The Voter Registration Project is a voter mobilization group which targets African-American, Latino, Native American, low-income, and other voter groups likely to lean left-of-center. The organization claims to be non-partisan, but is run by individuals with long-standing connections to left-of-center non-profits, including the AFL-CIO labor union federation, George Soros’s Open Society Foundations, and the State Voices network of liberal state-level advocacy groups. [1] It also works to promote voting within blocs that tend to support the Democratic Party by giving grants to numerous left-of-center nonprofit groups.
The organization began as Voting for America in 1986 but reformed as the Voter Registration Project in 2008.
Methods
The Voter Registration Project lists the following priorities:
- Register voters in under-represented communities
- Re-register voters who have moved to a new address
- Inform voters in under-represented communities of current voting laws in their state
- Inform and sign up applicable voters to vote by mail, vote absentee, or vote during an early voting period
- Inform voters about upcoming local, state, and national elections[2]
The Project channels funds to state-based nonprofit voter advocacy and community mobilization groups throughout the country. In particular, it has focused funding on North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, and Colorado. [3]
The Project also claims it collects data on newly registered voters to improve its mobilization methods. [4]
Leadership
The Voter Registration Project is led by individuals with histories of working for left-of-center advocacy groups.
Jeff Malachowsky
President Jeff Malachowsky has worked for numerous left-of-center nonprofits for over twenty years. [5][6] He was the co-founder of Oregon Voice, a member of the State Voices Network, a left-of-center community activism organization which rallies grass-root organizations for progressive causes. [7] Malachowski also co-founded the Western States Center, a left-of-center group focused on community organizing to support progressive political goals. [8] Additionally he sat on the board of the Oregon Bus Project Foundation (now called Next Up), a Portland-based left-of-center voter advocacy group. [9]
For over seven years until 2018, Malachowsky’s primary job was as a program director at the Wellspring Philanthropic Fund,[10] a secretive left-of-center grantmaking foundation created by three hedge fund billionaires: Andrew Shechtel, David Gelbaum and C. Frederick Taylor. [11]
Along with being the president of the Voter Registration Project, Malachowsky works with other left-of-center nonprofits. [12] He sits on the Board of Directors of the Penny Family Fund, a grantmaking foundation which supports left-wing environmentalist causes. Malachowsky also was a founding co-director of and continues to sit on the board of directors for the National Institute on Money in State Politics, a nonprofit that tracks campaign finance in state-level campaigns that is funded by numerous major left-of-center nonprofits, including the Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation. [13]
Lauren Groh-Wargo
Lauren Groh-Wargo was Voter Registration Project’s treasurer until 2017, when she was hired by now-former Georgia State Rep. Stacey Abrams (D-Atlanta) to run Abrams’s Georgia gubernatorial campaign. After Abrams lost to Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA), Groh-Wargo became CEO of Fair Fight Action, a left-of-center voter rights advocacy group founded by Abrams. [14]
Bill Vandenberg
Secretary Bill Vandenberg has over 20 years of experience working for left-of-center political advocacy organizations. [15]
In 1996, Vandenberg co-founded the Colorado Progressive Coalition, a state-based left-of-center advocacy group which supports expanded government healthcare provisions and anti-discrimination laws. [16] Vandenberg was an “award-winning state-based advocate, anti-racism activist, coalition builder, ballot initiative strategist, political organizer,”[17] as he was co-director of the organization until 2008.
Vandenberg left the Colorado Progressive Coalition to serve numerous roles at the Open Society Foundations, the George Soros-backed network of more than 20 nonprofits dedicated to supporting left-of-center causes. Vandenberg works as the director of Special Initiatives and Partnerships at OSF. [18]
Vandenberg also serves on the Advisory Boards for numerous left-of-center voter advocacy groups: the Youth Engagement Fund, Youth Engagement Action Fund,[19] and the State Engagement Initiative. [20]
Katherine Peck
Board Member Katherine Peck is the Senior Vice President of the left-of-center Civic Participation Action Fund. [21]
Peck also sits on the boards of numerous left-of-center voter advocacy groups. She is the Chairman of the Board of State Voices. Peck is a Board Member of the Advancement Project,[22] and is on the Advisory Boards of the Latino Engagement Fund and the Latino Action Engagement Fund. [23]
