Also see Democracy Fund (Non-profit)
Democracy Fund Voice is a left-leaning lobbying and electoral advocacy group within the advocacy-philanthropy network of eBay chairman and founder Pierre Omidyar. 1 The group advocates for a number of left-of-center policy issues including Democratic Party-advantaging election administration changes and funds ostensibly right-leaning organizations that support liberal and left-of-center policies on election administration, environmentalism, and opposition to the Republican Party such as Stand Up Republic, Niskanen Center for Public Policy, and Defending Democracy Together.
It is the advocacy and lobbying arm of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Democracy Fund.
Background
Pierre Omidyar, the founder and chairman of online retail giant eBay, founded Democracy Fund Voice in 2014, at the same time he founded sister organization Democracy Fund. Democracy Fund Voice was intended to be the lobbying arm of Omidyar’s advocacy-philanthropic operation; it funds other advocacy groups as well as hires lobbyists to promote Omidyar’s preferred policies which include libertarian leaning property rights issues as well as traditional left-leaning public policy with a major focus on left-leaning election administration and voter registration policies. The organization also focuses on promoting left-leaning journalism. 2
Relation to Other Omidyar Philanthropies
Democracy Fund Voice is one of ten separate organizations in Pierre Omidyar’s network of philanthropic organizations, known as the Omidyar Group. Other groups in the group include First Look Media, a left leaning media company to which Omidyar personally pledged over $250 million. The nonprofit is best known for publishing The Intercept, a reporting website launched by the left-wing reporters and writers who notably obtained and published leaked classified information from the U.S. National Security Agency from former government contractor Edward Snowden before he fled the United States and arrived in Russia. 3
Another organization in the Omidyar Group is the Omidyar Network, a think tank that incubates projects and programs for Omidyar’s funding priorities, including incubating both Democracy Fund and Democracy Fund Voice in 2011 before they launched as independent sister organizations in 2014. Other organizations in the Omidyar Group include Flourishing, Hopelab, Humanity United, Imaginable Futures, and Luminate. Most of these groups act as funding organizations for various projects around environmentalism, elections, civic participation, and local projects in Omidyar’s home state of Hawaii. 4
Leadership
Pierre Omidyar, a founder of eBay, and his wife Pam are the sole known funders of the organization. The Omidyars have committed hundreds of millions of dollars to their group of nonprofits and funding organizations. Omidyar is worth approximately $12 billion; as of April 2020 Forbes listed him as the 36th richest American and the richest resident of Hawaii. 5
The Omidyars are Democratic party megadonors, having contributed to the Presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama; they made further six-figure donations to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. 6
The president of Democracy Fund Voice and Democracy Fund is Joe Goldman. Goldman is a seasoned Democratic organizer and operative. Prior to joining Democracy Fund, Goldman served as vice president of citizen engagement at AmericaSpeaks, where he was involved in community organizing projects across the United States, including the Unified New Orleans Planning Process following Hurricane Katrina and the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site after 9/11.Goldman has also worked in government as a community planner, including directing the Neighborhood Action Initiative for former District of Columbia Mayor Anthony Williams (D). 7
Funding
Financial Overview
The following is an overview of the Democracy Fund Voice’s finances: 8
| Democracy Fund Voice Financial Overview | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total Revenues | Total Expenditures | Grants Paid | Net Assets |
