The Scholars Strategy Network (SSN) is a nationwide collective of researchers, college professors, and other academic figures which aims to influence government legislation and media coverage of the causes it supports. SSN was founded in 2011 by Harvard University sociology professor Theda Skocpol and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. As of 2023, it claimed to have more than 1,800 members in 47 states. The network also portrays its activism as being necessary to “strengthen democracy” in the United States. ¹

The policy positions of the network’s chosen scholars disproportionately lean left, including on contentious social issues such as race and abortion. ^{2 3} The financial backers of SSN include some of the nation’s largest left-of-center grantmaking organizations, including the Ford Foundation, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and the Bezos Family Foundation, run by the parents of billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. ⁴

Policy Positions

Scholars Strategy Network does not explicitly side with any political party or faction. ⁵  Nonetheless, its advocacy, which it bills as policy expert advice, aligns with the left-of-center stance on a broad range of issues.

Economics

Scholars Strategy Network has featured left-leaning economists. Marquette University’s Philip Rocco has argued against work requirements for taxpayer-funded Medicaid benefits. ⁶ The University of North Carolina’s Arielle Kuperberg openly acknowledges that she employs what she calls “feminist research methods” in her student-loan policy analysis. ⁷

Immigration

Scholars Strategy Network has promoted numerous academics whose work advocates for more permissive policies for entry into the United States, including undocumented border crossing. The University of Louisville’s Margath Walker has openly collaborated with left-wing activist groups operating on the United States-Mexico border. American University’s Ernesto Castaneda has argued for preferential treatment of Hispanic immigrants and their descendants. The University of Washington’s Sophia Wallace has attacked the border security and illegal immigrant detention policies of the Trump Administration. ⁸

Race

Scholars Strategy Network has recommended academics who support race-based discrimination favoring minority groups in higher education admissions. Tufts University’s Natasha Warikoo claims that affirmative action has “important value.” The University of Louisville’s Cedric Powell openly states that his research is “rooted in Critical Race Theory.” ⁹

Abortion

The SSN has endorsed academics who support expanded access to abortion. Smith College’s Carrie Baker opposes efforts to restrict the abortifacient drug mifepristone, claiming that it is “safe and effective” and that limiting it would “endanger the health and well-being of women and pregnant people (sic).” The University of California’s Ushma Upadhyay has conducted trials of using virtual appointments to prescribe abortion pills, and she claims the “safety” of medication abortion is “well documented.” ¹⁰

Firearms

The SSN has platformed multiple academics with left-leaning views on the Second Amendment. The College of William and Mary’s Robert Spitzer wrote a book arguing against expanding gun ownership rights. ¹¹ Duke University’s Joseph Blocher has described court decisions rolling back limitations on Second Amendment rights as “restrictions on gun laws.” ¹² Rutgers University’s Daniel Semenza has equated increased firearm ownership with “more death.” ¹³

Member Support

Scholars Strategy Network operates chapters in major cities across the United States, including New York, Chicago, Dallas, Boston, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, and the District of Columbia. It also runs numerous state-level chapters. ¹⁴ 

SSN provides its members with a wide range of instructional materials for maximizing the impact of their activism. The network’s media relations kit includes guides for writing letters to the editor, posting on Twitter, pitching and composing op-eds, and interviewing with reporters and show hosts. The SSN policy advocacy kit offers instructions for working with lawmakers, testifying before legislative bodies, and developing talking points. ¹⁵

Leadership

Theda Skocpol is the founder and director of the Scholars Strategy Network. She is a professor of political science and sociology at Harvard University. ¹⁶ Skopcol has described the idea of cutting government regulations as “extreme.” She has also argued that preventing unlawful immigration and deporting illegal border crossers is “draconian.” In addition, she has called out right-of-center voters for favoring government action on border security while also expressing opposition to government taxation and business regulation policies. Skopcol has expressed alarm at the idea of restricting abortion access and enshrining the traditional definition of marriage in law. ¹⁷

Robert Bowditch is the chairman of the SSN board. He is a partner with the Democracy Alliance, an influential and secretive collective of Democratic Party-aligned donors which has also included activist financier George Soros, the late insurance industry executive Peter B. Lewis, and the late banker Herbert Sandler. He is also a trustee of the Blossom Fund, a Boston, Massachusetts-based environmentalist grantmaking organization. Bowditch works as the senior partner at MB Associates, a real estate development firm which specializes in low-income housing, which he founded. He attended Harvard College and later Harvard Law School. ¹⁸

David DesJardins is a member of the SSN steering committee. ¹⁹ A software engineer by profession, he was one of the first employees at tech giant Google and later funded numerous left-of-center causes. Like SSN board chair Robert Bowditch, DesJardins is a member of the Democracy Alliance. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California at Berkeley. ²⁰

Ellen Nissenbaum is a member of the SSN steering committee. ²¹ She is the senior vice president for government affairs at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-of-center fiscal policy think tank. ²²

