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Draft:Obie Benz

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  • Comment: Hello editors, I've responded to Timtrent's comments on the Talk page and by making various edits to the submission. Thank you for considering this resubmission. Signed, BlueRoses13 (talk) 12:02, 24 September 2026 (UTC)
  • Comment: WP:BOMBARD is highly suggestive that a person does not meet our acceptance criteria, the more so when so many of the alleged references are offline. While this is allowed, it sends a red flag signal. It signals advertising very strongly
    Phraseology such as "In Bar (publication) Foo (author) states (subject of the draft) was (thing stated)" is both lazy writing and useless to Wikipedia. Instead please write in your own words what is said by Foo in Bar about the subject.
    The personal life section is abut people to whom Benz is related. This is not Benz's personal life. I suggest removal 🇵🇸‍🇺🇦 FiddleTimtrent FaddleTalk to me 🇺🇦‍🇵🇸 12:19, 6 September 2026 (UTC)
  • Comment: In accordance with the Wikimedia Foundation's Terms of Use, I disclose that I have been paid by my employer for my contributions to this article. BlueRoses13 (talk) 15:26, 19 August 2026 (UTC)


Obie Benz (born November 3, 1949)[1] (legally Allan Oberly Benz)[2] is a philanthropist and filmmaker. He founded the Vanguard Public Foundation, an American charitable organization that provided grants to nonprofits engaged in social justice.

Early life and education

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Benz was born in New Jersey[3] and grew up in Ridgewood.[4]

He graduated from the Berkshire School[2] and, in 1971, Middlebury College.[5]

At Middlebury, he majored in sociology and English,[6] protested against the Vietnam War,[7] and was the first student member of the Vermont State Board of Education.[8]

His ideas about social justice were influenced by the student and civil rights movements of the 1960s.[9]

At 21,[10] he came into a significant inheritance,[11] which resulted from his family’s ownership of Sunbeam Bread.[7]

After college, he moved to San Francisco, where he met others who were likewise young, had inherited significant wealth,[12] and were uncomfortable with their inheritance.[13]

Career

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Vanguard

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In 1971, Benz started the Vanguard Public Foundation in San Francisco.[14][15][16] His title was “president.”[17][18] The foundation gave grants to emerging, grassroots projects before they drew mainstream support,[19][20][21] like the Pacific News Service,[22] the Network Against Psychiatric Assault,[23] and Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER).[24]

In 2011, Vanguard shut down because of an elaborate scam by fraudster Samuel Cohen, in conjunction with money laundering and fraud by Vanguard’s president, Hari Dillon.[25][26]

Movies

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In 1977, Benz helped create the Film Fund to finance small-budget, progressive filmmakers.[27]

Benz directed Americas in Transition (1981),[28] which focused on U.S. involvement in Latin America,[29] was narrated by Ed Asner,[30] and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.

He directed and produced Heavy Petting (1989), a documentary about people’s first sexual experience,[31] financed by a $400,000 loan from Norman Lear’s Embassy Pictures.[32] Interviewees included writer William Burroughs[33], poet Allen Ginsberg[34], musician David Byrne,[33] and activist Abbie Hoffman.[34]

Benz directed and wrote the episode, “My Generation” (1995), in The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll, a documentary miniseries.[35]

Philanthropy

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In 1977,[21][36] Benz helped write a handbook[7] about alternative giving, “Robin Hood Was Right.” “Robin Hood” was published by Vanguard.[37]

The Pacific Alliance

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In 1978, Benz started a benefit concert called Pacific Alliance.[38] Based in Los Angeles[39], Pacific Alliance raised money for anti-nuclear causes.[40] Performers included Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, and The Eagles.[41]

MUSE

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In 1979, following the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, Benz started the MUSE Foundation.[42] “MUSE” stood for “Musicians United for Safe Energy.”[43] The foundation organized five benefit concerts in Madison Square Garden[44] that became the film No Nukes.[45] Performers included Bruce Springsteen,[44] Bonnie Raitt[44], and Graham Nash.[43]

Boards of Directors

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In 1976[46], Benz was elected to the board of directors of the Council on Foundations, the national association of philanthropic foundations.[47] He was the Council’s youngest board member ever.[48]

