Public Wise is a left-of-center advocacy group and funding organization that was founded in 2019 by Eric Laufer, a New York City-based entrepreneur in the wind-reliant energy industry. The organization funds projects and organizations with the goal of increasing turnout for Democratic candidates in minority communities. The organization publishes the “Insurrection Index,” a tool tracking alleged participants of the January 6, 2021, rally in support of then-President Donald Trump and subsequent riot at the U.S. Capitol. The organization funds a variety of left-of-center election administration advocacy groups and conducts independent expenditures to aid Democratic campaigns. The organization funds groups including Media Matters for America, the Fair Elections Center, Black Voters Matter, and the Brennan Center for Justice. ^{1 2 3}

Background

Public Wise was founded in 2019 by New York businessman Eric Laufer, who, held several patents for wind-dependent energy technology as of 2022. The organization was created to increase voter turnout in minority areas ahead of the 2020 presidential election and focus on swing states such as Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina. ⁴

The organization’s finances are not publicly available as of early 2022, but it reports that it funded $2.3 million in program grants to left-of-center election administration and voter registration organizations in 2021. The organization also conducted independent expenditure campaigns in swing states such as Pennsylvania during the 2020 presidential election. ¹

Activities

One project of Public Wise is the “Insurrection Index,” a database that catalogues alleged participants in the January 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol. The launch of the Index was lauded by many left-of-center advocacy groups and partners of the project, including Media Matters for America, Democratic election lawyer Mark Elias, the Campaign for Accountability, and the Tech Transparency Project. ⁵

The organization also funded an independent expenditure campaign in Pennsylvania that was a “targeted chase of naked ballots” during early voting. The group has also conducted research concerning minority voting patterns and organizing. ⁴

On March 30, 2025, former Wall Street Journal journalist Asra Nomani posted a thread on her X (formerly Twitter) profile which listed Public Wise (as part of the Not Above the Law Coalition) among several nonprofit organizations and activist groups that were allegedly involved with planning and taking part in #TeslaTakedown, a series of nationwide protests targeting car company Tesla over its CEO Elon Musk‘s ties to the Second Trump Administration. ⁶

Funding

In 2021, Public Wise reported distributing approximately $2.3 million in funds to left-of-center voter outreach campaigns and organizing projects at national, state, and local levels. Organizations receiving funds in 2021 included Accountable.US, Advance Democracy, All on the Line, America Votes, American Oversight, the Arizona Center for Empowerment, the Black Male Voter Project, Black Voters Matter, the Brennan Center for Justice, the Campaign for Accountability, Democracy NC, Democracy Docket, Fair Count, and the Fair Elections Center. ¹

Leadership

Public Wise was founded and is funded by Eric Laufer, who is also the board president of the organization. Laufer is an entrepreneur who has owned businesses in the wind-dependent energy, real estate, and film industries. He holds patents on several different wind energy-related technology processes and has produced films about environmental issues. Public Wise’s office is listed as being headquartered at the same address as one of Laufer’s companies, the Laufer Wind Group LLC. ⁷

Other board members of the organization include Andy Bernstein, the executive director of HeadCount; Kristen Dart, the political director for Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts; Stephanie Miliano, the senior manager of strategic partnerships at activist group Pursuit; content creator and social media influencer Clara Perlmutter; and Dr. Reginald Bolding, the former House Minority Leader for the 55th Arizona state Legislature. ⁸

1. “Partners.” Public Wise. Accessed January 23, 2022. https://publicwise.org/partners/
2. “Home.” Public Wise. Accessed January 23, 2022. https://publicwise.org/
3. “Board Directors.” Western Resource Advocates. Accessed January 23, 2022. https://westernresourceadvocates.org/about/board-directors/
4. “Projects.” Public Wise. Accessed January 23, 2022. https://publicwise.org/projects/
5. “Public Wise Launches Insurrection Index, Searchable Database for Identifying January 6th Participants.” Public Wise. January 5, 2022. Accessed January 23, 2022. https://publicwise.org/2022/01/05/public-wise-launches-insurrection-index-searchable-database-for-identifying-january-6th-participants/
6. Nomani, Asra (@AsraNomani). “Hello @ElonMusk and Friends, You asked who is funding and organizing the #TeslaTakedown protests. I’ve got answers for you, after going onto the streets of northern Virginia for the local protests here, seeing familiar faces from the Virginia Democratic political machine and then following the money — and the data.” X, March 30, 2025. https://x.com/AsraNomani/status/1906281197430329459
7. “Laufer Wind Group LLC” Open Gov Colorado. https://opengovco.com/business/20171472052
8. “Board of Directors.” Public Wise. Accessed April 24, 2025. https://publicwise.org/about/