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Inclusive Economy Action Fund (Democracy Alliance)

Parent Organization: Democracy Alliance (DA); Sixteen Thirty Fund (1630 Fund)
Website:

democracyalliance.org/organization/inclusive-economy-fund/
Location:

Washington, DC
Tax ID:

26-4486735
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(4)

Budget (2018):

Revenue: $143,837,877
Expenses: $141,396,752
Assets: $45,335,085
Type:

Minimum Wage Advocacy Group
Project of:

Sixteen Thirty Fund
Formation:

2015
Senior Advisor:

Julie Kohler

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

The Inclusive Economy Action Fund (IEAF) is a project of the Democracy Alliance, a collective of influential left-of-center donors that works to build political organizing power on the left. 1 The IEAF financially supports state and local organizations that advocate for left-of-center economic policy implementation.. 2

IEAF began in 2015, using the left-of-center Sixteen Thirty Fund (1630 Fund) as its “fiscal sponsor. Sixty Thirty Fund has been criticized for engaging in the same type of “dark money” practices that left-of-center organizations, including IEAF, claim to oppose. 3 4 In 2016, IEAF reported $900,000 in revenue. 5

The Inclusive Economy Action Fund is affiliated with the Inclusive Economy Fund (IEF), a nonprofit charitable organization. IEF is fiscally sponsored by the Sixteen Thirty Fund’s sister nonprofit, the New Venture Fund, which has also been criticized for “dark money” practices. 6 IEAF and IEF share an advisory board which features many prominent Democratic donors and activists. 7

The IEAF and IEF projects appear to have ended in 2018. 8

Founding and History

IEAF began in 2015 as one of the Democracy Alliance’s 2020 State Funds. These funds were designed to support left-of-center causes in twelve states deemed important for left-progressive electoral and policy victories, including Florida, North Carolina, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Colorado, Minnesota, and Oregon. 9 10 After former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 presidential election, the Democracy Alliance focused its attention on state and local initiatives to promote left-of-center policy implementation. 11

IEAF uses the Sixteen Thirty Fund as its “fiscal sponsor,” making it difficult to track IEAF revenue sources. 12 13 Documents from the Democracy Alliance showed that IEAF raised $900,000 and administered the same amount in grants in 2016. 14

The website for Democracy Alliance does not have any information about IEF or IEAF after 2018, and the Alliance did not feature either project in its 2019 investment recommendations. 15

Political Activities

In 2016, both IEF and IEAF promoted state and federal campaigns to enact left-wing economic policies, including a $15 federal minimum wage. The Funds used a number of state-based allies to target legislation in ten states, most of which are presidential election swing states. 16

IEAF and IEF worked mostly in the west, partnering with left-of-center organizations including Raise Up Washington, the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA), Organizers in the Land of Enchantment (OLÉ), and Together Colorado. The Funds also worked with the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, the AMOS Project, ISAIAH, and Take Action in the Midwest. Along the East Coast, the IEAF and IEF supported the Florida Institute for Reform and Empowerment (formerly F.I.R.E.), Organize Now, the Connecticut Working Families Organization, and the Maine People’s Alliance to advocate for left-of-center policy goals. 17

IEAF and IEF also supported the Hedge Clippers campaign in Florida, Minnesota, and Ohio. The Hedge Clippers campaign claims to oppose “dark money,” though it is supported by IEAF funding through the Sixteen Thirty Fund, an organization critics and observers have said employs “dark money.” 18 19 20

IEAF and IEF determined grantmaking priorities based on the work of many Democracy Alliance-affiliated partner organizations. These include left-of-center think tanks and advocacy groups, such as Americans for Financial Reform, the Center for American Progress, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Demos, the Economic Policy Institute, National Employment Law Project, and the Roosevelt Institute. 21

Leadership

The shared IEAF and IEF advisory board includes several noted left-of-center activists and Democratic donors. The board includes activists like Peter Colavito, senior advisor to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU); Alan S. Davis, director of the WhyNot Initiative; Robert Master, spokesperson for Communication Workers of America (CWA); Michelle Ringuette, assistant to the president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT); and Damon Silvers, director of policy and special counsel to the AFL-CIO. 22

The IEAF and IEF board also includes a number of Democratic donors and philanthropists, including Democracy Alliance board member  David DesJardins; philanthropist and Democratic Party donor Nick Hanauer; Lisa Guide, associate director of the Rockefeller Family Fund; Eric Halperin, former senior advisor to the Open Society Foundations; and Matt Hollamby of the left-of-center Wyss Foundation. 23

