Western Values Project Action (WVPA)

In January 2020, Western Values Project became a project of Accountable.US, a former project of New Venture Fund, with Accountable.US claiming it was “in the process of transitioning from the New Venture Fund” into a standalone nonprofit; it has since become an independent nonprofit. A lack of online activity as of 2026 indicates WVPA might have been absorbed into Accountable.US as well. ²

Activities

Western Values Project Action runs television advertisements targeting members of Congress and encouraging the public to support its environmentalist agenda. In 2018, the group spent over $1 million pressuring U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) over two public lands bills. ³ In 2019, the group spent a six-figure sum targeting U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) for supporting Trump administration nominee for Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt. ⁴

In 2020, Western Values Project Action opposed the reopening of national parks during the COVID-19 lockdowns, claiming that conditions were not safe enough for park employees and visitors. The group accused the National Park Service of trying to accommodate President Donald Trump and his desire of getting national parks open as soon as possible so he could reopen the economy. The group wanted the parks closed until “safety can be assured.” ⁵

In 2020, Western Values Project Action opposed any COVID-19 relief for conventional energy companies and instead wanted a program to help companies which provide environmentalist approved weather-dependent energy. The group demanded people sign a petition to bailout weather dependent energy companies. ⁶

In 2020, Western Values Project Action opposed the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court, accusing her of being biased towards corporations. The group attacked her record as a federal appeals court judge, claiming she sided with businesses 76 percent of the time in her rulings. The group also attacked her for working for a law firm which represented Shell Oil. The group urged people to sign a petition calling for a “Supreme Court justice who will put our public lands and environment before Big Business.” ⁷

Dark Money Ties

The Western Values Project Action’s sister group, Western Values Project, is a former project of the New Venture Fund. The New Venture Fund was administered by the for-profit Arabella Advisors. The New Venture Fund is a part of the Arabella Advisors’ “dark money” network which allows donors to donate money anonymously. ⁸

As of November 2025, Arabella Advisors announced that it would be ceasing operations after being acquired by a newly formed public benefit corporation (PBC) named Sunflower Services. A press release announcing the acquisition stared that Sunflower Services was owned by New Venture Fund, Windward Fund, and Hopewell Fund.

Western Values Project Action is a former project of the Sixteen Thirty Fund, which was also administered by Arabella Advisors and is a part of their “dark money” network. The Sixteen Thirty Fund sponsored groups often work in tandem with New Venture Fund sponsored groups to promote a specific message. These groups are often known as “pop up” groups. ⁹

In January 2020, the Western Values Project joined with Allied Progress and Restore Public Trust to form Accountable.US. The three groups shared a senior advisor at the time, Kyle Herrig, who became the first president of Accountable.US. Herrig is a former director of the New Venture Fund. ⁸

The group claimed that its decision to engage in donor secrecy was a strategic decision the group had made to protect benefactors from the blowback its work can trigger in a highly politicized culture. ¹⁰

Leadership

The last identified executive director of Western Values Project Action was Jayson O’Neill. Before joining the group, O’Neill worked in communications for Democratic candidates and worked in different roles in the Montana state government. After leaving the group in 2021, O’Neill went to work as a communications consultant and established the Save Our Parks campaign. ¹¹

The founding executive director of Western Values Project Action was Chris Saeger. ¹² He has previously worked as the communications director of the Montana Democratic Party, the Service Employees International Union in Arizona and Colorado, and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. ¹³

Funding

Because Western Values Project Action is not an independent nonprofit, but rather a trade name used by the Sixteen Thirty Fund, no specific funding under the auspices of WVPA are identified. However, in 2020, the Sixteen Thirty Fund reported spending $24,298,540 in its fund for environmental programs to “reduce the current pace of climate change” and “promote environmental equity,” which may include some or all of the funds directed to WVPA. ¹⁴