SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Republican mega-donors Foster and Lynn Friess are giving $500,000 to South Dakota faith-based charities in honor of Gov. Kristi Noem’s family, the governor’s office announced Wednesday.
Foster Friess, 79, is a wealthy investor and philanthropist from Jackson Hole, Wyoming who has donated millions to Republicans and conservative causes. He and his wife are making $100,000 donations to five Christian charities in the name of each member of Noem’s family.
Noem’s office said the recipients are Compassion Child Care, Dakota Sonshine, McCrossan Boys Ranch, Teen Challenge of the Dakotas and Love Inc.
“Foster and Lynn are some of the most remarkable people that I have ever known, and I am so grateful for their generous gift to South Dakotans in need,” Noem said in a statement.
Friess has played a role in Noem’s rise to nation-wide prominence among conservatives, hosting her on a deep-sea fishing trip in 2019 where she connected with key figures in President Donald Trump’s orbit. Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s 2016 campaign manager, has advised Noem as she pursued a national profile.
Friess ran for governor in 2018, finishing second in Wyoming’s Republican primary.
