHINGTON, DC – At the seventh annual Kemp Leadership Award Dinner on November 13, the Jack Kemp Foundation will honor entrepreneur and philanthropist Sean Parker for his visionary role in the enactment of Opportunity Zone legislation last year. The legislation’s key sponsor, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), will be speaking about the application of the law and the connection with Jack Kemp’s vision of bringing investment into distressed communities. Also, at the Dinner, Ivanka Trump will discuss her leadership role in Opportunity Zones, as well as the work of the Administration in championing it. In addition, Senator Ben Sasse will deliver the keynote address on the future of the American Idea.
WHAT: Jack Kemp Foundation Leadership Award Dinner
WHO: Sean Parker, Ivanka Trump, Sen. Tim Scott, Kay Coles James, Sen. Ben Sasse
WHEN: Tuesday, November 13, 6:30pm reception, 7:15pm dinner program
WHERE: Audi Field (100 Potomac Ave SW, Washington, DC 20024)
“This award dinner is a celebration of policy innovation and entrepreneurship as well as our American Idea. Capitalism without capital is nothing but an ‘ism’ and our distressed communities have received too many grants and too little investment capital,” said Jimmy Kemp, President of the Jack Kemp Foundation. “My father believed in equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome. This concept will help many distressed communities across America, and I’m so thankful that Sean Parker invested time and effort with both Democrats and Republicans to make Opportunity Zones a reality.”
During the Dinner, Heritage Foundation President Kay Coles James will posthumously present the late Jack Kemp with the Clare Boothe Luce Award, an honor established in 1991 by the Heritage Foundation in memory of Clare Boothe Luce, an American ambassador and conservative U.S. congresswoman. Kemp’s wife, Joanne, will receive the award in his honor. Past recipients of this award include President Ronald Reagan, Vice President Richard B. Cheney, Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Lady Margaret Thatcher, and William F. Buckley Jr.
# # #
About Opportunity Zones
Opportunity Zones is a federal policy that was included in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which, now signed into law, incentivizes investment in economically distressed communities with geographically-targeted private sector funds. The provision began as a standalone bill called the Investing in Opportunity Act, originally introduced by Senators Tim Scott and Cory Booker and promoted by Sean Parker and the Economic Innovation Group, a think-tank founded by Parker. The policy grandparent of Opportunity Zones was Enterprise Zones, which were 0 percent capital gains rates in communities that had been considered too risky for bank loans in the 1970’s and 80’s. During his time in Congress, Jack Kemp sponsored legislation to create Enterprise Zones but the bill never passed; however, President Bill Clinton signed into law a tax credit program similar to Enterprise Zones called Empowerment Zones.
About Jack Kemp
In addition to playing professional football in the NFL, Jack Kemp served in the U.S. House of Representatives for nine terms from 1971-1989. Kemp also served as Housing and Urban Development Secretary during the administration of President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993 and was the Republican Party’s nominee for Vice President in the 1996 election. The Jack Kemp Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt entity organized under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), and was created in 2009 after Kemp’s death earlier that year. The Jack Kemp Foundation engages only in educational activities and does not engage in any lobbying or political activity as those terms are defined by the IRC.