The Fairness Project (TFP)

SEIU United Healthcare Workers West (Local 2005) established the Fairness Project in 2015 with a $5 million grant. ² TFP finances and supports state ballot initiatives through strategic advice and campaign tactics, and uses a significant amount of its resources to collect required signatures. ¹

The Fairness Project is also funded by a number of undisclosed donors, leading the group to have significant out-of-state influence on local elections. As a result, states like Arizona are responding with measures to regulate various activities related to ballot initiatives. ³

History

TFP was formed in 2015 with a $5 million grant from SEIU United Healthcare Workers West (Local 2005), a California labor union that continues to fund the organization. ² TFP uses this money, along with money from undisclosed donors, to fund state ballot initiatives that support its agenda. ⁴ TFP uses its resources to collect signatures to meet ballot initiative requirements, after which it supports the initiative with strategic advice and campaign tactics. ¹

The Fairness Project’s large out-of-state influence on local elections has caused states like Arizona to respond with measures that would regulate various activities related to ballot initiatives. ³

Campaigns

Minimum Wage Increases

In 2016, the Fairness Project began focusing its effort on ballot initiatives to increase the minimum wage in Maine, California, and Washington, D.C. ⁵ Between 2015 and 2017, TFP funded left-progressive groups Maine People’s Alliance, Mainers for Fair Wages, Lift Up California, and the Raise the Wage Committee with nearly $1.4 million. ⁶

The organization increased its efforts to support similar initiatives in other states including Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Massachusetts, Missouri, and Washington. ⁵

In 2024, the Fairness Project donated funds to an effort led by the Better Jobs Alaska campaign to pass a ballot measure to raise the minimum wage in Alaska. ⁷ It led a similar effort led by Missourians for Healthy Families and Fair Wages within the state of Missouri. ⁷

Medicaid Expansion

In 2017, the Fairness Project expanded its scope to include ballot initiatives that would expand Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) in Maine. ⁵ TFP contributed $728,000 to the efforts of Mainers for Health Care, which went directly to ads, polling, and campaign workers. The Fairness Project has continued to fund Medicaid expansion efforts in other states like Idaho, Utah, and Nebraska. TFP has given more than $2.5 million to Utah Decides Healthcare and more than $1 million to the Insure the Good Life campaign in Nebraska. ²

In 2020, the Fairness Project has initiated support for Medicaid expansion campaigns in Missouri and Oklahoma. ⁸

Abortion Access

In 2023, the Fairness Project donated funds to an effort led by the Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom campaign to promote abortion access in the state of Ohio. It also contributed to a campaign to defeat a state measure that would have placed a 60 percent supermajority threshold to enact ballot measure proposals. ⁷

In September 2024, the Fairness Project announced it was donating $30 million in the 2024 election cycle to promote abortion access, an increase from its previous pledge of $15 million. Fairness Project claimed this would make them the largest funder of abortion ballot measures in the United States at the time. ⁹

After Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S Supreme Court in June 2022, the Fairness Project advocated in favor of a series of abortion-related ballot measures in Michigan, Vermont, and Ohio. ^{10 9} during the 2024 election cycle, the Fairness Project spent at least $7 million on abortion-related ballot measures in Arizona, Missouri, and Montana.  ^{11 12}

As of 2024, the Fairness Project contributed $4.17 million to Arizona for Abortion Access PAC, $796,805.75 to Missourians for Constitutional Freedom and Abortion Action Missouri, and $1.26 million to Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights. ¹³ The Fairness Project also funded pro-abortion television ads from supporting Florida’s proposed Amendment 4 that same year. ¹⁴

Paid Sick Leave

In 2024, the Fairness Project advocated for the passage of ballot measures in Alaska, Missouri, and Nebraska that would guarantee paid sick leave for employees. ⁷

Criminal Justice

In 2022, the Fairness Project supported an effort led by the Accountability LA campaign to allow the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to impeach the sheriff. ¹⁵

That same year, the Fairness Project joined a partnership with Citizens for Safer Cleveland to advocate towards the passage of a local amendment in Cleveland, Ohio to address alleged police misconduct. ¹⁵

Funding

In 2020, the Fairness Project received funding from Black Progressive Action Coalition ($500,000), the Family Friendly Action Fund ($500,000), and the Association for Health Center Affiliated Health Plans ($25,000). ^{16 17 18}

In 2021, the Fairness Project received funding from Demand Justice Initiative ($250,000) and the Association for Health Center Affiliated Health Plans ($50,000). ^{19 20}

In 2022, the Fairness Project received funding from Sheriffs for Trusting Communities ($100,000) and the Association for Health Center Affiliated Health Plans ($10,000). ²¹

According to FEC data, the Fairness Project received $664,050 from Protect AR Constitution in 2022. ²²

Controversy

In November 2025, the state of Nebraska sued several nonprofit organizations over allegations they illegally spent over $10 million in foreign contributions whilst supporting state ballot initiatives between 2022 and 2024. The nonprofit groups in question included the Wyss Foundation, the Sixteen Thirty Fund, the Berger Action Fund, the New Venture Fund, the Hopewell Fund and the Fairness Project. According to Nebraska State Attorney General Mike Hilgers, the organizations in question violated a 2022 state law barring foreign nationals from funding state ballot campaigns and initiatives. Hilgers also alleged that Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss had previously sent donations to be passed through the nonprofits for the purpose of funding several local ballot initiatives. ²³

People

Barbara Davis is the director of development, and previously worked for a variety of left-progressive advocacy groups, including the Astraea Foundation for Justice, the Hetrick-Martin Institute, the Peace Center, and the Human Rights Campaign, among others. Davis is the founder of the Orange County Equality Coalition. ²⁴

Charles Girard is a senior digital organizer at TFP, and has served in a similar capacity for both the National Center for Transgender Equality and the Human Rights Campaign. ²⁵

Chris Coil serves as the communications director. Coil is the former communications director of the Georgetown Climate Center and the former assistant director of communications of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). ²⁶

Christine Nguyen is a policy and research manager. Nguyen is the former policy coordinator at the United States of Care, and has formerly worked for organizations that include the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the National Partnership for Women and Families. ²⁷

Hannah Ledford is the campaigns director for TFP and formerly served as a State Director for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. ²⁸

Jonathan Schleifer is the executive director of TFP. Schleifer is the former chief policy officer for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and the former executive director of Educators 4 Excellence New York. Schleifer serves as faculty for the New Leaders Council and as a political partner with the left-leaning foreign policy group Truman National Security Project. ²⁹ He further serves as the Treasurer and Secretary of the board of The Fairness Project.

As of 2024, Kelly Hall is the executive director of the Fairness Project. Hall was previously the director of health policy and partnerships with the group. Hall served in the Obama administration assisting in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act ³⁰ and also served as a senior advisor for both the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. ^{31 32}

Nicole Butler is the operations manager, and formerly worked for organizations like 270 Strategies, Earth Conservation Corps, Witness for Peace, and the U.S. Department of State. ³³

As of 2024, Hannah Ledford is the deputy executive director and campaigns director. ³²

Ryan Johnson is the former executive director. ³⁴

Board President Steve Trossman is the Director of Public Affairs for SEIU United Healthcare Workers West (Local 2005). ³⁵

Board member Joe Lawrence is the former Assistant City Attorney for Santa Monica, California. ³⁶