For more information, see National Democratic Redistricting Committee (PAC)

The National Redistricting Action Fund (NRAF) is the 501(c)(4) advocacy and lobbying arm of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), a Democratic PAC chaired by former Attorney General Eric Holder, and the National Redistricting Foundation, a 501(c)(3) litigation nonprofit. The nonprofit was created to litigate against Republican state elected officials for alleged Voting Rights Act infractions and what it deems illegal “gerrymandering” of state legislative and congressional districts ahead of the 2020 U.S. Census.

Background

The National Democratic Redistricting Action Fund describes its mission as “initiating litigation that will have a nationwide impact in creating more just and representative electoral districts,” a goal it pursues through engaging in “work that affects the redistricting process, including monitoring the national census activity.”¹

Affiliated Groups

The NRAF’s targeted litigation and national census efforts are coordinated with its two “sister” affiliates: the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, a Democratic Party PAC chaired by Eric Holder, and the National Redistricting Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The organizations share the same Washington, D.C. office space. ²

In August 2019, former president Barack Obama announced Redistricting U, an educational program by NRAF’s project All On the Line that aims to provide liberal volunteers throughout the country with the tools needed to affect the redistricting process in their state. ^{3 4 5}

In 2019, the National Democratic Redistricting Committee announced its plan to support candidates campaigning during spring elections in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. The National Redistricting Action Fund invested $350,000 in the groups Together Wisconsin Acts and Black Leaders Organizing Communities (BLOC). These groups supported the advertising and organizational components of Judge Lisa Neubauer’s campaign for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. ⁶

The National Redistricting Action Fund invested $10,000 in Progress Iowa to prevent Republicans in the Iowa state legislature from changing the process for selecting state judges in Iowa. ⁷

Iowan Republicans submitted a proposal that expands the power of local lawmakers and the government to select judges for Iowa’s state courts. This revision would allow Iowa’s legislators and governor to determine the candidates for membership of the state judicial nominating commission. The Iowa State Judicial Nominating Commission helps to select judges that serve on the Iowa Supreme Court and Iowa Court of Appeals. ⁸

Funding

Financial Overview

Note that NRAF’s Form 990 does not follow a normal calendar year, and instead runs from July 1 to June 31

In 2018-2019, the National Redistricting Action Fund reported total revenues of $4,081,820, total expenditures of $4,767,247 (including grants paid totaling $1,981,360), and net assets of $2,046,179. ⁹

In 2017-2018, the National Redistricting Action Fund reported revenues of $2,511,046, total expenditures of $1,593,743 (including grants paid totaling $275,000), and net assets of $2,731,606. ¹⁰

Donors to NRAF

The Ironworkers union and the National Education Association, the largest teachers’ and government workers’ unions in the United States, respectively, have donated to NRAF. ¹¹

A 2023 report released by right-of-center watchdog group Americans for Public Trust (APT) detailed how NRAF was one of several nonprofit organizations that received funding ($5 million) from the Berger Action Fund, the advocacy arm of the Wyss Foundation funded by billionaire Hansjorg Wyss. ^{12 13}

Support to Other Redistricting Groups

Voters Not Politicians, or Yes on 2, is a committee that proposed and successfully qualified a 2018 Michigan ballot measure to amend the state constitution to, as they claim, “fix Michigan’s broken redistricting process.”¹⁴ NRAF made a $250,000 donation to the committee that NDRC Chair Eric Holder claimed would help “people take power back from politicians and truly control their destiny.”¹⁵

Leadership

President and CEO

Kelly Ward serves as president and chief executive officer of the National Redistricting Action Fund and the National Redistricting Foundation, and she also serves as executive director of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), the nonprofit’s PAC affiliate. ^16 17 Ward is a Democratic Party operative and campaign strategist. From 2010 to 2017, she served first as political director and then as executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), a primary PAC utilized by House Democrats. Prior to that, Ward served in various positions for a number of left-leaning nonprofits in Arizona, campaign manager for Democratic congressional candidates, and in the office of Democratic Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano.