Steve Rosenthal
Board Member Steve Rosenthal is an experienced political consultant who works with labor unions, Democratic candidates, and left-of-center organizations. Rosenthal was the Political Director of the AFL-CIO from 1995-2002, the largest federation of American unions. In 2003, he received $142 million from George Soros to launch a massive voter mobilization campaign against George W. Bush’s presidential reelection efforts through the America Coming Together PAC. Since 2004, Rosenthal has worked for the left-of-center voter mobilization nonprofits, Working for Us Pac and the Atlas Project. [24]
In 2015, Rosenthal founded his own for-profit consulting group, The Organizing Group, which leverages his connections with left-wing donors and organizations to mobilize voting for Democratic campaigns. [25]
Kimberly Rogers
Campaign director Kimberly Rogers is the Program Director of the left-of-center voter mobilization nonprofit, Register America. She is also the only known employee of the Voter Engagement Fund, a nominal voter advocacy group formed by the New Venture Fund to bolster left-of-center political causes. [26]
Funding
Donors to Voter Registration Project
In 2019, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) donated $2,476,000 to VRP. [27]
Grant Recipients
The Voter Registration Project gives grants to left-of-center organizations seeking to mobilize voters to support Democratic candidates. [28]
New Virginia Majority Education Fund, the education-wing of the far-left associated voter mobilization group New Virginia Majority, received $820,000. New Florida Majority, a far-left associated voter mobilization group, received $148,204. [29] Both New Virginia Majority and New Florida Majority are members of the State Power Caucus, a radical-left-influenced network of state-level left-progressive organizing groups. [30]
State Voices Network, another left-of-center community activism organization which rallies state-level organizations for progressive causes, received $653,295. ProGeorgia State Table, a member of the State Voices Network, received $234,810. [31]
A number of North Carolina organizations received Voter Registration Project grants. Blueprint NC, a network of 41 nonprofits advocating for left-progressive policy,[32] received $145,255; North Carolina A. Philip Randolph Institute, a “constituency group” of the AFL-CIO, received $128,946; [33] Action Institute North Carolina, a community organizing group dedicated to increasing government benefits for low-income communities,[34] received $70,221; People’s Alliance Fund, a grantmaking fund which supports higher minimum wage laws and left-progressive voter outreach in North Carolina, received $61,575; and North Carolina Public Interest Research Group Education Fund, the education-wing of the NCPIRG Citizen Lobby, the North Carolina branch of Ralph Nader’s network of advocacy groups, received $20,360. [35]
Mi Familia Vota Education Fund, the education-wing of Mi Familia Vota, a Hispanic voter mobilization group, received $262,190. [36] Hispanic Federation, an advocacy group that supports more government benefits for Hispanic Americans, received $58,580. [37] One Arizona, a voter mobilization group that targets ethnic and racial minorities,[38] received $342,031. [39] GALEO Latino Community Development Fund, a Latino community group which registers Latino voters,[40] received $8,100. [41]
New Georgia Group, another voter-advocacy group founded by Stacey Abrams,[42] received $86,426. [43] Georgia Standup, an education organization that promotes housing subsidies, labor unions, and government benefits,[44] received $48,204. [45] 9 to 5 Georgia, a women’s advocacy group which supports labor regulations that favor women,[46] received $43,123. [47] Georgia Coalition for People’s Agenda, a voting rights advocacy group,[48] received $34,375. [49]
Organize Florida Education Fund, an activist-training organization, received $61,842. [50] Engage Miami Civic Fund, a voter mobilization group,[51] received $19,619. [52]
Alliance for Youth Organizing, a voter mobilization group based in the western United States, received $48,239. [53] New Era Colorado Fund, a voter mobilization fund, received $46,198. [54] Voter Participation Center, a voter mobilization group with ties to moveon.org, received $11,418. [55] Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, a coalition of thirty groups supporting progressive politics, received $10,600. [56]
The following is a complete list of grants made by the Voter Registration Project from 2016 to 2019: [57] [58] [59] [60]
| Recipient Name | Amount ($) | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Fair Share Eduation Fund | 2,596,836 | 2016 |
| One Arizona | 2,264,531 | 2016 |
| State Voices | 1,187,487 | 2016 |
| Blueprint NC | 1,231,093 | 2016 |
| NC League of Conservation Voters | 344,757 | 2016 |
| League of Conservation Voters Education Fund | 216,550 | 2016 |