| 2020 | $14,743,220 | $15,352,680 | $13,242,000 | $(759,649) |
| 2019 | $9,349,217 | $8,931,813 | $7,370,000 | $(150,188) |
| 2018 | $5,650,017 | $6,259,897 | $4,825,000 | $(567,592) |
| 2017 | $2,500,021 | $3,321,856 | $2,175,000 | $42,288 |
| 2016 | $5,510,012 | $4,741,429 | $3,719,788 | $864,123 |
| 2015 | $500,001 | $772,979 | $488,523 | $95,540 |
| 2014 | $500,000 | $131,482 | $- | $368,518 |
| $38,752,488 | $39,512,136 | $31,820,311 | ||
Democracy Fund Voice Grant Recipients
The following is a list of grant recipients from Democracy Fund Voice: 9
| Recipient | Grant Amount | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Sixteen Thirty Fund | $4,050,000 | 2020 |
| Sixteen Thirty Fund | $1,680,000 | 2020 |
| Bipartisan Policy Center Action | $550,000 | 2020 |
| Defending Democracy Together | $500,000 | 2020 |
| Sixteen Thirty Fund | $500,000 | 2020 |
| Tides Advocacy | $475,000 | 2020 |
| Lincoln Network Inc | $300,000 | 2020 |
| United to Protect Democracy | $300,000 | 2020 |
| Six Action | $300,000 | 2020 |
| Stand Up Republic Inc | $250,000 | 2020 |
| New Florida Majority | $250,000 | 2020 |
| Secure Democracy | $200,000 | 2020 |
| Free Press Action Fund | $200,000 | 2020 |
| Public Citizen Inc | $200,000 | 2020 |
| Truman National Security Project | $180,000 | 2020 |
| Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Inc | $175,000 | 2020 |
| National States Geographic Information Council | $150,000 | 2020 |
| NEO Philanthropy Action Fund | $150,000 | 2020 |
| The Congressional Institute Inc | $150,000 | 2020 |
| Arizona Advocacy Network | $150,000 | 2020 |
| Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Inc | $150,000 | 2020 |
| Planetwork NGO Inc | $135,000 | 2020 |
| Sixteen Thirty Fund | $132,000 | 2020 |
| Public Citizen Inc | $125,000 | 2020 |
| Sixteen Thirty Fund | $125,000 | 2020 |
| Common Cause | $125,000 | 2020 |
| Collective Future | $125,000 | 2020 |
| Media Innovation Collaboratory Inc | $110,000 | 2020 |
| American Oversight Inc | $100,000 | 2020 |
| ColorOfChange.org | $100,000 | 2020 |
| Pay Our Interns Action Fund | $100,000 | 2020 |
| Proteus Action League | $100,000 | 2020 |
| Multicultural Media & Correspondents Association | $100,000 | 2020 |
| NILC Immigrant Justice Fund | $100,000 | 2020 |
| PEN American Center, Inc | $100,000 | 2020 |
| The Partnership for a New American Economy Action Fund Inc | $100,000 | 2020 |
| Vote Mama Action Fund | $100,000 | 2020 |
| Niskanen Center for Public Policy | $75,000 | 2020 |
| Tides Foundation | $75,000 | 2020 |
| Demos: A Network for Ideas and Action LTD | $75,000 | 2020 |
| Poder NC Action | $75,000 | 2020 |
| Issue One | $60,000 | 2020 |
| Mediators Foundation Inc | $55,000 | 2020 |
| Living United for Change in Arizona | $50,000 | 2020 |
| National Newspaper Publishers Association | $50,000 | 2020 |
| The GroundTruth Project Inc | $50,000 | 2020 |
| Shared Ascent Fund | $30,000 | 2020 |
| Pay Our Interns Action Fund | $10,000 | 2020 |
| Defending Democracy Together | $2,050,000 | 2019 |
| Sixteen Thirty Fund | $500,000 | 2019 |
| Stand Up Republic Inc | $500,000 | 2019 |
| Public Citizen Inc | $450,000 | 2019 |
| Bipartisan Policy Center Action Inc | $350,000 | 2019 |
| Sixteen Thirty Fund | $275,000 | 2019 |
| Defending Digital Campaigns Inc | $250,000 | 2019 |
| United to Protect Democracy | $250,000 | 2019 |
| Alliance for Youth Action | $225,000 | 2019 |
| ColorOfChangeorg | $200,000 | 2019 |
| Secure Democracy | $200,000 | 2019 |
| Values United dba Whistleblower Aid | $200,000 | 2019 |
| Issue One | $150,000 | 2019 |
| National States Geographic Information Council | $150,000 | 2019 |
| NEO Philanthropy Action Fund | $150,000 | 2019 |
| Sixteen Thirty Fund | $150,000 | 2019 |
| The Congressional Institute Inc | $150,000 | 2019 |
| Tides Foundation | $150,000 | 2019 |
| Sixteen Thirty Fund | $125,000 | 2019 |
| American Oversight Inc | $100,000 | 2019 |
| ColorOfChangeorg | $100,000 | 2019 |
| Lincoln Network Inc | $100,000 | 2019 |
| Living United for Change in Arizona | $100,000 | 2019 |
| Niskanen Center for Public Policy | $100,000 | 2019 |