References

  1. “About the DA.” Democracy Alliance. Accessed March 29, 2021. https://democracyalliance.org/about/.
  2. Kohler, Julie. “2020 Funds Update: The Inclusive Economy Fund.” Democracy Alliance. April 18, 2016. Accessed March 29, 2021.  https://democracyalliance.org/da-blog/2020-funds-update-inclusive-economy-fund/.
  3. Bland, Scott. “Liberal secret-money network hammers House GOP.” Politico. July 28, 2018. Accessed March 29, 2021. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/29/democrats-dark-money-midterms-house-745145.
  4. “Who Are The Hedge Clippers.” Hedgeclippers.org. Accessed March 28. 2021. https://hedgeclippers.org/about/.
  5. Democracy Alliance 2020 Investment Portfolio.” Democracy Alliance. Published Fall 2016. Accessed March 28, 2021. Available: https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2019/04/Democracy-Alliance-2020-Investment-Portfolio-Report.pdf.
  6. Markay, Lachlan. “Over 100 Left-Wing Groups Sourced to DC Dark Money Outfit.” Washington Free Beacon. October 22, 2015. Accessed March 28, 2021. https://freebeacon.com/issues/over-100-left-wing-groups-sourced-to-d-c-dark-money-outfit/.
  7. Democracy Alliance 2020 Investment Portfolio.” Democracy Alliance. Published Fall 2016. Accessed March 28, 2021. Available: https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2019/04/Democracy-Alliance-2020-Investment-Portfolio-Report.pdf.
  8. Democracy Alliance Spring 2019 Investment Strategy and Recommendations. Democracy Alliance. Published Spring 2019. Accessed March 28, 2021. https://www.scribd.com/document/405643994/Democracy-Alliance-Spring-2019-Investment-Strategy-and-Recommendations.  
  9. “State POWER Funds.” Democracy Alliance. Accessed March 28, 2021. https://democracyalliance.org/investments/state-power-funds/.
  10. Democracy Alliance 2020 Investment Portfolio.” Democracy Alliance. Published Fall 2016. Accessed March 28, 2021. Available: https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2019/04/Democracy-Alliance-2020-Investment-Portfolio-Report.pdf.
  11. “Democracy Alliance.” Ballotpedia. Accessed March 28, 2021. https://ballotpedia.org/Democracy_Alliance.
  12. Bland, Scott. “Liberal secret-money network hammers House GOP.” Politico. July 28, 2018. Accessed March 29, 2021. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/29/democrats-dark-money-midterms-house-745145.
  13. Democracy Alliance 2020 Investment Portfolio.” Democracy Alliance. Published Fall 2016. Accessed March 28, 2021. Available: https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2019/04/Democracy-Alliance-2020-Investment-Portfolio-Report.pdf.
  14. Democracy Alliance 2020 Investment Portfolio.” Democracy Alliance. Published Fall 2016. Accessed March 28, 2021. Available: https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2019/04/Democracy-Alliance-2020-Investment-Portfolio-Report.pdf.
  15. Democracy Alliance Spring 2019 Investment Strategy and Recommendations. Democracy Alliance. Published Spring 2019. Accessed March 28, 2021. https://www.scribd.com/document/405643994/Democracy-Alliance-Spring-2019-Investment-Strategy-and-Recommendations.   
  16. Democracy Alliance 2020 Investment Portfolio.” Democracy Alliance. Published Fall 2016. Accessed March 28, 2021. Available: https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2019/04/Democracy-Alliance-2020-Investment-Portfolio-Report.pdf.
  17. Democracy Alliance 2020 Investment Portfolio.” Democracy Alliance. Published Fall 2016. Accessed March 28, 2021. Available: https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2019/04/Democracy-Alliance-2020-Investment-Portfolio-Report.pdf.
  18. “Who Are The Hedge Clippers.” Hedgeclippers.org. Accessed March 28. 2021. https://hedgeclippers.org/about/.
  19. Kohler, Julie. “2020 Funds Update: The Inclusive Economy Fund.” Democracy Alliance. April 18, 2016.  Accessed March 29, 2021.  https://democracyalliance.org/da-blog/2020-funds-update-inclusive-economy-fund/.
  20. Bland, Scott. “Liberal secret-money network hammers House GOP.” Politico. July 28, 2018. Accessed March 29, 2021. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/29/democrats-dark-money-midterms-house-745145.
  21. Kohler, Julie. “2020 Funds Update: The Inclusive Economy Fund.” Democracy Alliance. April 18, 2016. Accessed March 29, 2021.  https://democracyalliance.org/da-blog/2020-funds-update-inclusive-economy-fund/.
  22. Democracy Alliance 2020 Investment Portfolio.” Democracy Alliance. Published Fall 2016. Accessed March 28, 2021. Available: https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2019/04/Democracy-Alliance-2020-Investment-Portfolio-Report.pdf.
  23. Democracy Alliance 2020 Investment Portfolio.” Democracy Alliance. Published Fall 2016. Accessed March 28, 2021. Available: https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2019/04/Democracy-Alliance-2020-Investment-Portfolio-Report.pdf.

Directors, Employees & Supporters

  1. Nick Hanauer
    Advisory Board Member
  2. David DesJardins
    Advisory Board Member
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: August 1, 2009

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2018 Dec Form 990 $143,837,877 $141,396,752 $45,335,085 $2,821,838 Y $143,309,203 $221,600 $50,101 $0 PDF
    2017 Dec Form 990 $79,559,836 $46,893,083 $43,614,008 $3,741,886 Y $79,372,569 $146,270 $194 $0 PDF
    2016 Dec Form 990 $21,258,592 $19,660,860 $7,840,711 $635,342 N $21,155,860 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2015 Dec Form 990 $5,617,209 $8,660,897 $6,667,545 $1,059,908 N $5,577,209 $40,000 $0 $0 PDF
    2014 Dec Form 990 $16,523,735 $10,880,643 $9,157,873 $506,548 N $16,523,735 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2013 Dec Form 990 $5,269,965 $2,721,133 $3,158,689 $150,456 N $5,269,965 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2012 Dec Form 990 $812,500 $353,098 $485,907 $26,506 N $812,500 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2011 Dec Form 990 $93,600 $93,600 $0 $0 N $93,600 $0 $0 $0 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Inclusive Economy Action Fund (Democracy Alliance)

    1201 CONNECTICUT AVE NW STE 300
    Washington, DC 20036-2611