Pluribus Project, a project of the left-leaning Aspen Institute and New Venture Fund, was launched during the 2016 election cycle to use various technological advancements to reach voters.

As of January 2020, the Pluribus Project site is no longer available. ¹

Political Game Changers

In April 2016, Pluribus Project launched a portfolio of “Political Game Changers”, primarily political campaign veterans, consultants, and researchers, from across the political spectrum to help future clients, mostly political campaigns take advantage of their expertise. The “game changers” were expected to identify the most effective campaign strategies to be applied to their respective clients.

The most notable strategies were a Republican digital strategist increasing primary voter turnout, an app to improve volunteer canvassing, ad blocking software by a libertarian student activist group, and an online platform used by union organizers at Walmart. ²

Funding

Pluribus Project established an Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign with a goal of raising $100,000. It only reached 33% of its goal raising just over $33,000. ³

Pluribus Project also received a $10,000 grant from the Stuart Family Foundation. ⁴

Leadership

As of 2016, Lucas Welch was the executive director of the Pluribus Project. A graduate of Brown University, he worked for ABC News and as a freelance filmmaker in the Middle East covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Later, in 2002, he founded Soliya, a cross-cultural exchange program which later joined other groups to become the Virtual Exchange Coalition. ^{5 6}

1. “Home”. Pluribus Project. Accessed January 13, 2020. http://www.pluribusproject.org/cgi-sys/suspendedpage.cgi
2. Pluribus Project. “The Pluribus Project Announces Game Changing Innovations to Disrupt How Political Campaigns Are Won with Cross-Partisan Network of Campaigners, Political Scientists, and Entrepreneurs”. PR Newswire. April 05, 2016. Accessed January 13, 2020. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-pluribus-project-announces-game-changing-innovations-to-disrupt-how-political-campaigns-are-won-with-cross-partisan-network-of-campaigners-political-scientists-and-entrepreneurs-300246263.html
3. The Pluribus Project. Indiegogo. Accessed January 13, 2020 https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-pluribus-project#/
4. “Stuart Family Foundation.” Data from Foundation Search. Accessed January 13, 2020.
5. Lutz, Catherine. “Can Political Influence Be Shifted From the Money to the Many”. Aspen Institute. January 25, 2016. Accessed January 13, 2020. https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/can-political-influence-be-shifted-money-many/
6. Luce, Jim. “Peace through Moderation to Intro Counter Extremism Strategies at Harvard Club.” HuffPost. June 12, 2010. Accessed January 12, 2020. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/peace-through-moderation_b_608942?section=india&guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAExELSCSbmQ3SXuRX-X7YNoWRVfXWeDnk25ztHvWOrBx9sS3IyiGY6_5Oyx4VYPXpholST-xBaX7U2FQKV7SkJPbwBzXoULYFo58XmP1IxwLA8Ab-0ZJsMGuxY4afZm_Wp2onItDDjBA5vuFRULnNJqJdNOdmRDQdqVcv6vzGE_W