| Proteus Action League | $100,000 | 2019 |
| National Vote at Home Coalition | $75,000 | 2019 |
| Fair Fight Action | $50,000 | 2019 |
| Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Inc | $50,000 | 2019 |
| News Leaders Association | $50,000 | 2019 |
| Pay Our Interns Action Fund | $50,000 | 2019 |
| Tides Center | $20,000 | 2019 |
| Defending Democracy Together | $1,500,000 | 2018 |
| Sixteen Thirty Fund | $650,000 | 2018 |
| Stand Up Republic Inc | $475,000 | 2018 |
| Ross Initiative for Sports Equality | $250,000 | 2018 |
| Tides Foundation | $200,000 | 2018 |
| Niskanen Center for Public Policy | $175,000 | 2018 |
| Bipartisan Policy Center Action Inc | $165,000 | 2018 |
| R Street Institute | $160,000 | 2018 |
| National States Geographic Information Council | $150,000 | 2018 |
| Defending Democracy Together | $100,000 | 2018 |
| Faith in Texas Action | $100,000 | 2018 |
| Fireside21 LLC | $100,000 | 2018 |
| NEO Philanthropy Action Fund | $100,000 | 2018 |
| Proteus Action League | $100,000 | 2018 |
| Sixteen Thirty Fund | $100,000 | 2018 |
| United to Protect Democracy | $100,000 | 2018 |
| Welcoming America Inc | $90,000 | 2018 |
| National Vote at Home Coalition | $75,000 | 2018 |
| TXBIZ | $75,000 | 2018 |
| Arizona State University Foundation for a New American University | $60,000 | 2018 |
| Free Press Action Fund | $50,000 | 2018 |
| The Campaign Legal Center Inc | $50,000 | 2018 |
| Stand Up Republic Inc | $800,000 | 2017 |
| Free Press Action Fund | $200,000 | 2017 |
| Ross Initiative for Sports Equality | $200,000 | 2017 |
| R Street Institute | $160,000 | 2017 |
| National States Geographic Info | $150,000 | 2017 |
| ReThink Media Inc | $125,000 | 2017 |
| Sixteen Thirty Fund | $100,000 | 2017 |
| United to Protect Democracy | $100,000 | 2017 |
| Bipartisan Policy Center Adv Nt | $90,000 | 2017 |
| Bridge Alliance | $90,000 | 2017 |
| Faith in Public Life AF | $886,500 | 2016 |
| ReThink Media Inc | $375,000 | 2016 |
| Global Poverty Project Inc | $325,000 | 2016 |
| Free Press Action Fund | $250,000 | 2016 |
| National Voter Registration | $250,000 | 2016 |
| Unity of Purpose Project | $250,000 | 2016 |
| The Congressional Institute | $244,000 | 2016 |
| Human Rights First | $200,000 | 2016 |
| Bipartisan Policy Center Action | $150,000 | 2016 |
| NALEO Educational Fund | $150,000 | 2016 |
| Trustees of Columbia University | $150,000 | 2016 |
| University of Arizona Foundation | $127,050 | 2016 |
| New America Foundation | $115,000 | 2016 |
| Voteorg | $75,000 | 2016 |
| Democracy Works Inc | $60,000 | 2016 |
| Free Press Action Fund | $60,000 | 2016 |
| Institute for Social Policy and Understanding | $52,238 | 2016 |
| Healthy Democracy Action | $250,000 | 2015 |
| Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights | $143,523 | 2015 |
| The Congressional Institute | $95,000 | 2015 |
| Grand Total: | $31,660,311 |
Lobbying Activity
One of the main reasons for the formation of Democracy Fund Voice as a sister organization to the Democracy Fund is that Democracy Fund Voice is able to engage in state and federal lobbying without limit under IRS rules. At the federal level, Democracy Fund Voice employed the Washington, D.C. lobbying firms of Frost Brown Todd LLC and Steptoe and Johnson. Among the individuals registered to lobby for the organization is Jason Abel, a former aide to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). 10
In the 115th and 116th congresses, Democracy Fund Voice lobbied on several bills including the Safeguarding Election Infrastructure Act of 2019, The Vote By Mail Act of 2019, the Universal Right to Vote by Mail Act of 2019, the White House Ethics Transparency Act of 2019, the 2020 Judiciary Appropriations Act, and the Missed Opportunities Act of 2017. 11
Grantmaking to Nominally Right-Leaning Organizations
Another funding priority of Democracy Fund Voice aside from left-leaning election policy is support for nominally conservative organizations and groups of former Republicans adamantly opposed to President Donald Trump and his administration. 12 It has also supported libertarian-leaning property rights groups.
