The Solidaire Network is a left-of-center donor group for advancing race and gender-based causes. It is fiscally sponsored by the Tides Foundation and supported in part by the Proteus Group, left-of-center “pass-through” funders that obscure the identities of donors. ¹ Because of this, the Solidaire Network is not required to—and doesn’t—disclose donor identities nor executive compensation. It frequently collaborates with the Movement for Black Lives, a far-left organization that calls for “radical” wealth redistribution, federal job guarantees, and is severely anti-law enforcement. ² The group has an associated 501(c)(4) sister organization Solidaire Action, which is also fiscally sponsored by the Tides Foundation. ³

As of 2017, it claimed over 130 donors and funders across the United States. ⁴

History

The Solidaire Network was founded in 2013, by a small group of wealthy activists who were inspired heavily by the Occupy Wall Street protests of 2011. ⁵ One of its co-founders, Leah Hunt-Hendrix, nicknamed “Occupy’s heiress” in an interview in Salon, assumed the role of executive director. ⁶

According to an interview with the left-leaning Invested Impact blog, the Solidaire Network began with the single goal of aligning already-existing giving. ⁷ Soon after, however, its pooled fund, “Movement R&D,” was created to support innovation in currently small-scale movements.

Two other fund types were later developed, the first being the September 2016 “Aligned Giving Fund,” in which Solidaire donors concentrate their additional donating—on top of that given through the pooled fund—specifically for the Movement for Black Lives. ⁸

Its other fund is its “Emergent Fund,” established after the outcome of the 2016 elections and intended to quickly get funds to activists in need within 1-5 days of them being requested. ⁹ The Emergent Fund operates in partnership with the Women Donors Network, the Threshold Foundation, and the Democracy Alliance, and the Proteus Fund maintains the Emergent Fund. ¹⁰

In November of 2018, Leah Hunt-Hendrix was succeeded by Rajasvini Bhansali, Solidaire’s current Executive Director. ¹¹

On the website owned by organizer and activist Morgan H. Curtis, the Solidaire Network is named as one of several grant-making organizations where Curtis recommends one’s inherited wealth may be redistributed to. According to the bio on her website, Curtis claims that she wishes to redistribute 100% of her inherited wealth she believes was, “stolen from the labor of enslaved African people, the rights of workers, lands of Indigenous people and the health of ecosystems.” ¹² On her website, “Ancestors and Money Coaching,” she offers an 8-month counseling and coaching services program on how participants can learn about, “wealth redistribution, ancestral connection and dismantling white supremacy.” ¹³ The amount charged per month varies based on the amount of wealth of a participant, ranging from $255 – $1,285 per month. ¹⁴

Present Activities

Its Movement R&D Fund is predicated on its donors giving a minimum of $10,000 each year, which is then distributed out to nonprofits that are decided upon by a 9-person Giving Committee. ¹⁵ Solidaire Fund’s annual report from 2016 indicates that $625,000 was given out through the fund that year. ¹⁶

The Aligned Giving Fund doesn’t have a designated personal requirement, but rather, a collective requirement: $1 million a year for five years, all going to key organizations within Movement for Black Lives. As of 2016, the Aligned Giving Fund had 41 members commit a total of $695,000 a year, for a five-year prospective total of $3.475 million. ¹⁷

Finally, the Emergent Fund operates through a “listserv,” or an email system that alerts members to activists in dire need. In 2016, it doled out $805,200 through this method. ¹⁸

Leadership

The current Executive Director of the Solidaire Network, Rajasvini Bhansali, played a key role in advancing the Black Lives Matter Global Network. In the eight years prior to joining the Solidaire Network, Bhansali was Executive Director of Thousand Currents, a funder and incubator of nonprofits that supported Black Lives Matter as it attempted to expand. ¹⁹

Though the Solidiare Network does not disclose the salaries of its officers, April 2017 job postings for the position of “Project Director” indicated that compensation for that position could range from $80,000 to over $110,000, “based on experience.” ²⁰

Finances

Publicly available filings from 2016 show total revenues of $741,739 and total expenses of $654,833. ²¹