References

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  1. ↑ "The Esquire Register: Obie Benz, Philanthropist". Esquire. December 1984. p. 212. The headline and subheadline of this article read as follows: 'Obie Benz; Philanthropist; New York, New York; Born November 3, 1949.'
  2. 1 2 "Debora Lynn Jones Marries Obie Benz". The New York Times. September 18, 1983. pp. Section 1, Page 72. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  3. ↑ Barnes, Bart (May 15, 1978). "Advice for Young Heirs: 'Robin Hood Was Right'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 19 August 2026. Benz, a New Jersey native.
  4. ↑ Chatfield, Violet (June 24, 1970). "Collegians Work To Brighten Image in Middlebury". Burlington Free Press. p. 14. Obie Benz, a senior from Ridgewood, N.J.
  5. ↑ Berman, Susan (September 27, 1973). "Bay Baking Heir Is Sharing His Bread". San Francisco Examiner. p. 2. Benz, an articulate pony-tailed graduate of Vermont's Middlebury College.
  6. ↑ "Middlebury Senior Named To State Education Board". Burlington Free Press. June 30, 1970. Benz, a member of the college educational policy committee, majors in sociology and English.
  7. 1 2 3 Teltsch, Kathleen (August 21, 1986). "Young Philanthropists Give to Nontraditional Causes". New York Times. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  8. ↑ Anderson, Susan Heller (April 14, 1976). "Young and Rich Americans Set Giving Pattern". International Herald Tribune. p. 7. A product of the socially conscious, anti-war '60s, he had extensive contact with community groups as the first student member of the Vermont Board of Education.
  9. ↑ Heuwagen, Marianne (September 7, 1978). "Dollars, die einen Impuls geben" [Dollars That Give an Impulse]. Süddeutsche Zeitung. Seine Vorstellungen von sozialer Gerechtigkeit wurden geprägt in den sechziger Jahren, den Tagen der Studenten- und Bürgerrechtsbewegung. [In English: 'His ideas about social justice were shaped during the 1960s, in the days of the student and civil-rights movements.']
  10. ↑ Anderson, Susan Heller (April 14, 1976). "Young and Rich Americans Set Giving Pattern". International Herald Tribune. p. 7. He had also inherited a lot of money ('Much more than I need') when he turned 21.
  11. ↑ Heuwagen, Marianne (September 7, 1978). "Dollars, die einen Impuls geben" [Dollars That Give an Impulse]. Süddeutsche Zeitung. Im Alter von 21 Jahren ist Obie Benz aus dem Nahrungsmittelkonzern seines Großvaters ein Großvermögen zugefallen, das ihm gestattet, den Rest seiner Tage von Zinsen zu leben. [In English: 'At the age of 21, Obie Benz inherited a fortune from his family's food-processing conglomerate.']
  12. ↑ Barnes, Bart (May 15, 1978). "Advice for Young Heirs: 'Robin Hood Was Right'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 19 August 2026. He is one of a small, but growing, number of young Americans who have inherited vast sums of money.
  13. ↑ Anderson, Susan Heller (April 14, 1976). "Young and Rich Americans Set Giving Pattern". International Herald Tribune. p. 7. Going westward to San Francisco after graduation, he met several young people from similar backgrounds, all with social concerns and, as a result, slightly uncomfortable with their wealth.
  14. ↑ Anderson, Susan Heller (April 14, 1976). "Young and Rich Americans Set Giving Pattern". International Herald Tribune. p. 7. Started by Benz in 1971, Vanguard has funded.
  15. ↑ Cowley, Susan Cheever; Gayle, Stephen G.; Huck, Janet; Fuller, Hester (February 27, 1978). "Scions of the Times". Newsweek. p. 82. San Francisco's Vanguard Foundation, begun in 1971 by Obie Benz.
  16. ↑ Knight News Wire (June 18, 1978). "'Scions Of The Times' Giving Away Fortunes". Gazette-Telegraph (Colorado). p. 77. The first and most influential such foundation, Vanguard, was set up in 1971 by West Coast banking heir Obie Benz.
  17. ↑ Simpson, Janice C. (December 11, 1975). "Rich Young Activists Give to Change U.S.". Wall Street Journal. p. 1. Obie Benz, president and founder of Vanguard Foundation.
  18. ↑ Williams, Roger M. (July 13, 1975). "Young Foundation Puts Old Wealth in New Bottles". Washington Post. pp. C4. Its styles are set by its founder and president, 25-year-old Obie Benz.
  19. ↑ Kennedy, Patrick W. (May–June 1977). "Foundation Creates Community Board". Foundation News. p. 44. Vanguard's board funds projects no one else will support.
  20. ↑ Kennedy, Patrick W. (May–June 1977). "Foundation Creates Community Board". Foundation News. p. 46. The foundation, he notes, was primarily concerned with funding grass-roots community organizing.
  21. 1 2 Teltsch, Kathlen (January 30, 1990). "Founded by Idealists, Group Thrives on Need". New York Times. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  22. ↑ Kennedy, Patrick W. (May–June 1977). "Foundation Creates Community Board". Foundation News. p. 45. Vanguard has also supported ... the Pacific News Service, an alternative news service ... Pacific News Service, long struggling to make ends meet, has received support from Vanguard to carry it through the long search for subscribers.
  23. ↑ Holubowich, Alexandra (December 1976). "Building a Foundation from 'Grass Roots'". Trusts & Estates. Several Vanguard projects have achieved a fair measure of success. Benz cites the 'Network Against Psychiatric Assault' project.
