The Sixteen Thirty Fund (sometimes styled “1630 Fund”) is a left-of-center lobbying and advocacy organization founded in 2008.[1] Sixteen Thirty Fund often operates alongside its charitable “sister” nonprofit New Venture Fund, which provides similar funding and fiscal sponsorship services to center-left organizations. Both groups, along with the Hopewell Fund and Windward Fund, are administered by Arabella Advisors, a Washington, D.C.-based philanthropy consulting firm that caters to left-leaning clients.
According to its founding documents, the Sixteen Thirty Fund was created with seed funding from Americans United for Change (AUFC), ACORN, USAction, the Sierra Club, and Working America. [2]
Both Sixteen Thirty Fund and New Venture Fund have been criticized as “dark money” organizations, serving as a way for left-leaning groups to anonymously funnel money toward various advocacy issues, such as attacking vulnerable Republicans or pushing state-level environmental restrictions. [3][4] The left-leaning Politico has called the Sixteen Thirty Fund a “massive ‘dark money’ network” responsible for “boost[ing] Democrats” in the 2018 midterm elections. [5] In its 2018 Form 990, New Venture Fund shows a $26.7 million grant to the Sixteen Thirty Fund for “capacity building.” [6] Sixteen Thirty Fund’s Form 990 of the same year, also shows zero employees, and notes in Schedule O that “New Venture Fund (NVF) is the paymaster for Sixteen Thirty Fund payroll. NVF pays the salary and immediately invoices Sixteen Thirty Fund, which reimburses the full amount.” [7]
The Sixteen Thirty Fund has also been characterized as one of the “key groups founded to resist Trump” by the left-leaning Atlantic. [8]
In 2015, the Fund provided millions in grants to 29 different organizations. That year, Sixteen Thirty Fund’s largest grant—exceeding $1.9 million—went to the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, the “educational” arm of the League of Conservation Voters, an organization activating and rallying environmentalists to political activism. [9]
Seed Capital from the Left
The Sixteen Thirty Fund is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. According to its original filings with the IRS (archived here), the group received $350,745 in seed capital in 2009 from five left-wing organizations, including the scandal-ridden ACORN, which collapsed in 2010. [10]
- Americans United for Change (AUFC): $221,745
- ACORN: $25,000
- USAction: $22,000
- Sierra Club: $10,000
- Working America: $72,000
Americans United for Change (AUFC) has been characterized as a “dark money group” by the left-leaning Sunlight Foundation for its support of left-wingcauses and Democratic Party candidates. The group is headed by Brad Woodhouse, a controversial Democratic operative who also runs Protect Our Care, a project of the Sixteen Thirty Fund. [11] AUFC is heavily funded by labor unions, including the AFL-CIO and AFSCME. [12]
ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) is a now-defunct community organizing network that once had hundreds of affiliates nationwide. The group, which provided voter registration and mobilization efforts for left-wing causes beginning in the 1970s, disbanded in 2010 after declaring bankruptcy following a loss of federal funding. [13]
USAction was a center-left advocacy nonprofit created by activist Heather Booth in 1999 as a successor to the scandal-ridden consumer advocacy group Citizen Action, founded by Ralph Nader in the 1970s. USAction was a key player in the creation of Health Care for America Now (HCAN), a major coalition of center-left groups formed in 2007 to help pass the Democratic Party’s healthcare overhaul bill (which later became Obamacare). [14] HCAN was later revived as a joint project of the Sixteen Thirty Fund and the New Venture Fund, which manages the HCAN Education Fund. [15] In 2016, USAction merged with a number of other left-wing groups to form People’s Action.
The Sierra Club is one of the oldest and most powerful environmentalist organizations in the country, known for funding many activist groups on the Left.
Working America is a center-left labor union characterized as the “community affiliate” of the AFL-CIO. The group was formed in 2003 and claims more than 3 million members, many of whom it encourages to canvass neighborhoods during elections in order to support left-wing and Democratic Party political candidates. [16]
Low-Profile Funding Activities
The Sixteen Thirty Fund keeps a low profile compared with comparable nonprofit organizations. The organization boasts a one-page website, no Facebook page and no Twitter account. The fund has received little news coverage in the past few years. What little press coverage to be found centered on the 2013 effort to recall Democratic sate legislators in Colorado over their votes on a controversial gun-control measure.