In 2017, Democracy Fund Voice announced that it had made contributions of up to $550,000 to Stand Up Republic, a lobbying and advocacy group associated with former Independent Presidential candidate Evan McMullin, who ran in protest of Trump’s candidacy in 2016. According to Democracy Fund Voice’s 2018 tax returns, it granted $475,000 to Stand Up Republic in 2018. 13
The organization is also active in supporting nominally right-leaning opponents of the Trump administration by funding advocacy groups run by former Republicans. Democracy Fund Voice granted $1.6 million in two grants to the nominally center-right group Defending Democracy Together, founded by Bill Kristol, a former conservative commentator who repudiated the Republican Party after Trump’s election. 14
Democracy Fund Voice granted $175,000 to the Niskanen Center for Public Policy, the lobbying arm of the formerly libertarian think tank Niskanen Center. The grant was for the Center’s “open society project.” 14
The organization also granted $160,000 to the center-right think tank R Street Institute for its American Institutions Network. 14
References
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Democracy Fund Voice. 2018. Archived here: https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2020/02/Democracy-Fund-Voice-2018-Form-990.pdf
- “Who We Are.” Democracy Fund Voice. Accessed April 10, 2020.
- Rice, Andrew. “How the Snowden leaks gave Pierre Omidyar a cause — and an enemy”. New York Magazine. November 2, 2014. Accessed April 10, 2020. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2014/10/pierre-omidyar-first-look-media.html
- “Organizations”. Omidyar Group. Accessed April 10, 2020. https://www.omidyargroup.com/organizations/
- “#118 Pierre Omidyar”. Forbes. Accessed April 10, 2020. https://www.forbes.com/profile/pierre-omidyar/#7d6d1e3166da
- Dunbar, John, Michael Beckel, and Carrie Levine. 2016. “Pierre Omidyar Gives $100,000 To New Anti-Trump Super PAC”. Center For Public Integrity. Accessed April 10, 2020. https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/04/15/19564/pierre-omidyar-gives-100000-new-anti-trump-super-pac
- “Joe Goldman” Democracy Fund Voter Study Group. https://www.voterstudygroup.org/participants/joe-goldman
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Democracy Fund Voice. 2014-2020. Part I.
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Democracy Fund Voice. 2014-2020. Schedule I.
- “Democracy Fund Voice: Lobbyists” Center for Responsive Politics. Accessed April 10, 2020. https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/clients/lobbyists?cycle=2019&id=F212869
- “Democracy Fund Voice: Bills” Center for Responsive Politics. Accessed April 10, 2020. https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/clients/bills?cycle=2019&id=F212869
- Ludwig, Hayden. “Another NeverTrump Network Is Receiving Left-wing Cash”. Capital Research Center. March 18, 2019. https://capitalresearch.org/article/another-nevertrump-network-is-receiving-left-wing-cash/
- “Stand Up Republic.” Democracy Fund Voice. Accessed April 10, 2020. http://democracyfundvoice.org/stand-up-republic/
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Democracy Fund Voice. 2018. Schedule I. Archived here: https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2020/02/Democracy-Fund-Voice-2018-Form-990.pdf