More Perfect Union Foundation

More Perfect Union Foundation is the charitable arm of the More Perfect Union Action, a pro-labor union advocacy group. Together, the two organizations publish the More Perfect Union news website, which is geared to building up support for labor unions and other left-of-center causes.

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At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3)
Issue Areas: Multi-Issue Advocacy, Labor Policy
Website: perfectunion.us
Founded:

2021

CEO:

Faiz Shakir

Location: Washington, DC View on map
Tax ID: 85-3189807
Most Recent Filing: 2024
Budget (2024): Assets: $9,051,705 Revenue: $8,197,937 Expenses: $5,027,655

Contents

    The news outlet was formed by an advisor to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The news outlet, while not officially a part of Sanders’s political operation, does share common goals and political viewpoints. The purpose of the news outlet is to increase labor union membership, build support for the political views promoted by labor union leadership, and to criticize American business. The news outlet also is geared towards pushing President Joe Biden further to the left. 1

    Overview

    More Perfect Union Foundation is a pro-labor union 501(c)(3) nonprofit that serves as the charitable arm of the More Perfect Union Action. Together, the two organization publish the More Perfect Union digital news website, which is geared towards building support for left-wing causes. 2

    More Perfect Union news website was formed in February 2021 to promote issues important to labor union leadership. The media outlet has a major focus on video and social media. The news organization has recorded videos of employees of large businesses such as Amazon, Frito-Lay, and Kellogg’s working in allegedly unsafe conditions. Published on social media websites such as Twitter, these videos have at time generated more than two million views. The news outlet also maintains a steady presence and large engagement on the video-sharing app TikTok. 3

    Classroom

    In November 2021, More Perfect Union debuted a vertical that it called Classroom. It views itself as the left-leaning alternative to the conservative video channel PragerU. 3

    The Classroom makes arguments for left-leaning policy and views. Its first video was in support of universal government-funded childcare. 3

    Advocacy

    The website was founded by veterans of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) 2020 presidential campaign. The news outlet, while not officially part of Sanders’s political operation, does share many views with Sanders. In addition, one of the founders of the website remains an advisor to Sanders. 1

    In March 2021, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain tweeted a More Perfect Union video that showed efforts to unionize an Amazon warehouse in Alabama. The retweet of the video came shortly after President Biden announced his support for unionization efforts at the warehouse. 1

    Leadership

    Faiz Shakir is head of More Perfect Union Foundation. Shakir is the former campaign manager for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) 2020 presidential campaign. He is a former employee of Think Progress, the defunct media outlet run by the Center for American Progress. Shakir modeled More Perfect Union as a digital version of Think Progress with an emphasis on videos and graphics. 1 Sharkir is also the former political director of the ACLU and worked in the office of former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). 2

    Malea Stenzel Gilligan is another Bernie 2020 alum. She has also worked on numerous left-of-center causes such as Vote Vets, National Wildlife Federation, and the campaign of the late U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN). 2

    Nico Pitney is a former top editor of the Huffington Post and NowThisNews. 3

    Finances

    The organization acknowledges that it receives donations from George Soros’s Open Society Foundations. 3

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2024 $9,051,705 $8,197,937 $5,027,655 View
    2023 $6,159,534 $5,053,052 $4,131,772 View
    2022 $4,653,386 $4,303,976 $3,042,999 View
    2021 $3,134,868 $4,710,241 $2,138,344 View

    Revenue Detail

    Expenses Detail

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $20,854,805
    • Number of Grants: 33
    • Number of Funders: 18

    Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $3,856,3052025 Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor grant recipient's exempt purposes
    $3,600,0002023 Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor grant recipient's exempt purposes
    $2,772,5002024 Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor grant recipient's exempt purposes
    $2,600,0002022 Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor grant recipient's exempt purposes
    $1,796,0002021 Hopewell FundCIVIL RIGHTS, SOCIAL ACTION, ADVOCACY
    $1,000,0002024 The William and Flora Hewlett Foundationfor general operating support
    $900,0002024 Wellspring Philanthropic Fund IncGENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
    $600,0002023 The Ford FoundationCore support to ensure that working people are seen and heard in media coverage and public debates
    $500,0002024 Marguerite Casey FoundationGENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
    $500,0002024 The Hearthland Foundation C/o Breslauer Rutman & Anderson IncNARRATIVE & STORYTELLING
    $320,0002023 Amalgamated Charitable Foundation IncGeneral operating support
    $250,0002023 Marguerite Casey FoundationGENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
    $200,0002025 W.K. Kellogg FoundationJobs and Family Economic Security
    $200,0002023 The Sunrise Project IncGENERAL SUPPORT
    $200,0002023 Way to RiseGENERAL OPERATIONS
    $200,0002022 Marguerite Casey FoundationGENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
    $160,0002026 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
    $150,0002024 Marguerite Casey FoundationGENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
    $150,0002023 Wellspring Philanthropic Fund IncGENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
    $150,0002022 The William and Flora Hewlett FoundationFOR GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
    $150,0002021 The William and Flora Hewlett FoundationFOR GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
    $100,0002025 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
    $100,0002024 128 Collective FoundationGENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
    $100,0002024 Amalgamated Charitable Foundation IncGeneral operating support
    $100,0002022 128 Collective FoundationGENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT

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    Financials, employee compensation, and grant information provided by Candid.

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. Markay, Lachlan. “Sanders’ Campaign Chief Is Running a New Media Startup Aimed at Pushing Biden to the Left.” Axios, March 11, 2021. https://www.axios.com/2021/03/11/sanders-shakir-biden-media-startup.
    2. “About.” More Perfect Union. Accessed December 5, 2022. https://perfectunion.us/about/.
    3.  Smith, Ben. “Why the Media Loves Labor Now.” New York Times. November 7, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/07/business/media/labor-unions-media-coverage.html.