That year, Sixteen Thirty Fund donated $35,000 to a Colorado group founded to defended Democratic state Sen. Angela Giron (D-Pueblo) from a recall effort over her votes for more gun control in the state. [17] Giron lost the effort after only 44 percent voted to retain her. [18] During the same recall effort, Sixteen Thirty Fund donated another $35,000 to a group supporting Colorado state Sen. John Morse (D-Colorado Springs), who also supported stricter gun control. [19] Morse also lost the recall vote when 51 percent voted to oust him. [20]
In 2017, the Washington Free Beacon tied the Sixteen Thirty Fund to progressive efforts to hide big money fueling criticism of President Donald Trump’s nominees to several Cabinet-level posts. Targeted nominees included businessman Andy Puzder (who would later withdraw as nominee for Secretary of Labor) and Steven Mnuchin (later confirmed as Secretary of the Treasury). [21]
Another publication, Tax Analysts, noticed Sixteen Thirty Fund’s financial support for “Tax March” rallies planned to protest President Trump’s unwillingness to release his tax returns. It is unclear how much Sixteen Thirty Fund contributed to the march. [22]
“Dark Money” Funder
The Sixteen Thirty Fund, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that isn’t required by the IRS to disclose its donors, has been criticized by groups on the political Left and Right as a “dark money” funder.
In 2018, the left-leaning website Politico profiled the Sixteen Thirty Fund, noting that it spent “$141 million on more than 100 left-leaning causes during the [2018] midterm election”: [23]
Sixteen Thirty Fund played a role in the battle for the House of Representatives in 2018, a crucial contest for Democrats trying to seize back power after Trump’s rise. The election featured dozens of Democratic candidates who decried the influence of money in politics on the campaign trail.
Ballot Initiatives
On September 4, 2018, the Missouri-based Kansas City Star reported a $3 million donation from Sixteen Thirty Fund to Raise Up Missouri, a left-wing PAC seeking to raise the state’s minimum wage to $12 per hour through a 2018 ballot initiative. Sixteen Thirty Fund also reportedly gave $500,000 to the PAC in 2017, and an additional $500,000 to it in May 2018. [24]
2018 Midterm Election
The Sixteen Thirty Fund spent approximately $740,000 in independent expenditures and electioneering communications during the 2018 midterm election.[25]
| Sixteen Thirty Fund: 2018 Midterm Outside Spending | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sum: | $740,091 | |
| Sixteen Thirty Fund Project | Amount | Expenditure Type |
| Demand Justice | $317,696 | Electioneering Communications |
| Floridians for a Fair Shake | $286,113 | Electioneering Communications |
| Floridians for a Fair Shake | $7,537 | Independent Expenditure |
| SoCal Healthcare Coalition | $120,149 | Electioneering Communications |
| SoCal Healthcare Coalition | $5,875 | Independent Expenditure |
| Ohioans for Economic Opportunity | $2,721 | Independent Expenditure |
Lobbying for H.R. 1
In November 2019, the Sixteen Thirty Fund hired lobbyists Dana Singiser of Keefe Strategies and former chief of staff to Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) Maura Keefe to lobby in favor of H.R. 1, an anti-dark money campaign finance and ethics reform bill (named the “For the People Act 2019”) that passed the House in March, 2019. [26] The bill aims to expand access to voting, create stronger ethics rules for public servants, and combat the influence of money in politics. [27]
Criticism
In November 2019, Politico released a report on the Sixteen Thirty Fund and their $114 million efforts in attacking Justice Brett Kavanaugh with Demand Justice and in helping Democratic candidates win elections in 2018. Politico highlighted how the spending was “fueled by massive anonymous donations” and explained that the donors can remain anonymous due to federal laws protecting “social welfare” groups. The report also mentioned Sixteen Thirty’s connections to Arabella Advisors and noted that Arabella was “founded by former Clinton administration appointee Eric Kessler.” [28]
A few days later, the Washington Post published an editorial about Politico’s report, decrying the ability of dark money groups to “push causes and issues before voters” without disclosing “what special interests might lurk behind” their ads and campaigns. After detailing what Politico learned about Sixteen Thirty’s spending and activities, the Post called on Congress to “change the law and force social welfare groups to identify their donors in full.” [29]