Ian Simmons is a member of the SSN steering committee. ²³ He is the co-founder and principal at the Blue Haven Initiative, an environmentalist investing firm which has ties to the Pritzker family of Democratic politicians and donors, and which provides funding to the SSN. ^{24 25}

Financials

In 2021, the Scholars Strategy Network generated just under $2.8 million in revenue, almost entirely from donations, and spent just over $2.1 million. That year, the organization’s net assets totaled more than $3.1 million. ²⁶ Major financial backers of the SSN in 2021 included the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which contributed at least $300,000, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a leading left-leaning healthcare policy advocacy grantmaker which funded a new “health equity” initiative. ^{27 28}

Other notable funders of the SSN that year included the Ford Foundation, one of the largest left-of-center philanthropic institutions in the United States, and the Blue Haven Initiative. The SSN also received a grant from the Bezos Family Foundation, a major left-leaning education philanthropy run by the parents of Jeff Bezos, the founder of e-commerce giant Amazon. ^{29 30}

1. “About the Scholars Strategy Network.” Scholars Strategy Network. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/about
2. “3 Experts Available For Timely Analysis On SCOTUS Affirmative Action Cases.” Scholars Strategy Network. June 29, 2023. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/features/3-experts-available-timely-analysis-scotus-0
3. 3 Experts Available For Timely Analysis On Abortion Medication Access.” Scholars Strategy Network. February 16, 2023. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/features/3-experts-available-timely-analysis-abortion
4. “About the Scholars Strategy Network.” Scholars Strategy Network. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/about
5. ^[1]“About the Scholars Strategy Network.” Scholars Strategy Network. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/about
6. “3 Experts Available For Timely Analysis On Work Requirements Proposal.” Scholars Strategy Network. May 16, 2023. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/features/3-experts-available-timely-analysis-work
7. “4 Experts Available for Analysis On Supreme Court Student Debt Cases.” Scholars Strategy Network. February 28, 2023. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/features/4-experts-available-analysis-supreme-court-student
8. “5 Experts Available For Timely Analysis On Immigration Debate.” Scholars Strategy Network. May 11, 2023. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/features/5-experts-available-timely-analysis-immigration
9. ^[1]“3 Experts Available For Timely Analysis On SCOTUS Affirmative Action Cases.” Scholars Strategy Network. June 29, 2023. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/features/3-experts-available-timely-analysis-scotus-0
10. 3 Experts Available For Timely Analysis On Abortion Medication Access.” Scholars Strategy Network. February 16, 2023. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/features/3-experts-available-timely-analysis-abortion
11. “5 Experts Available Fore Analysis Of Gun Control Following Texas Mass Shooting.” Scholars Strategy Network. May 25, 2022. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/features/5-experts-available-analysis-gun-control-following
12. Reva Siegel, Joseph Blocher. “Why Regulate Guns?” Sage Journals. January 6, 2021. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1073110520979395
13. Daniel Semenza. “More Guns, More Death.” Rockefeller Institute of Government. June 21, 2022. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://rockinst.org/blog/more-guns-more-death-the-fundamental-fact-that-supports-a-comprehensive-approach-to-reducing-gun-violence-in-america/
14. Chapters. Scholars Strategy Network. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/chapters
15. “Resources.” Scholars Strategy Network. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/resources
16. “Who We Are.” Scholars Strategy Network. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/staff
17. Theda Skocpol, Vanessa Williamson. “Making Sense Of The Tea Party.” Scholars Strategy Network. October 1, 2011. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/contribution/making-sense-tea-party
18. “Robert S. Bowditch, Jr.” Scholars Strategy Network. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/authenticated/robert-bowditch-jr
19. ^[1]“Who We Are.” Scholars Strategy Network. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/staff
20. “David DesJardins.” Scholars Strategy Network. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/authenticated/david-desjardins
21. “Who We Are.” Scholars Strategy Network. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/staff
22. ^[1]“Ellen Nissenbaum.” Scholars Strategy Network. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/scholar/ellen-nissenbaum
23. “Who We Are.” Scholars Strategy Network. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/staff
24. “Ian Simmons.” Scholars Strategy Network. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/authenticated/ian-simmons
25. “About the Scholars Strategy Network.” Scholars Strategy Network. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/about
26. Scholars Strategy Network 2021 Internal Revenue Service Form 990. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/270480740/202243189349301309/full
27. “Health Equity Scholars Program.” Scholars Strategy Network. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/health-equity-scholars-program
28. “Scholars Strategy Network.” Cause IQ. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/scholars-strategy-network,270480740/
29. “About the Scholars Strategy Network.” Scholars Strategy Network. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://scholars.org/about
30. “Three programs. Countless moments of discovery.” Bezos Family Foundation. Accessed October 1, 2023. https://www.bezosfamilyfoundation.org/programs