  24. ↑ Cohen, Rick (August 3, 2010). "Decline and Fall of the Vanguard Foundation". Blue Avocado. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  25. ↑ Walter, Shoshana (November 21, 2012). "Vanguard Foundation - idealists' collapse". SFGate. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  26. ↑ Walter, Shoshana (November 15, 2012). "Embezzlement, Scam Shatter Venerable San Francisco Vanguard Foundation". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  27. ↑ "The Esquire Register: Obie Benz, Philanthropist". Esquire. December 1984. p. 212. Benz helped created the Film Fund in 1977 to help finance small-budget, progressive filmmakers.
  28. ↑ "Americas in Transition (1981)". New York Times. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  29. ↑ Blau, Eleanor (April 30, 1982). "Weekender Guide". New York Times. pp. C1. Showing tonight are ... 'Americas in Transition' by Obie Benz, narrated by Ed Asner, about United States involvement in Latin American affairs.
  30. ↑ Unger, Arthur (May 21, 1982). "'Americas in Transition': the issue as Edward Asner sees it". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  31. ↑ "'Pet' project to Moscow film fest,". Hollywood Reporter. July 7, 1989. p. 69. Produced and directed by Academy Award nominee Obie Benz, 'Heavy Petting' is a compilation of post-World War II footage from sex education films, industrial and educational documentaries, and teen dramas all centering around issues of teen sexuality.
  32. ↑ Feldman, Jill (December 1, 1988). "Director Benz: Talk Dirty to Him". Rolling Stone. No. 540. Benz began making Heavy Petting five years ago with a $400,000 loan from Norman Lear's Embassy Pictures.
  33. 1 2 Feldman, Jill (December 1, 1988). "Director Benz: Talk Dirty to Him". Rolling Stone. No. 540. Benz says he was surprised at how talkative people like John Oates, Josh Mostel, Sandra Bernhard, William Burroughs, David Byrne ('He smiles a lot,' says Benz), Laurie Anderson and Abbie Hoffman could be.
  34. 1 2 "'Pet' project to Moscow film fest,". Hollywood Reporter. July 7, 1989. p. 69. Another component of the film is a series of interviews with people who grew up during that period, including David Byrne, Sandra Bernhard, Spalding Grey, Ann Magnuson, Laurie Anderson, Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs and the late Abbie Hoffman.
  35. ↑ "Let the Good Times, & Rock-Umentary, Roll". New York Daily News. March 8, 1995. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  36. ↑ Lurie, Theodora (May 2017). "Change, Not Charity: The Story of the Funding Exchange" (PDF). The Funding Exchange. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  37. ↑ Teltsch, Kathleen (July 5, 1983). "Network of 'Alternative' Philanthropies Is Forming". New York Times. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  38. ↑ "The Esquire Register: Obie Benz, Philanthropist". Esquire. December 1984. p. 212. In 1978 he started the Pacific Alliance.
  39. ↑ "The Esquire Register: Obie Benz, Philanthropist". Esquire. December 1984. p. 212. [H]e started the Pacific Alliance in San Francisco.
  40. ↑ Mitchell, Greg (December 1978). "Robin Hood Was Right". Crawdaddy. p. 30. In the past three years the group has raised $400,000 for anti-nuclear causes.
  41. ↑ Mitchell, Greg (December 1978). "Robin Hood Was Right". Crawdaddy. p. 30. [T]he group has raised $400,000 ... from concerts by Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles, among others.
  42. ↑ "The Esquire Register: Obie Benz, Philanthropist". Esquire. December 1984. p. 212. In 1978 he started the Pacific Alliance.
  43. 1 2 Romano, Carlin (September 18, 1979). "Musical Meltdown". Washington Post. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  44. 1 2 3 Rockwell, John (Sep 16, 1979). "Rock Stars Are Into Politics Again". New York Times. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  45. ↑ "The Esquire Register: Obie Benz, Philanthropist". Esquire. December 1984. p. 212. In 1979 Benz expanded the idea nationally, starting the MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy) Foundation, which threw the rally that raised $450,000 and became the concert film No Nukes.
  46. ↑ Anderson, Susan Heller (April 14, 1976). "Young and Rich Americans Set Giving Pattern". International Herald Tribune. p. 7. The longer run may begin this year, when Benz will be elected to the board of the Council on Foundations.
  47. ↑ Kennedy, Patrick W. (May–June 1977). "Foundation Creates Community Board". Foundation News. p. 45. Benz was elected to the board of directors of the Council on Foundations, the membership organization for grant-making foundations, including some of the largest and best known.
  48. ↑ Heuwagen, Marianne (September 7, 1978). "Dollars, die einen Impuls geben" [Dollars That Give an Impulse]. Süddeutsche Zeitung. Obie Benz, der im letzten Jahr als jüngstes Mitglied in den Vorstand des Council of Foundations. [In English: 'Obie Benz, who was elected last year as the youngest member of the board of the Council on Foundations.']
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