Leadership
Eric Kessler, a former Clinton administration environmental policy staffer who also serves as principal of liberal philanthropic and investment strategy firm Arabella Advisors, is president of Sixteen Thirty Fund. [30] He additionally serves as the board chair for the New Venture Fund. [31] More than 100 progressive organizations boast connections to Kessler and the New Venture Fund. [32]
Board of Directors
From 2016 to 2018, the Sixteen Thirty Fund board of directors consisted of Arabella Advisors principal Eric Kessler; Albright Stonebridge Group senior adviser Michael Madnik, who resigned from the board in July 2018; Democratic Party consultant and former Hillary Clinton 2008 campaign spokesman Douglas Hattaway; Arabella Advisors chief financial officer Wilbur Priester; Arabella Advisors general counsel Andrew Schulz; American Democracy Institute vice president Dara Freed; former Democratic PAC staffer Monica Dixon; Latino Victory Project president Cristobal Alex, who resigned from the board in February 2019; and Hill-Snowdon Foundation executive director Nathaniel Chioke Williams, who resigned from the board in December 2018. [33]
Key Staff
All of Sixteen Thirty Fund’s IRS Form 990 filings from 2009 to 2018 show zero employees. Instead, as stated in the organization’s 2017 Form 990, “New Venture Fund (NVF) is the paymaster for all managed organizations under Arabella for payroll[.] NVF pays the salary and immediately invoices Sixteen Thirty Fund, which pays the full amount back[.]” [34]
Funding
Financial Overview
The Sixteen Thirty Fund’s revenues grew 1,547 percent between 2009 and 2017.
| Sixteen Thirty Fund: Financial Overview (2009-2018) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Total: | $277,801,314 | $191,036,108 | $140,753,352 | |
| Total Revenues | Total Expenditures | Grants Paid | Net Assets | |
| 2018 | $143,837,877 | $141,396,752 | $91,386,301 | $42,513,247 |
| 2017 | $79,559,836 | $2,441,125 | $13,336,144 | $39,872,122 |
| 2016 | $21,258,592 | $19,660,860 | $14,584,591 | $7,205,369 |
| 2015 | $5,617,209 | $8,660,897 | $6,768,578 | $5,607,637 |
| 2014 | $16,523,735 | $10,880,643 | $9,719,545 | $8,651,325 |
| 2013 | $5,269,965 | $2,721,133 | $1,322,500 | $3,008,233 |
| 2012 | $812,500 | $353,098 | $152,500 | $459,401 |
| 2011 | $93,600 | $93,600 | - | - |
| 2010 | - | $447,394 | $146,569 | - |
| 2009 | $4,828,000 | $4,380,606 | $3,336,624 | $447,394 |
From 2017 to 2018, the Sixteen Thirty Fund’s revenues increased from $79.6 million to $143.8 million, an increase of 80.8 percent. [35]
From 2016 to 2017, the Sixteen Thirty Fund’s revenues increased from $21.3 million to $79.6 million, an increase of 274 percent. [36]
From 2015 to 2016, the Sixteen Thirty Fund’s revenues increased from $5.6 million to $21.3 million, an increase of 278 percent. [37]
Donors to Sixteen Thirty Fund
As a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, the Sixteen Thirty Fund isn’t required by the IRS to report its donors.
The Washington Free Beacon reported that the Sixteen Thirty Fund received $860,000 from four labor unions in 2015 and 2016, including the AFL-CIO and the National Education Association. [38]
Sixteen Thirty Fund also received over $4.5 million from the Atlantic Philanthropies, a Bermuda-based philanthropic enterprise that funded left-of-center organizations. [39] Other known funders of Sixteen Thirty include the Tides Foundation. [40]
In 2018, Politico identified a handful of liberal donors to the Fund: [41]
The group does disclose the amount of money of each donation, which shows several strikingly large contributions: One donor gave the group $51,705,000; a second gave $26,747,561 and a third gave $10,000,000. And The Hub Project disclosed three of its donors in 2017: Seattle venture capitalist Nick Hanauer, the union American Federation of Teachers and the Wyss Foundation, founded by businessman and environmentalist Hansjörg Wyss.
The second donor noted above is likely the New Venture Fund, since it shows a $26,747,561 grant to the Sixteen Thirty Fund for “capacity building.” [42]
Grants from Sixteen Thirty Fund
While the Sixteen Thirty Fund primarily provides incubation (or fiscal sponsorship) services, it also pays out millions of dollars in grants each year.