1. “Solidaire Network.” Accessed July 11, 2019. https://www.tides.org/project/solidaire-network/.
2. “Platform.” The Movement for Black Lives. Accessed July 11, 2019. https://policy.m4bl.org/platform/.
3. “Donate Now.” Solidaire Network. Accessed August 31, 2022. https://solidairenetwork.org/donate-now/
4. Franklin, Jason. “Philanthropic Solidarity: Now More Than Ever.” Philanthropy News Digest (PND). July 6, 2017. Accessed July 19, 2019. https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/columns/alliance-pnd/philanthropic-solidarity-now-more-than-ever.
5. Allon, Janet. “Leah Hunt-Hendrix on Taking a Page from Occupy Wall Street with Solidaire.” September 28, 2016. Accessed July 11, 2019. http://www.avenuemagazine.com/leah-hunt-hendrix-on-taking-a-page-from-occupy-wall-street-with-solidaire/.
6. Myerson, J.A. “Occupy’s Heiress.” March 17, 2012. Accessed July 11, 2019. https://www.salon.com/2012/03/17/occupys_heiress/.
7. “Innovator Insights: Leah Hunt-Hendrix, Founder of Solidaire Network.” Medium, Invested Impact. 15 Mar. 2017. Accessed July 18, 2019. medium.com/invested-impact/innovator-insights-leah-hunt-hendrix-founder-of-solidaire-network-8e30f81ed48.
8. “Aligned Giving – Online!” News & Updates. March 14, 2017. Accessed July 11, 2019. https://solidairenetwork.org/member-portal/news-updates/.
9. “Innovator Insights: Leah Hunt-Hendrix, Founder of Solidaire Network.” Medium, Invested Impact. 15 Mar. 2017. Accessed July 18, 2019. medium.com/invested-impact/innovator-insights-leah-hunt-hendrix-founder-of-solidaire-network-8e30f81ed48.
10. “Partners.” Emergent Fund. Accessed July 18, 2019. https://www.emergentfund.net/partners.
11. “SOLIDAIRE NETWORK NAMES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RAJASVINI BHANSALI TO LEAD GROWING NETWORK OF SOCIAL MOVEMENT DONORS.” Solidaire.  14 Nov. 2018. Accessed July 18, 2019.  solidairenetwork.org/2018/11/14/solidaire-network-names-new-executive-director-rajasvini-bhansali-to-lead-growing-network-of-social-movement-donors/.
12. “My Story and Training.” Morgan H. Curtis, Accessed October 11, 2023. https://www.morganhcurtis.com/bio
13. “Ancestors & Money: An 8 month coaching cohort.” Morgan H. Curtis, Accessed October 11, 2023. https://www.morganhcurtis.com/ancestors-money
14. “Ancestors & Money: An 8 month coaching cohort.” Morgan H. Curtis, Accessed October 11, 2023. https://www.morganhcurtis.com/ancestors-money
15. “Innovator Insights: Leah Hunt-Hendrix, Founder of Solidaire Network.” Medium, Invested Impact. 15 Mar. 2017. Accessed July 18, 2019. medium.com/invested-impact/innovator-insights-leah-hunt-hendrix-founder-of-solidaire-network-8e30f81ed48.
16. “Together We Rise: Annual Report 2016.” Solidaire Network. July 2017. Accessed July 18, 2019. https://solidairenetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Solidaire_AnnualReport2016.pdf.
17. “Together We Rise: Annual Report 2016.” Solidaire Network. July 2017. Accessed July 18, 2019. https://solidairenetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Solidaire_AnnualReport2016.pdf.
18. “Together We Rise: Annual Report 2016.” Solidaire Network. July 2017. Accessed July 18, 2019. https://solidairenetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Solidaire_AnnualReport2016.pdf.
19. “SOLIDAIRE NETWORK NAMES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RAJASVINI BHANSALI TO LEAD GROWING NETWORK OF SOCIAL MOVEMENT DONORS.” Solidaire. November 14, 2018. Accessed July 18, 2019. https://solidairenetwork.org/2018/11/14/solidaire-network-names-new-executive-director-rajasvini-bhansali-to-lead-growing-network-of-social-movement-donors/.
20. “We’re Hiring a Program Director.” April 20, 2017. https://solidairenetwork.org/2017/04/20/program-director/.
21. “Together We Rise: Annual Report 2016.” Solidaire Network. July 2017. Accessed July 18, 2019. https://solidairenetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Solidaire_AnnualReport2016.pdf.