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ProsperUS

Parent Organization: New Venture Fund (NVF)
Website:

www.prosperus.org
Project of:

New Venture Fund
Website:

www.prosperus.org

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ProsperUS is a coalition of left-of-center groups that advocates for increased government spending and investment in entitlement programs. It is a project of the left-of-center New Venture Fund (NVF), a pass-through funding and fiscal sponsorship nonprofit managed by Arabella Advisors in Washington, D.C. 1 Observers have characterized the Arabella Advisors and New Venture Fund as part of a large network of left-of-center “dark money.” 2

The coalition includes some of the most prominent left-leaning organizations in the United States, such as the Center for American Progress (CAP), the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the TIME’S UP Foundation, the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the Daily Kos and Demos. 3

Coalition Background and Goals

ProsperUS is a project of the New Venture Fund (NVF), a left-of-center funding and fiscal sponsorship nonprofit sponsored by the Washington, D.C. consulting firm Arabella Advisors. 4

ProsperUS describes itself as a coalition of movement groups, labor organizations, think tanks, experts, and advocates designed to support left-of-center fiscal and economic policy. It is comprised of left-leaning to left-wing organizations that work at both the state and federal level. 5

The coalition calls for policymakers to take “bold action” to eliminate economic inequality, including a massive influx of ongoing entitlement program spending. 6 ProsperUS calls for “massive” government spending to keep people out of poverty and defeat what it identifies as the “threats” of  “rising authoritarianism, climate change, [and] historic unemployment.” 7 8

Clair Guzdar is the spokesperson for ProsperUS. 9 Guzdar was formerly the director of campaigns and partnerships at the left-of-center Groundwork Collaborative, one of the coalition partners for ProsperUS. 10

Coalition Members

ProsperUS includes a range of left-of-center labor organizations, advocacy groups, think tanks and nonprofit organizations. 11

Think Tanks

Some of the largest left-of-center think tanks in the United States are a part of the coalition. These include the Center for American Progress (CAP), the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD), the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center (CPCC), the National Employment Law Project (NELP), and the Economic Policy Institute. 12

Other left-of-center think tanks affiliated with the coalition include the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), the Center for Economic and Social Rights, the Center for Law and Social Policy, the Center for LGBTQ Economic Advancement and Research, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability. 13

ProsperUS also features several left-wing think tanks, including the Institute for Policy Studies, and the Insight Center for Community Economic Development. 14

Organized Labor Partners

Aside from its think tank members, ProsperUS features a number of organized labor affiliates. National unions including the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, Communications Workers of America (CWA), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) are listed as coalition partners. 15

Some local chapters of labor unions and non-union organized labor groups are also involved in ProsperUS. These include the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 704, the Coalition of Labor Union Women, Family Values @ Work, and the Partnership for Working Families. 16

Advocacy Partners

Most ProsperUS coalition members are left-of-center advocacy organizations, many of which specialize in promoting left-of-center economic policy. These include PolicyLink, Americans For Tax Fairness, A Better Balance, the Economic Opportunity Institute, the Economic Security Project, Employ America, the Groundwork Collaborative, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the Main Street Alliance, and the Southern Economic Advancement Project. 17

The ProsperUS coalition also includes prominent left-of-center advocacy organizations with broader left-of-center agendas, such as the California Immigrant Policy Center, the Children’s Defense Fund, Faith in Public Life Action, Health Care for America Now (HCAN), the Friends Committee on National Legislation, Indivisible, the National Women’s Law Center, MomsRising, the TIME’S UP Foundation, Voices for Progress, the Women’s March, the National Partnership for Women and Families (NPWF) and Young Invincibles. 18

Though most ProsperUS members represent national organizations, the coalition also includes some high-profile regional advocacy groups as well. These include the California Asset Building Coalition, the Colorado Fiscal Institute, Detroit Action, Detroit Disability Power, Every Texan, Make It Work Nevada, and New Jersey Policy Perspective. 19

Left-Wing Coalition Members

While most of ProsperUS’s members are mainstream left-of-center organizations, the coalition also includes far-left and left-wing organizations. These include the left-wing Working Families Party (WFP), Black Leaders Organizing for Communities, the Strong Economy for All Coalition the Daily Kos, Demos, the United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the State Innovation Exchange (SIX), Public Citizen, the Action Center on Race and the Economy (ACRE), and In the Public Interest. 20

References

  1. District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. Search: New Venture Fund: Trade Names. Accessed June 30, 2021. https://corponline.dcra.dc.gov/BizEntity.aspx/ViewEntityData?entityId=2689437.
  2. Kenneth P. Vogel, Katie Robertson. “Top Bidder for Tribune Newspapers Is an Influential Liberal Donor.” New York Times. April 13, 2021. Accessed April 14, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/13/business/media/wyss-tribune-company-buyer.html
  3. About. ProsperUS. Accessed August 13, 2021. https://www.prosperus.org/about
  4. District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. Search: New Venture Fund: Trade Names. Accessed June 30, 2021. https://corponline.dcra.dc.gov/BizEntity.aspx/ViewEntityData?entityId=2689437.
  5. About. ProsperUS. Accessed August 13, 2021. https://www.prosperus.org/about
  6. About. ProsperUS. Accessed August 13, 2021. https://www.prosperus.org/about
  7. Our Principles. ProsperUS. Accessed August 13, 2021. https://www.prosperus.org/principles
  8. Our Principles. ProsperUS. Accessed August 13, 2021. https://www.prosperus.org/principles
  9. Press Release. “ProsperUS Coalition Urges Fast Action on Both Infrastructure Bills. PropserUS. August 10, 2021. Accessed August 13, 2021. https://www.prosperus.org/media/prosperus-coalition-urges-fast-action-on-both-infrastructure-bills
  10. Clair Guzdar. LinkedIn. Accessed August 13, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairecmarkham/
  11. About. ProsperUS. Accessed August 13, 2021. https://www.prosperus.org/about
  12. About. ProsperUS. Accessed August 13, 2021. https://www.prosperus.org/about
  13. About. ProsperUS. Accessed August 13, 2021. https://www.prosperus.org/about
  14. About. ProsperUS. Accessed August 13, 2021. https://www.prosperus.org/about
  15. About. ProsperUS. Accessed August 13, 2021. https://www.prosperus.org/about
  16. About. ProsperUS. Accessed August 13, 2021. https://www.prosperus.org/about
  17. About. ProsperUS. Accessed August 13, 2021. https://www.prosperus.org/about
  18. About. ProsperUS. Accessed August 13, 2021. https://www.prosperus.org/about
  19. About. ProsperUS. Accessed August 13, 2021. https://www.prosperus.org/about
  20. About. ProsperUS. Accessed August 13, 2021. https://www.prosperus.org/about
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