In 2018, the Sixteen Thirty Fund paid $91,386,301 in grants: [43]
| Sixteen Thirty Fund Grantees (2018) | Amount |
|---|---|
| America Votes | 27150000 |
| League of Conservation Voters | 8000000 |
| Nevadans for Secure elections | 6250000 |
| Count MI Vote | 6000000 |
| Raise up Missouri | 4241000 |
| Save Our Neighborhoods | 3500000 |
| Stop Deceptive Amendments | 3500000 |
| Change Now Inc. | 2822500 |
| Floridians for a Fair Democracy | 2650000 |
| Coloradans for Fairness | 2500000 |
| Coloradans to Stop Predatory Payday Loans | 2075000 |
| Michigan Time to Come | 1760000 |
| Fund for a Better Future Inc. | 1750000 |
| Arkansas for a Fair Wage | 1346000 |
| Environmental Defense Action Fund | 1000000 |
| Forward Majority Action | 1000000 |
| Good Jobs Colorado | 920000 |
| State Engagement Fund | 787918 |
| New Venture Fund | 778000 |
| Alliance for Youth Action | 750000 |
| Center for Popular Democracy | 701500 |
| The Fairness Project | 697000 |
| Justice Colorado | 600000 |
| No Cuts to Care PAC | 600000 |
| Coloradans Creating Opportunities | 545000 |
| Center for American Progress | 500000 |
| Ohio Safe and Healthy Communities Campaign | 500000 |
| Our Colorado Values | 500000 |
| Florida for All, Inc. | 480000 |
| North Carolina Citizens for Protecting our Schools | 400000 |
| Environment America | 357300 |
| Progress North Carolina Action | 355000 |
| Progress Now | 335688 |
| Kansas Values Institute | 325000 |
| Maine People's Alliance | 250713 |
| Color of Change Education Fund | 250000 |
| Michigan League or Responsible Voters | 250000 |
| Promote the Vote | 250000 |
| Progress Michigan | 240000 |
| Network | 225000 |
| Make North Carolina First | 223000 |
| American Bridge 21st Century | 200000 |
| The Arena | 200000 |
| ProgressNow Colorado | 191700 |
| One PA | 188000 |
| Vote No on Amendment 1, Inc. | 150000 |
| Common Cause | 125000 |
| Plan Action Fund | 125000 |
| Casa In Action | 100000 |
| Raise up Massachusetts | 100000 |
| Secure Democracy | 95000 |
| Arizona Wins | 93300 |
| People's Action Institute | 93062 |
| Battle Born Progress | 90000 |
| Green Tech Action Fund | 75000 |
| Momsrising together | 75000 |
| Stand Up for Ohio | 75000 |
| State Innovation Exchange | 75000 |
| Working People of Colorado | 75000 |
| State Employers Association of North Carolina | 73700 |
| Florida Alliance for Civic Engagement | 70000 |
| NC Justice Center | 70000 |
| The Hopewell Fund | 68112 |
| Fair Maps Colorado | 68000 |
| West Virginia Citizen Action Group | 55000 |
| Chirlaction Fund | 50000 |
| Colorado People's Action | 50000 |
| Community Voices Heard Power Inc. | 50000 |
| Faith in Public Life Action Fund | 50000 |
| hiladelphia Unemployment Project | 50000 |
| Kingdom Mission Society | 50000 |
| National Institute for Reproductive Health Action Fund | 50000 |
| Promise Arizona in Action | 50000 |
| The Movement Cooperative | 46250 |
| Alaska Conservation Voters | 43500 |
| Citizen Action of New York | 40000 |
| Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates Inc. | 40000 |
| Run For Something Action Fund | 40000 |
| The Arc of the United States | 40000 |
| American Cancer Society | 30000 |
| The Advocacy Fund | 27000 |
| Ballot Initiative Strategy Center | 25000 |
| Care in Action, Inc. | 25000 |
| PICO Action Fund | 25000 |
| Stand Up America PAC | 25000 |
| Women's Foundation of California | 25000 |
| Citizen Action Illinois | 20000 |
| ProgressOhio.org Inc. | 20000 |
| Colorado Fiscal Institute | 17750 |
| Jannus Inc. | 17750 |
| Montana udget and Policy Center | 17750 |
| ACT Indiana, Inc. | 15000 |
| Social Good Fund | 15000 |
| We the People of Florida, Inc. | 15000 |
| Women's March, Inc. | 15000 |
| Black Youth Project 100 | 12500 |
| Chicago International Social Change Film Festival | 12500 |
| Tides Center | 12500 |
| Urban Affairs Coalition | 12500 |
