Indian American Impact a left-of-center lobbying group and political organization that promotes the election of left-of-center Indian American and South Asian politicians in the United States. The group endorses Democratic candidates for office and has promoted many of the policies of the Biden administration pertaining to immigration, healthcare, climate, and racial issues.

The group’s educational arm is the Indian American Impact Project, which conducts ostensibly nonpartisan voter outreach efforts. Indian American Impact and the Indian American Impact Project are led by Neil Makhija, a Democratic politician and attorney who is a member of the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Board of Commissioners. ^{1 2 3 4}

Background

Indian American Impact was founded in 2017 to promote the election of Indian Americans and other Americans of South Asian descent to public office in the United States, particularly in congressional races. The organization’s roots are traced to the 2016 establishment of the Indian American Impact Fund, a political action committee established to elect more Indian American members of Congress. The Impact Fund was established by organizer and activist Deepak Raj and former Kansas State Representative Raj Goyle (D). The Indian American Impact Project’s website notes that in 2016 five Indian Americans were elected to the U.S. Congress including U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and then-Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA). ^{5 6}

Indian American Impact is a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization that conducts lobbying and political activity. The group also has an educational 501(c)(3) arm called the Indian American Impact Project, which operates voter registration campaigns and provides resources to bolster the advocacy of its sister organization and promote the hiring of Indian American staffers by the Biden administration and Democratic members of Congress. ^{7 3}

Activity

Indian American Impact supports left-of-center policy positions across several issue areas. The group supports left-of-center immigration policy that includes establishing a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, abolishing per-country caps for green cards, and amending immigration laws to increase the number of green cards issued each year. ⁸

The group also supports more stringent hate crime laws in the United States and curriculum requirements for Indian American history in schools. The group also adopts left-of-center rhetoric in regard to climate change, saying “The crisis of climate change is here, and it’s destroying lives and livelihoods everywhere we look…it’s never been more clear that climate change is an existential crisis for all of us.” ^{9 10}

The group also annually endorses Democratic candidates for public office, mostly for Congress and state legislatures. ¹¹ Among its endorsees is left-wing U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). ¹²

Leadership

Neil Makhija is the executive director of Indian American Impact and the Indian American Impact Project. Makhija is also a lecturer in Law at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and an attorney who has been involved in litigation against opioid and tobacco companies. In 2021, Makhija was one of 13 activists invited to the White House to advise President Joe Biden (D) and Vice President Kamala Harris (D) on voting rights. He was previously named by City & State PA as one of the “40 under 40” most influential people in Pennsylvania politics alongside some of the state’s highest-ranking government leaders. ¹³

In 2023, Makhija was elected as Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Commissioner, running as a Democrat. ²

1. “Indian American Impact Project.” Nonprofit Explorer. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/812175987
2. “About.” Neil Makhija for Montgomery County Commissioner. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://neilmakhija.com/about
3. “Brown Book.” Indian American Impact Project. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://iaimpact.org/impact-project/brown-book/
4. “Home.” Indian American Impact Project. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://iaimpact.org/impact-project/home/
5. “History.” Indian American Impact Project. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://iaimpact.org/impact-project/history/
6. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Indian American Impact. 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/384054905/202113199349330286/full
7. “Impact Project launches Desisvote.org and Voter Registration Social Media Toolkit.” Indian American Impact Project. September 19, 2022. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://iaimpact.org/2022/09/19/impact-project-launches-desisvote/
8. “Pathways to Citizenship.” Indian American Impact. Accessed April 25, 2024 https://iaimpact.org/issue/pathways-to-citizenship/
9. “Climate Justice.” Indian American Impact. Accessed April 25, 2024 https://iaimpact.org/issue/climate-justice/
10. “Racial Equity and Inclusion.” Indian American Impact. Accessed April 25, 2024 https://iaimpact.org/issue/racial-equity-inclusion/
11. “Endorsed Candidates.” Indian American Impact. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://iaimpact.org/endorsed-candidates/
12. “Indian American Impact Endorses Pramila Jayapal for U.S. House in Washington’s 7th Congressional District.” Indian American Impact. April 5, 2024. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://iaimpact.org/2024/04/05/indian-american-impact-endorses-pramila-jayapal-for-u-s-house-in-washingtons-7th-congressional-district/
13. “Neil Makhija.” University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://www.law.upenn.edu/faculty/nmakhija