For The Long Term (FTLT) is an activist group which promotes investment practices that comply with left-progressive environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policy goals. The organization focuses primarily on state, regional, and city governm­­ents, aiming to pressure their treasurers and financial oversight departments to adopt policies that are compatible with left-of-center priorities. FTLT also promotes increasing the staffing and budgets of local government treasury offices, as the organization claims that lack of personnel and funding is one of the factors preventing municipalities from successfully adopting ESG-compliant practices. ¹

FTLT receives a significant portion of its funding from the Ford Foundation, one of the largest left-of-center grantmaking organizations in the United States. The Omidyar Network—a philanthropy funded by Pierre Omidyar, the founder of international e-commerce platform eBay and a long-time left-of-center advocacy donor—has also provided a substantial amount of funding for FTLT. ^{2 3}

Democratic operative David Wallack is executive director of For the Long Term. ⁴ He is also the executive director of the Democratic Treasurers Association, a group supporting the election of Democrats to state financial officers’ positions. ⁵The DTA identifies compliance with ESG principles, like those endorsed by For The Long Term, as one of its key criteria for the candidates it backs. ^{6 7}

Partnerships

For The Long Term claims to have dozens of state, county, and city treasurers on board with its agenda. The organization highlights the actions of its allies in municipal governments when they support left-progressive societal objectives. It celebrated Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read (D) for prioritizing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) causes in the state’s taxpayer-funded investment portfolio, and praised Nevada Treasurer Zach Conine (D) for implementing a program aimed at enabling the state’s marijuana industry. ⁸

Leadership

Dave Wallack is the executive director of For The Long Term and has held the position since January 2020. Previously, he managed finances and fundraising for left-of-center organizations such as the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which provide resources to Democratic Party congressional candidates. He has also worked directly with various House and Senate campaigns. Wallack received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Florida and his master’s degree in the same field from Stanford University. He also studied demography and population studies at Georgetown University. ⁹

Delilah Rothenberg is a member of the FTLT board of directors. She is the co-founder and executive director of the Predistribution Initiative (PDI), an organization which pressures financial services providers to choose their investments in ways that advance left-progressive causes. She previously worked for a broad range of financial management institutions, including an investment project run by the United States Agency for International Development, a United Nations investment planning working group, and the now-defunct financial firm Bear Stearns. ¹⁰ Rothenberg started her career in Democratic Party politics, working as an intern at the office of then-U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY). Shortly before she helped found PDI, she completed an economics fellowship with the Open Society Foundations, the flagship organization within the global activism network of left-wing billionaire George Soros. ¹¹

Financials

In 2021, the Ford Foundation gave For The Long Term a $400,000 grant through the Amalgamated Charitable Foundation, a donor-advised fund affiliated with Amalgamated Bank, a financial institution owned by the Service Employees International Union. ¹²

1. For the Long Term. Accessed March 20, 2022. https://www.forthelongterm.org/
2. For the Long Term. Accessed March 20, 2022. https://www.forthelongterm.org/
3. “Treasurers.” For the Long Term. Accessed March 20, 2022. https://www.forthelongterm.org/treasurers
4. “Dave Wallack – Executive Director – for the Long Term …” LinkedIn. Accessed April 4, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-wallack-38313a39.
5. “Democratic Treasurers Association – North Dakota.” North Dakota Campaign Finance Online. Accessed March 21, 2022. North Dakota Secretary of State – Campaign Finance Online (nd.gov)
6. 350 Butte County. Facebook. May 17, 2021. Accessed March 20, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/chico350buttecounty/posts/for-the-long-term-is-the-501c3-for-the-democratic-treasurers-association-they-se/4318432788190554/
7. Democratic Treasurers Association. Accessed March 20, 2022. https://www.democratictreasurers.org/
8. “Treasurers.” For the Long Term. Accessed March 20, 2022. https://www.forthelongterm.org/treasurers
9. Dave Wallack. LinkedIn. Accessed March 20, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-wallack-38313a39/
10. “Delilah Rothenberg.” CFA Society New York. Accessed March 20, 2022. https://www.cfany.org/speaker-organizer/delilah-rothenberg/
11. Delilah Rothenberg. LinkedIn. Accessed March 20, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/delilah-rothenberg/
12. “Grants Database.” Ford Foundation. Accessed March 20, 2022.

    https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/grants-database/grants-all?sortDirection=1&search=%26SearchText%3Dfor%20the%20long%20term&page=0&minyear=2021&maxyear=2021