Voices for Progress

Background

Voices for Progress was founded in 2009 by activists including Chris Findlater and Sandy Newman, the latter of whom became the organization’s first president. Initially, the organization had no official name or paid staff and worked primarily on budget and health policy advocacy in support of Obama administration efforts. ⁴

As of 2026, Voices for Progress claimed to have over 200 high-net-worth members who participate in the organization’s advocacy activities, including summits, meetings with lawmakers, briefings, outreach initiatives, and political endorsements. ⁴

As of 2026, Voices for Progress had 15 staff members based in locations including Washington, D.C.; Sacramento and Los Angeles, California; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Denver, Colorado. ⁴

As of 2026, most of the staff of Voices for Progress were employed by the organization’s affiliate, Voices for Progress Education Fund, a project of the 501(c)(3) Tides Center, but were paid for any work they performed in their capacity as staff of Voices for Progress by its 501(c)(4) parent organization, Tides Advocacy (formerly known as Beyond Impact, the Tsunami Fund, and the Advocacy Fund) under a cost-sharing arrangement. ^{2 3}

Activities

Roughly a year after Voices for Progress’s informal founding in 2009, the organization’s roster of participants grew to over 50 members who assisted with its left-of-center advocacy efforts relating to health and energy policy. Later, in 2010, the organization was formally launched as a tax-exempt advocacy project of Tides Advocacy, a 501(c)(4) organization, and paid staff were hired. During the 2018 election cycle, the organization was again significantly expanded and in 2019, the organization created a formal political advocacy program with dedicated full-time staff. ⁴

Starting in 2024, anticipating the start of the second Trump administration, the organization focused on advocacy efforts targeted at Democratic members of Congress opposing Republican-aligned tax policies, opposing the confirmation of an anti-abortion federal judge, supporting the expansion of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit programs, opposing the repeal of polices that imposed regulatory burdens on payday lending businesses, and supporting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency programs favored by environmentalists. ⁴

California

In 2015, Voices for Progress began working on advocacy efforts in California with the goal of creating “model” legislation for other state governments. For instance, the organization advocated for left-of-center policies related to issues of the environment, abortion, health care, and LGBT interests, such as the Street Vendor’s Protection Act and Transgender Privacy Act. ⁴

“Catholic Spring” emails

In 2016, Wikileaks published a series of emails reportedly obtained through hacking, which included a 2012 conversation between Democratic Party operative and White House Chief of Staff for the Clinton administration John Podesta and the co-founder and then-president of Voices for Progress, Sandy Newman. In one email, Newman argued that there ought to be a “Catholic Spring,” a popular movement opposing the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church, which he characterized as a “middle ages dictatorship,” to support mandatory health-insurance coverage for artificial contraceptives and other left-of-center aims. In response, Podesta, using the plural “We,” said that he and others had already created both Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and Catholics United to engage in the sort of advocacy campaign that Newman had described, but that he nonetheless felt that these organizations did not have the “leadership” to act effectively at the moment. He then recommended that Newman consult on her idea with political operative and former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (D). ^{1 4}

Leadership

As of 2026, Sandra Fluke was the president of Voices for Progress, as well as the board treasurer of the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project, board treasurer of the National Council of Jewish Women Los Angeles, advisory board member of Equality California, alumni circle member of Equal Justice America, and a political partner with the Truman National Security Project. Previously, she was the national membership and development director for the organization, a surrogate for President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign, and an unsuccessful 2014 Democratic Party candidate to represent District 26 in the California State Senate. Additionally, she is notable for her involvement in a 2012 discourse in major media outlets centering around her comments in congressional testimony arguing that under the Affordable Care Act (popularly known as Obamacare), religious institutions, for instance Georgetown University (where she was then a student), ought to be required in certain situations to offer contraceptive drugs, and the inflammatory criticism these comments drew from right-of-center media personality Rush Limbaugh. ^{5 6}

As of 2026, Alex Baptiste was the vice president of policy at Voices for Progress as well as a board member of the Reproductive Health Access Project. Previously, she was the director of policy and research at the Hub Project, and policy counsel at the National Partnership for Women and Families. ⁷

As of 2026, Adrienne Brown was the vice president of human resources, finance, and administration at Voices for Progress. Previously, she was the director of finance and administration for the Greater Washington Community Foundation. ⁸

As of 2026, Sarah Cotton was the vice president of political at Voices for Progress. Previously, she was the managing director, chief operating officer, and national director of the organization, as well as the southern candidate services director at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. ⁹

As of 2026, Kelsey Anderson was the senior federal policy manager at Voices for Progress. Previously, she was the policy advisor at the Climate Reality Project. ¹⁰

As of 2026, Kimberly Hoover was the chair of Voices for Progress’s board of directors as well as a member of the Affordable Housing Advisory Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida, a member of the mayoral Advisory Committee on LGBTQ Affairs in Washington, D.C., and the founder and owner of RED Multifamily, a real estate firm. Previously, she was a board member of nonprofits including the LGBTQ Victory Fund, Advocates for Youth, and Lambda Literary, as well as local banks, including Treasury Bank in Washington, D.C., and Monument Bank and Revere Bank in Maryland. ¹¹