The Next Up Victory Fund is a left-of-center political action fund managed by the People for the American Way, a left-of-center nonprofit that has been accused of being a “dark money” group. 1 It aims to fund young progressive candidates for state and local office across the country.
U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Stacey Abrams, and Women’s March co-chair Carmen Perez are members of the fund’s advisory board. 2
History
The Next Up Victory Fund was launched in 2017 by Svante Myrick, the Democratic Party-affiliated Mayor of Ithaca, New York, and director of young candidate engagement for People for the American Way (PFAW). 3 It is the continuation of an older PFAW program, Young Elected Progressives.
According to a PFAW blog post, the Next Up Victory Fund was created in the wake of President Donald Trump’s 2016 election, designed primarily to “win vital Democratic control over the redistricting process” and influence policy. 4
Present Activities
The Next Up Victory Fund supports endorsed local and state candidates throughout the country. It also offers a guide for prospective progressive candidates on how best to run for local office. 5
Finances
The Next Up Victory Fund is managed by People for the American Way, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that has been accused of operating as a “dark money” group. 6 Because People for the American Way does not disclose its donors, total contributions to the Next Up Victory Fund are not known.
According to People for the American Way’s most recent publicly available financial information, the Next Up Victory Fund spent $2,249,713 on progressive candidates in 2018. 7
Leadership
The Next Up Victory Fund is led by Svante Myrick, director of young candidate engagement for People for the American Way. Myrick, who is also Mayor of Ithaca, New York, is best known for creating the nation’s first supervised drug injection site, where drug users can inject heroin under professional supervision. 8
References
- Whyte, Liz Essley. “Groups Decrying ‘Dark Money’ Use Shadowy Money Themselves.” Center for Public Integrity, January 14, 2016. https://publicintegrity.org/2016/01/14/19124/groups-decrying-dark-money-use-shadowy-money-themselves.
- “Next Up Victory Fund Advisory Board and Partners.” People For the American Way, May 2, 2018. https://www.pfaw.org/next-up-victory-fund/board-members-and-partners.
- PFAW.org. “Svante Myrick Launches Next Up Victory Fund from PFAW.” YouTube. YouTube, May 22, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwXaWsDPVT0.
- Keegan, Michael. “What Is the Next Up Victory Fund?” People For the American Way, May 23, 2017. https://www.pfaw.org/blog-posts/what-is-the-next-up-victory-fund/.
- “Guide to Running for Office and Winning .” Next Up Victory Fund , 2018. http://files.pfaw.org/uploads/2018/09/NextUp_CandidateHandbook_V2_FINAL.pdf.
- Whyte, Liz Essley. “Groups Decrying ‘Dark Money’ Use Shadowy Money Themselves.” Center for Public Integrity, January 14, 2016. https://publicintegrity.org/2016/01/14/19124/groups-decrying-dark-money-use-shadowy-money-themselves.
- “2018 PFAW 990.” People for the American Way , 2018. http://files.pfaw.org/uploads/2019/12/2018-PFAW-990-Public-copy-signed.pdf.
- Nessouli, Afeef. “Upstate N.Y. Mayor Proposes Nation’s First Drug Injection Centers.” CNN. Cable News Network, February 25, 2016. https://www.cnn.com/2016/02/24/health/new-york-heroin-injection-facility/index.html?sr=twCNN022416new-york-heroin-injection-facility0940PMStoryPhoto&linkId=21618561.