| The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Foundation | 12000 |
| Citizen Action of New Jersey | 10500 |
| Blue Institute Enterprises, Inc. | 10000 |
| Collective Future | 10000 |
| New Era Colorado Action Fund | 10000 |
| Organize Now Inc. | 10000 |
| Save the Children Action Network Inc. | 10000 |
| Texas Organizing Project | 10000 |
| Win Colorado | 10000 |
| TakeAction Minnesota Education Fund | 9450 |
| 215 People's Alliance | 8500 |
| Economic Policy Institute | 6000 |
| 40 Friends (We Care) | 5000 |
| Action NC | 5000 |
| Latino Victory Project | 5000 |
| Missouri Jobs with Justice Voter Action | 5000 |
| Pennsylvania Health Access Fund | 5000 |
In 2017, the Sixteen Thirty Fund paid $13,319,818 in grants: [44]
| Sixteen Thirty Fund Grantees (2017) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sum | $13,319,818 |
| League of Conservation Voters | $3,850,000 |
| Partnership Project Action Fund | $1,160,000 |
| Environment America | $1,100,000 |
| Mainers for Health Care | $800,000 |
| Natural Resource Defense Council Action Fund | $750,000 |
| Raise Up Missouri | $500,000 |
| Michigan Time to Care | $400,000 |
| New Venture Fund | $313,722 |
| American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network | $310,846 |
| Virginia New Majority | $285,196 |
| BlackPAC | $225,463 |
| Progress Now | $221,500 |
| New Jersey Working Families Alliance | $215,000 |
| Maine People's Alliance | $215,000 |
| Black Progressive Action Coalition | $200,000 |
| MoveOn.org Civiv Action | $170,000 |
| ColorOfChange.org | $150,000 |
| New Florida Majority | $150,000 |
| Organizing for Action | $150,000 |
| Black Leadership Organizing Collaborative | $150,000 |
| Raise Up Massachusetts | $110,000 |
| Center for American Progress Action Fund | $110,000 |
| Kingdom Mission Society | $105,000 |
| Fair Share | $100,000 |
| Our Revolution | $100,000 |
| National Institute for Reproductive Health Action Fund | $100,000 |
| Faith in Public Life Action Fund | $98,000 |
| Working Families Organization | $90,000 |
| California Calls Action Fund | $75,000 |
| Center for Gender and Racial Equity | $75,000 |
| Citizen Action of New York | $65,000 |
| Citizen Action of New Jersey | $65,000 |
| MomsRising Together | $65,000 |
| Mijente | $50,000 |
| America Votes | $50,000 |
| Advance North carolina Inc. | $50,000 |
| West Virginia Citizen Action Group | $50,000 |
| NEO Philanthropy Action | $41,907 |
| Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada Action Fund | $40,000 |
| Promise Arizona in Action | $40,000 |
| Arizona Wins | $30,196 |
| Citizen Action of Wisconsin | $30,000 |
| Center for Community Change Action | $28,000 |
| Texas Organizing Project | $25,000 |
| Action NC | $25,000 |
| Citizen Action Illinois | $25,000 |
| Missouri Jobs With Justice Voter Action | $25,000 |
| Arkansas Community Organizations | $25,000 |
| TakeAction Minnesota | $25,000 |
| Rights and Democracy Project | $25,000 |
| Organize Now Inc. | $25,000 |
| Washington Community Action Network Education and Research Fund | $25,000 |
| Delawareans for Social and Economic Justice | $25,000 |
| Bread for the World | $25,000 |
| Freedman Boyd Hollander Goldberg Urias and Ward PA | $24,225 |
| Arizonans for Fair Wage and Healthy Families | $20,000 |
| Missouri Impact Inc. | $15,000 |
| Pennsylvania Health Access Fund | $15,000 |
| Ballot Initiative Strategy Center Inc. | $15,000 |
| Tennessee Citizen Alliance | $15,000 |
| ProgressNow Education | $15,000 |
| South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce | $10,500 |
| Network | $10,000 |
| US Black Chambers Inc. | $8,000 |
| The Hopewell Fund | $6,549 |
| Battle Born Progress | $5,714 |
In 2016, the Sixteen Thirty Fund paid $14,482,590 in grants: [45]
| Sixteen Thirty Fund Grantees (2016) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sum | $14,482,590 |
| 350.org Action Fund | $100,000 |
