The Clintons are back: Bill and Chelsea unveil new foundation push after years of controversy and host gala event with Hillary – despite damage foundation ties did to her campaign

  • A huge gala fundraiser in New York Thursday night for the Clinton Foundation offers VIP packages going for up to $100,000 a pop
  • The Clinton Foundation has had to lay off staff and saw donations drop after Hillary Clinton's loss to Donald Trump
  • Bill and Chelsea Clinton released a letter Thursday touting the foundation's variety of work both around the world and in the US 
  • The Clinton campaign combated questions about conflict of interest with the foundation and Huma Abedin's role in the Clinton complex web of organizations

The Clintons are back with a renewed focus on the Clinton Foundation and a huge gala fundraiser in New York Thursday night with VIP packages going for up to $100,000 a pop.

All three Clintons - Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea - are scheduled to be there, according to the invitation.

The return to the spotlight follows a tough few years for the Clinton Foundation: last year 22 employees were laid off and Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign had to deal with questions about donations from wealthy foreigners to the global charity.

The Clinton family has slowly been returning to public life after Hillary Clinton's loss in 2016 

A huge gala fundraiser for the Clinton Foundation in New York Thursday night will feature all three Clinton - Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea - with VIP packages going for up to $100,000 a pop.

The Clintons have re-emerged in the spotlight to tout their Clinton Foundation, which has suffered from staff layoffs and a decrease in donations.

The Clintons have re-emerged in the spotlight to tout their Clinton Foundation, which has suffered from staff layoffs and a decrease in donations.

For Thursday night's gala, tickets start at $2,500, but the $100,000 VIP packages include a 'premium table of 10,' according to the New York Post.

Additionally Bill and Chelsea Clinton released a letter Thursday touting the foundation's work both around the world and in the US as part of an 'Impact Report' on their work.

The father and daughter duo touted their work helping farmers in Africa, combating the opioid epidemic in the US, and traveling to Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Dominica after the hurricane season wrecked havoc in the Caribbean.

'We're grateful for everything you've done to support this work. Whether you're among the more than 340,000 supporters who have made a donation, a partner who helps us conduct our work on the ground, or one of the many gifted members of our staff – we're changing lives, together,' they wrote. 

The two sit on the foundation's board but do not receive a salary.

The Clintons stepped out of the public glare after Hillary Clinton's loss to Donald Trump in the presidential contest.

But they are slowly re-emerging. 

Hillary Clinton endorsed Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday as he battles 'Sex and the City' actress Cynthia Nixon in the Democratic primary for New York governor.

Bill Clinton has written a novel with master of the thriller James Patterson. 'The President Is Missing' comes out June 4 and the two of them are scheduled to appear together at New York's BookCon on June 3.

Chelsea Clinton has been prolific on Twitter, recently defending her mother against allegations in New York Times' reporter Amy Chozick's memoir, 'Chasing Hillary.' 

The Clinton Foundation, originally established in 1997 as the William J. Clinton Foundation but rechristened for all three family members in 2015, was downsized last year. 

The celeb-heavy Clinton Global Initiative conference was shuttered and 22 employees were laid off in January 2017 because of it, Fox News reported. 

And donations were reportedly down after Hillary Clinton's presidential loss.

During the 2016 contest, her campaign had to deal with questions about any potential conflicts of interests with the foundation. 

Bill and Chelsea Clinton, who sit on the Clinton Foundation board, released a letter Thursday touting its work around the world and in the U.S. 

Bill and Chelsea Clinton, who sit on the Clinton Foundation board, released a letter Thursday touting its work around the world and in the U.S. 

During Hillary Clinton's campaign, questions emerged about donors to the foundation, possible conflicts of interest and the role longtime aide Huma Abedin, pictured in New York last week walking her son to school, played in the complex world of Clinton organizations.

During Hillary Clinton's campaign, questions emerged about donors to the foundation, possible conflicts of interest and the role longtime aide Huma Abedin, pictured in New York last week walking her son to school, played in the complex world of Clinton organizations.

Clinton reportedly showed hints of favoritism to foundation donors during her tenure as secretary of state. Records showed foundation donors sought and in some cases got meetings with State Department officials.

And Bill Clinton said, if she won the presidency, the foundation would no longer accept donations from wealthy foreigners - like the $10 million it got from the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and from a former Ukrainian president accused of corruption.

The foundation accepted millions from countries the State Department criticized for its human rights records: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Brunei and Algeria. 

The questions on possible conflicts turned into questions about the role of Clinton's longtime friend and aide Huma Abedin in the Clinton world's complex web of organizations. 

Abedin, for six months in 2012, was employed simultaneously by the State Department, the foundation, Clinton's personal office, and a private consulting firm with ties to the Clintons.

Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton sit on the board and have a prominent presence on the foundation's website. Hillary Clinton no longer is a board member.

Emails hacked from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta revealed Chelsea Clinton tried to clean up the foundation ahead of her mother's president bid.

Chelsea, who serves as the foundation's vice chair, flagged 'serious concerns' about her father's aides trying to cash in by using his name to gain access to government officials on behalf of paying clients.

The former first daughter also tried to put an end to business practices that blurred the line between the foundation, governments and a consulting firm called Teneo that was founded by longtime Clinton aide Doug Band and, at one point, employed Abedin when she also worked at the State Department.

In the emails, Band dismissed Chelsea as an ingrate who runs 'to daddy to change a decision or interject herself in the process.'

'She is acting like a spoiled brat kid who has nothing else to do but create issues to justify what she's doing because she, as she has said, hasn't found her way and has a lack of focus in her life,' Band wrote in a November 2011 email to Podesta.