The American political landscape has no place for dark money like this. Let’s pray that all other groups like Arabella are exposed.

From Capital Research Center. The country’s largest and perhaps most influential “dark money” network pulled in nearly $1.6 billion in 2021, according to new IRS filings, a mere $148 million drop from the record $1.7 billion in revenues it posted in 2020.

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At the top of this nonprofit network is, Arabella Advisors, a for-profit consultancy that advises foundations and donors on grantmaking to left-of-center political causes. The Capital Research Center was the first to expose Arabella’s massive nonprofit apparatus in early 2019, which has since become the poster child for anonymous spending in America’s top political fights. Since then we’ve identified hundreds of Arabella-run “pop-up” groups, as well as attack campaigns launched from the company’s offices under the aegis of its various nonprofits.

Possibly the network’s financial decline from 2020 may suggest that the Arabella network has peaked, considering its steady growth year-after-year starting in 2006. On the other hand, the small decline in revenues may just reflect left-wing donors’ slightly diminished political enthusiasm in an off-year, versus a presidential year, especially after the network’s 2020 revenues grew by 136 percent—over $1 billion—over the previous year. We won’t know until the network releases its 2022 disclosures next year, which will shed some light on its political activities during the recent midterm elections.

New Venture Fund

The largest 501(c)(3) in the Arabella network is also its oldest: New Venture Fund (formerly the Arabella Legacy Fund), is responsible for 60 percent ($964 million) of the network’s total revenues in 2021 alone.

Notably, New Venture paid Arabella Advisors nearly $30 million for management services in 2021; it paid another $2 million to BerlinRosen, a public relations firm servicing Democratic campaigns and leftist groups such as the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

While (c)(3) groups aren’t required to disclose their donors’ names, they must report the donation sums. New Venture’s top donor gave it an impressive $120 million. The next-highest gave it $103 million, followed by seven(!) donations of $10,000,000 or more. The smallest posted anonymous contribution was $20 million.

New Venture funneled grants to hundreds of left-wing groups in 2021, including:

• $7.1 million to America Votes, a get-out-the-vote group that bills itself as the “coordination hub of the progressive community”;
• $2.8 million to Demand Justice Initiative, the (c)(3) arm of the court-packing group Demand Justice, which was originally incubated by Arabella’s Sixteen Thirty Fund;
• $1.4 million to CASA De Maryland, an illegal immigration advocacy nonprofit;
• $3.4 million to CERES, a climate action group;
• $1.9 million to New Florida Majority Education Fund, a Democratic voter turnout group;
• $2.1 million to the Tides Center and Foundation (combined), one of the Left’s top pass-through networks; and
• $1.7 million to NEO Philanthropy, which passes grants from mega-donors to political groups.

New Venture also shuffled money to a handful of its “sister” nonprofits managed by Arabella …

Sixteen Thirty Fund

Arabella’s Sixteen Thirty Fund is the largest and oldest 501(c)(4) in the network. In 2021, it reported $191 million in revenues and paid the company $5.2 million in consulting fees. …

Major grants from Sixteen Thirty Fund include:

• $19 million to the League of Conservation Voters, one of the eco-Left’s top get-out-the-vote groups for Democrats and a significant donor to Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who claims to be the biggest enemy in Washington of “dark money”;
• $2 million to the Sixteen Thirty spin-off Demand Justice and $110,000 to Demand Justice PAC, which together aim to pack America’s courts with left-wing judges ;
• $8.8 million to Advancing Arizona, created to flip Arizona’s U.S. Senate seats blue;
• $1.5 million to America Votes, a get-out-the-vote group;
• $2.5 million to Protect MI Vote, a leftist election “reform” group;
• $2.1 million to American Bridge 21st Century, an anti-Republican attack group;
• $1.2 million to Amplify New Hampshire, a leftist advocacy group;
• $2 million to Environmental Defense Action Fund, a major “green” advocacy organization;
• $2 million to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Action Fund, a climate change action lobby; and
• $6.7 million to the Partnership Project Action Fund, a climate change advocacy group.

The grants from the Sixteen Thirty and New Venture Funds to Demand Justice and its various arms also call into question Arabella Advisors’ claim earlier this year that it “does not work for Demand Justice in any capacity,” calling it a “completely independent nonprofit organization.” What American believes that, when Group A receives millions of dollars from Group B, the two groups are perfectly independent? …

What do you think of Arabella? Share your thoughts and prayers below.

(Excerpt from Capital Research Center. Photo Credit: Aidan Bartos on Unsplash)