| Advance North Carolina Inc. | $100,000 |
| Alaska Conservation Voters | $47,500 |
| All Hands on Deck Nework Inc. | $18,000 |
| America Votes | $400,000 |
| Americans United for Change | $98,860 |
| Arizonans for Fair Wage and Healthy Families | $190,000 |
| Black Leadership Organizing Collaborative | $100,000 |
| Bus Federation Civic Fund | $25,000 |
| Business Council of Alabama | $30,000 |
| Center for American Progress Action Fund | $12,5000 |
| Center for Community Change Action | $975,000 |
| Center for Popular Democracy Action Fund | $37,000 |
| Center for Racial and Gender Equity | $50,000 |
| Citizen Action of Wisconsin Inc. | $20,000 |
| Civic Participation Action Fund | $1,100,000 |
| Colorado Families for a Fair Wage | $22,4500 |
| colorofchange.org | $100,000 |
| Community Organizations in Action | $25,917 |
| Democratic Governors Association | $20,000 |
| Emerge Wisconsin | $35,000 |
| Environement America | $1,100,000 |
| Environmental Advocates of New York | $10,000 |
| Environmental Defense Action Fund | $1,500,000 |
| Every Voice | $990,000 |
| Fight for the Future Education Fund | $5,000 |
| For Our Future Action Fund | $600,000 |
| Free Press Action Fund | $20,000 |
| Freeman Boyd Hollander Goldberg Urias and Ward PA | $22,500 |
| Freedom for all Americans | $37,326 |
| Greater Wisconsin Committee Inc. | $207,750 |
| House Majority PAC | $25,000 |
| Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law | $25,000 |
| LCV Political Engagement Fund | $50,000 |
| Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights | $49,000 |
| League of Conservation Voters | $1,300,000 |
| Living United for Change in Arizona | $20,000 |
| Maine People's Alliance | $10,000 |
| Majority Forward | $500,000 |
| Make North Carolina First | $50,000 |
| Media Matters Action Network | $429,000 |
| New Florida Majority Action Fund | $100,000 |
| New Futures Fund | $25,000 |
| New Venture Fund | $379,964 |
| NILC Immigrant Justice Fund | $25,000 |
| No On U | $6,000 |
| Ohio Organizing Campaign | $50,000 |
| One Wisconsin Now Inc. | $14,000 |
| Organize Now Inc. | $116,900 |
| Partnership Project Action Fund | $1,120,000 |
| People for the American Way | $11,073 |
| Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsn Inc. | $20,000 |
| Progressive Agenda Committee | $48,500 |
| ProgressNow | $15,000 |
| Raise Up Washington | $10,000 |
| Represent.Us | $150,000 |
| Sierra Club | $1,000,000 |
| South Dakota for Responsible Lending | $9,800 |
| State Engagement Fund | $250,000 |
| US Global Leadership Campaign | $25,000 |
| Virginia New Majority | $120,000 |
| Voter Access Institute | $50,000 |
| We Are Wisconsin Inc. | $14,000 |
| Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters | $20,000 |
| Wisconsin Progress | $100,000 |
| Woring Families Organization | $20,000 |
| Working Families Party National Independent Expenditure Committee | $10,000 |
In 2015, the Sixteen Thirty Fund paid $6,279,578 in grants: [46]
| Sixteen Thirty Fund Grantees (2015) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sum | $6,279,578 |
| 350.org Action | $75,000 |
| Americans for Tax Fairness | $100,000 |
| Bread for the World | $12,500 |
| Center for Community Change (CCC) Action | $610,000 |
| Center for Rights in Action | $50,000 |
| Church World Service | $12,500 |
| Citizen Action of Wisconsin | $14,000 |
| Color of Change | $40,000 |
| Color of Change Education Fund | $75,000 |
| Demand Progress Action (fiscally sponsored by Sixteen Thirty Fund) | $55,000 |
| Earth Day Network | $50,000 |
| Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) | $675,000 |
| Fair Share | $550,000 |
| Free Press Action Fund | $125,000 |
| Freedom for All Americans | $75,000 |
| League of Conservation Voters (LCV) | $1,925,000 |
| Louisiana Federation for Children PAC | $70,000 |
| New Progressive Network | $13,000 |
| Northwest Health Foundation | $10,000 |