| NC A. Phillip Randolph Institute | 179,627 | 2016 |
| Central AZ for a Sustainable Economy | 220,273 | 2016 |
| NAACP National Voter Fund | 220,674 | 2016 |
| New Era Colorado | 108,308 | 2016 |
| Arizona Center for Empowerment | 185,912 | 2016 |
| The People's Alliance Fund | 130,821 | 2016 |
| Action Institute NC | 119,805 | 2016 |
| 9 to 5 National Association of Working Women | 109,390 | 2016 |
| Progressve Leadership Alliance of Nevada | 90,562 | 2016 |
| Gerogia Stand Up | 85,001 | 2016 |
| Georgia NAACP | 71,286 | 2016 |
| Alliance for Youth Organizing | 64,136 | 2016 |
| GALEO Latino Community Development Fund | 48,476 | 2016 |
| Project Vote | 36,103 | 2016 |
| NEO Philanthropy | 21,258 | 2016 |
| New Virginia Majority Education Fund | 820,000 | 2017 |
| State Voices | 653,295 | 2017 |
| One Arizona | 342,031 | 2017 |
| Mi Familia Vota Education Fund | 262,190 | 2017 |
| ProGeorgia | 234,810 | 2017 |
| New Florida Majority | 148,204 | 2017 |
| Blueprint NC | 145,255 | 2017 |
| NC A. Phillip Randolph Institute | 128,946 | 2017 |
| Third Sector Development | 102,005 | 2017 |
| New Georgia Project | 86,426 | 2017 |
| Action Institute NC | 70,221 | 2017 |
| Organize Florida Education Fund | 61,842 | 2017 |
| Florida Education Fund | 61,841 | 2017 |
| The People's Alliance Fund | 61,757 | 2017 |
| Unifour One | 58,243 | 2017 |
| Hispanic Federation | 58,580 | 2017 |
| Alliance for Youth Organizing | 48,239 | 2017 |
| Georgia Stand Up | 48,204 | 2017 |
| New Era Colorado | 46,198 | 2017 |
| 9 to 5 National Association of Working Women | 43,123 | 2017 |
| Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda | 34,375 | 2017 |
| Colorado Civic Engagement Table | 30,179 | 2017 |
| NCPIRG Education Fund | 20,360 | 2017 |
| Engage Miami Civic Fund | 19,619 | 2017 |
| Asian Community Development Fund | 16,446 | 2017 |
| Voter Participation Center | 11,418 | 2017 |
| GALEO Latino Community Development Fund | 8,100 | 2017 |
| Community Resource Center | 6,020 | 2017 |
| Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada | 10,600 | 2017 |
| New Virginia Majority Education Fund | 568,912 | 2018 |
| State Voices | 2,978,432 | 2018 |
| One Arizona | 1,417,230 | 2018 |
| Mi Familia Vota Education Fund | 4,487,442 | 2018 |
| ProGeorgia | 239,611 | 2018 |
| New Florida Majority | 641,699 | 2018 |
| Blueprint NC | 198,025 | 2018 |
| NC A. Phillip Randolph Institute | 938,555 | 2018 |
| New Georgia Project | 1,099,995 | 2018 |
| Action Institute NC | 185,624 | 2018 |
| Organize Florida Education Fund | 736,476 | 2018 |
| The People's Alliance Fund | 169,007 | 2018 |
| Unifour One | 264,685 | 2018 |
| Hispanic Federation | 508,005 | 2018 |
| Georgia Stand Up | 163,187 | 2018 |
| New Era Colorado | 350,033 | 2018 |
| 9 to 5 National Association of Working Women | 187,011 | 2018 |
| Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda | 215,611 | 2018 |
| Colorado Civic Engagement Table | 96,470 | 2018 |
| Engage Miami Civic Fund | 200,000 | 2018 |
| Asian Community Development Fund | 247,714 | 2018 |
| Arizona Center for Empowerment | 423,098 | 2018 |
| Central AZ for a Sustainable Economy | 709,885 | 2018 |
| Equality Foundation of Georgia | 82,532 | 2018 |
| Fair Share Eduation Fund | 2,754,000 | 2018 |
| Florida Immigrant Coalition | 323,074 | 2018 |
| League of Conservation Voters Education Fund | 3,437,850 | 2018 |
| NAACP Georgia State Conference | 100,523 | 2018 |
| North Carolina Asian Americans Together | 63,449 | 2018 |
| North Carolina NAACP State Conference | 113,876 | 2018 |
| Ohio Organizing Collaborative | 1,903,903 | 2018 |
| The First Coast Leadership Foundation | 30,3065 | 2018 |
| UnidosUS | 1,228,464 | 2018 |
| State Voices | 1,750,162 | 2019 |
| League of Conservation Voters Education Fund | 1,070,141 | 2019 |
| NC A. Phillip Randolph Institute | 458,467 | 2019 |
| The First Coast Leadership Foundation | 295,494 | 2019 |
| Tides Foundation | 267,619 | 2019 |
| Unifour One | 242,288 | 2019 |
| Ohio Organizing Collaborative | 223,278 | 2019 |
| New Virginia Majority Education Fund | 222,971 | 2019 |
| Mi Familia Vota Education Fund | 206,851 | 2019 |
| UnidosUS | 199,347 | 2019 |
| Arizona Coalition for Change | 174,476 | 2019 |
| Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda | 172,403 | 2019 |
| ProGeorgia | 168,079 | 2019 |
| Hispanic Federation | 138,404 | 2019 |
| Central AZ for a Sustainable Economy | 123,280 | 2019 |
| Asian Community Development Fund | 109,869 | 2019 |
| New Florida Majority | 98,849 | 2019 |
| Florida Immigrant Coalition | 94,887 | 2019 |
| North Carolina Asian Americans Together | 90,387 | 2019 |
| Georgia Stand Up | 90,073 | 2019 |
| One Arizona | 83,018 | 2019 |
| Organize Florida Education Fund | 68,213 | 2019 |
| REW Ministries | 66,964 | 2019 |
| Action Institute NC | 63,116 | 2019 |
| Blueprint NC | 63,107 | 2019 |
| Acting In Community Together In Organizing Northern Nevada | 59,990 | 2019 |
| The People's Alliance Fund | 57,512 | 2019 |
| Total | $47,168,101 |