Board of Directors

According to the NRAF’s 2017 tax filing, the nonprofit’s board of directors is composed on president Kelly Ward, Elisabeth Pearson, and Mitch Stewart. ¹⁸

Elisabeth Pearson is president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC). From 2013 to December 2018, Pearson served as executive director of the Democratic Governors Association; she has also served as political director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).¹⁹

Mitch Stewart is a Democratic Party consultant and campaign strategist. Stewart is a founding partner at 270 Strategies, a Democratic consulting firm whose clients include Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, the U.S. Senate campaign for Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Organizing for America, and Planned Parenthood. ²⁰ He served as battleground states director for President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign and prior to that as national director for Organizing for America, a left-wing advocacy group. ²¹

1. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). National Redistricting Action Fund (2017). Schedule O (Supplemental Information for Part 1, Line 1). Accessed January 21, 2019.
2. “Statement of Organization: National Democratic Redistricting PAC.” Federal Election Commission (FEC), Filing FEC-1137745. January 9, 2017. http://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00630707/1137745/
3. Obama, Barack. “Training Is at the Heart of Organizing. It’s Why I’ve Always Made It a Priority – from My 2008 Campaign until Now. And It’s Why I’m Proud to Announce @Allontheline’s in-Person Training Initiative, Redistricting U. Join Us: Https://T.co/yrWJ50wSdE Pic.twitter.com/HiKvGd2XyE.” Twitter. Twitter, August 26, 2019. https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1166068183289253889.
4. Board, The Editorial. “Opinion | Eric Holder’s Redistricting Coup.” The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, September 4, 2019. https://www.wsj.com/articles/eric-holders-redistricting-coup-11567638869.
5. “Redistricting U.” All On The Line, n.d. https://allontheline.org/redistrictingu/.
6. “NDRC Affiliates Invest in State Activity, Holder to Travel to Wisconsin, Texas.” National Democratic Redistricting Committee, March 5, 2019. https://democraticredistricting.com/ndrc-affiliates-invest-in-state-activity-holder-to-travel-to-wisconsin-texas/.
7. “NDRC Affiliates Invest in State Activity, Holder to Travel to Wisconsin, Texas.” National Democratic Redistricting Committee. March 5, 2019. https://democraticredistricting.com/ndrc-affiliates-invest-in-state-activity-holder-to-travel-to-wisconsin-texas/.
8. Rodriguez, Barbara. “Iowa Republicans Revise Proposals on Changing How Judges are Picked.” Des Moines Register. February 20, 2019. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2019/02/20/iowa-legislature-republicans-revise-plan-change-how-judicial-selection-process-supreme-court-appeals/2932199002/.
9. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). National Redistricting Action Fund. 2019. Part I, Lines 12, 13, 18, 22.
10. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). National Redistricting Action Fund. 2018. Part I, Lines 12, 13, 18, 22.
11. Data compiled from the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Labor Management Standards from forms filed with the Department of Labor by labor unions. Queries conducted February 23, 2021.
12. “Report: Foreign Influence in U.S. Elections.” Americans for Public Trust, July 10, 2023. https://americansforpublictrust.org/document/report-foreign-influence-in-u-s-elections/
13. Schoffstall, Joe and Thomas Catenacci. “Liberal Swiss billionaire’s extensive nonprofit cash targeted ahead of 2024 election: ‘Needs to be stopped.’” Fox News, July 20, 2023. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/liberal-swiss-billionaires-extensive-nonprofit-cash-targeted-2024-election-needs-stopped
14. “Home.” Voters Not Politicians. Accessed January 22, 2019. https://www.votersnotpoliticians.com/
15. “Press Release: NDRC Affiliate Invests in Michigan Redistricting Reform Effort.” National Democratic Redistricting Committee. September 12, 2018. Accessed January 22, 2019. https://democraticredistricting.com/nraf-invests-michigan-redistricting-reform-effort/
16. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). National Redistricting Foundation (2017). Part VII. Accessed January 21, 2019.
17. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). National Redistricting Action Fund (2017). Part VII. Accessed January 21, 2019.
18. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). National Redistricting Foundation (2017). Part VII. Accessed January 21, 2019.
19. “Press Release: DGA Announces New Executive Director.” Democratic Governors Association. December 3, 2018. Accessed January 21, 2019. https://democraticgovernors.org/news/dga-announces-new-executive-director/
20. “What We Do.” 270 Strategies. Accessed January 21, 2019. https://www.270strategies.com/what-we-do/
21. “Mitch Stewart.” 270 Strategies. Accessed January 21, 2019. https://www.270strategies.com/our-team/mitch-stewart/