| One Nation Forward | $5,000 |
| Pineros Campesinos Unidos Del | $20,000 |
| Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin | $14,000 |
| Presente Action | $20,000 |
| Stand for Children | $80,000 |
| Sumofus | $25,000 |
| Partnership Project Action Fund | $1,450,000 |
| The Public Investigator | $28,578 |
| United Working Families | $75,000 |
| US Global Leadership Campaign | $25,000 |
Consulting and Management Fees
Between 2009 and 2018, Sixteen Thirty Fund paid $39.3 million in contracting and management fees. [47]
| Sixteen Thirty Fund Contractors | |
|---|---|
| Sum | $39,295,664 |
| Contractor | Total (2009-2018) |
| SKDKnickerbocker | $10,618,536 |
| Arabella Advisors | $7,122,923 |
| Buying Time LLC | $6,693,226 |
| Targeted Platform Media | $5,396,502 |
| Blueprint Interactive | $2,887,800 |
| Ethica Media LLC | $1,739,975 |
| Revolution Messaging LLC | $1,287,619 |
| Block By Block Inc | $527,950 |
| K&L Gates | $450,740 |
| Precision Strategies | $435,141 |
| Democracy Alliance | $400,000 |
| Information Staffing Services | $339,548 |
| US Action | $264,500 |
| Freedman Consulting LLC | $235,000 |
| Arabella Philanthropic Investment | $162,604 |
| Community Organizations in Action | $151,500 |
| Americans for Democratic Action | $132,500 |
| Jochum Shore & Trossevin PC | $126,000 |
| Seligman Consulting | $108,350 |
| The Konkurrenz Group | $108,000 |
| The Atlas Project | $107,250 |
In 2018, the Sixteen Thirty Fund paid its highest contractor, Targeted Platform Media, $5.4 million in consulting fees. Other major contractors paid that year include Arabella Advisors at $3.5 million; SKDKickerbocker at $3.3 million; Buying Time LLC at $3 million; and Blueprint Interactive at $2.9 million. [48]
In 2017, the Sixteen Thirty Fund paid its highest contractor, SKDKnickerbocker, $7.1 million in consulting fees. The other highest contractors for that year include Buying Time LLC, which received $3.7 million; Arabella Advisors, for $2.1 million; Ethica Media, for $1.7 million; and Revolution Messaging, for $1.3 million. [49]
In 2016, the Sixteen Thirty Fund paid $400,000 in consulting fees to the left-wing Democracy Alliance. [50] It also hired Arabella Advisors, which was paid $789,891 in consulting fees; SKDKnickerbocker for $268,944; Block By Block, Inc. for $527,950; and Precision Strategies for $435,141. [51]
Financial Documents
The Sixteen Thirty Fund’s Application for Recognition of Exemption (Form 1024) was filed with the IRS on August 31, 2009, and is available here.
The Sixteen Thirty Fund’s IRS Form 990 filings for 2016, 2017, and 2018 were obtained by the Capital Research Center and are available here:
The Sixteen Thirty Fund’s lobbying disclosure (LD-2) form is available here.
The Sixteen Thirty Fund’s IRS 1024 application for recognition of tax exempt status by the IRS is available here; the file also includes:
- a description of Sixteen Thirty Fund’s charitable activities as a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, including a “public communications program,” limited lobbying activity, “organizational coalition building,” “community leadership development,” and “grassroots lobbying and non-partisan civic engagement”;
- the nonprofit’s founding board of directors (Eric Kessler, Brian Kathman, and Molly McUsic), as well as their “qualifications”;
- a list of the Fund’s initial grantees: Americans United for Change, USAction, Working America, ACORN, and the Sierra Club;
- Sixteen Thirty Fund’s articles of incorporation filed with the District of Columbia on February 19, 2009;
- the nonprofit’s bylaws; and
- an administrative agreement between the Sixteen Thirty Fund and Arabella Advisors, authorizing the latter to provide paid management services to the former.
The Sixteen Thirty Fund received recognition of its tax exempt status from the IRS on August 31, 2009; the letter is available here.