Other Group

Somos Votantes

Website:

somosvotantes.com

Type:

Voter advocacy group

Fiscal Project of:

Family Friendly Action Fund

Formation:

2019

Founder and President:

Melissa Morales

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Somos Votantes (Spanish for “We Are Voters”) is a fiscally sponsored project of New Hampshire-based political advocacy group Family Friendly Action Fund. The group claims to be the “largest independent Latino civic and voter engagement programs in the country.” 1

Somos PAC is the group’s Super PAC arm. Somos Votantes promotes political candidates through canvassing, community organizing, social media, and television and radio ads. 1 2

Organization

Somos Votantes is a fiscally sponsored project of the Family Friendly Action Fund, a left-of-center political advocacy group headquartered in Concord, New Hampshire. 3 Affiliated organizations include Somos Votantes Education Fund (SVEF) and the Super PAC arm Somos PAC. North Main Street Fund is also affiliated, as a subordinate organization under Family Friendly Action Fund. 4

Activities

Between 2019 and 2023, the group claims to have knocked on 4 million doors, sent 10 million pieces of politically affiliated mail, and spent $4 million on Latino-targeted TV ads, nearly $1 million on Spanish-language radio ads, and over $4 million on paid digital ads. The group also engages with small businesses, has held over 100 community organizing events, and claims to be the largest “independent contributor of real-time qualitative data on Latino voters.” 5

During the 2020 election cycle, the organization spent to deliver “a win for President Biden” by supporting his presidential campaign. In 2022, it backed the re-election of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI). 1 6

Dark Money Allegations

During the 2022 election cycle, Somos PAC was accused of being connected to  a “dark money” effort to support the campaigns of Democratic Party candidates. According to an article with Forbes, donors were able to anonymously donate grants through the North Fund, which in turn were sent to Somos PAC to send out grants for media ads and online marketing. In an interview with Forbes, Robert Maguire, the research director for left-of-center group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), said, “They’re using nonprofit status as a shield for their donors.”  2

Funding

Somos Votantes is a fiscally sponsored project of the Family Friendly Action Fund. In 2022, the Family Friendly Action Fund reported $16,824,765 revenues and $15,640,515 in expenses, with $2,972,772 in total assets and no employees. 7

Funding for Somos Votantes is collected through ActBlue, and the group’s donation page notes that its “mission is simple: to increase voter participation and improve Democratic performance in Latino communities in order to win elections.” 8

In 2022, the Family Friendly Action Fund reported receiving a $1,250,000 grant from the Hopewell Fund. 7 The Hopewell Fund is a fiscal sponsorship nonprofit managed by Arabella Advisors. 9

In 2022, the Family Friendly Action Fund reported receiving a $1,200,000 grant from the Tioga Fund. 7 The Tioga Fund is a left-of-center lobbying group that focuses on issues related to climate change, left-wing women’s issues, electoral process issues, and civil liberties. 10

In 2022, the Family Friendly Action Fund reported receiving a $1,000,000 grant from America Votes for “social welfare.” 7 In 2023, America Votes reported revenues of $115,000,065 and expenses of $118,104,658 with over $24 million in total assets. America Votes presents itself as the “central coordination hub of the progressive community.” 11

In 2022, the Black Progressive Action Coalition Education Fund received a $816,000 grant from the Family Friendly Action Fund. 7 The Black Progressive Action Coalition Education Fund is affiliated with the Black Progressive Action Coalition (BPAC), and the Super PAC BlackPAC. The Black Progressive Action Coalition is a left-leaning political action committee that promotes the campaigns of Democratic Party-affiliated candidates and advocates for left-of-center policies. 12

In 2022, House Majority Forward received a $1,000,000 grant from the Family Friendly Action Fund. 7 House Majority Forward is affiliated with House Majority PAC, donating $4,000,000 to the PAC in 2023 alone. 13 House Majority PAC is a Super PAC is associated with the House Democrat Party leadership that is a major financial supporter of Congressional Democrats. 14

People

Melissa Morales is the founder and president of Somos Votantes and Somos PAC. Prior to her work at Somos Votantes, Morales was the Executive Director of SEIU Florida. 15 In 2019, Morales was the founding research director at Equis Research. 3

References

  1.  Somos Votantes. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.somosvotantes.com/
  2. Khan-Mullins, Kyle. “Sen. Cortez Masto Opposes Dark Money in Politics, Even Though One of Her Biggest Supporters Is a Dark Money Group.” Forbes, August 1, 2022. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kylemullins/2022/07/29/sen-cortez-masto-opposes-dark-money-in-politics-even-though-one-of-her-biggest-supporters-is-a-dark-money-group/.
  3.  “Impact Report.” Somos Votantes. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/64047b2de0dbaf241740aca1/662d687e1965bf412d87933a_AFK%20Feb%202025.pdf.
  4. “North Main Street Fund.” Cause IQ. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/north-main-street-fund,822861559/.
  5. “Our Impact.” Somos Votantes. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.somosvotantes.com/ourimpact.
  6. Gamboa, Suzanne. “Liberal Group and Its PAC to Drop $57M in 8 States to Turn out Latino Voters.” NBCNews.com, April 3, 2024. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/somos-57-million-investment-latino-vote-for-biden-democrats-rcna145869.
  7. “Family Friendly Action Fund.” Cause IQ. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/family-friendly-action-fund,831806898/.
  8. “Help Mobilize Latino Voters!” ActBlue. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/somospac-website.
  9. “About the Fund.” Hopewell Fund. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.hopewellfund.org/about-the-fund/.
  10. “Tioga Fund.” Great Nonprofits. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://greatnonprofits.org/org/tioga-fund-inc.
  11. “America Votes.” Cause IQ. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/america-votes,264568349/.
  12. Black Progressive Action Coalition. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.blackprogressiveaction.org/.
  13. “House Majority Pac Pac Donors.” OpenSecrets. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/house-majority-pac/C00495028/donors/2024
  14. “PAC Profile: House Majority Pac.” OpenSecrets. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/house-majority-pac/C00495028/summary/2024.
  15. “Melissa Morales.” LinkedIn, n.d. https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-morales-74858167/.
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