PAC for America’s Future (Future Now Fund)

PAC for America’s Future, or previously known as Future Now Fund, is a hybrid PAC (or Carey Committee) eligible to make both Federal Election Commission (FEC)-limited direct contributions to candidates and unlimited independent expenditures on candidates’ behalf that supports left-of-center state level candidates. ¹ It was created to support candidates who endorse and support policies in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. ²

At-A-Glance

Type: 527 (Political Action Committee)

Formation:

2017

Executive Director:

Daniel Squadron

Location: Washington, DC

Contents

Founding and History

PAC for America’s Future was initially founded in 2017 as the Future Now Fund ³ by businessman and member of the Pritzker political family Adam Pritzker, Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs, and former New York State Senator Daniel Squadron (D-Brooklyn), as part of an umbrella organization called Future Now. The three created Future Now shortly after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s lost the 2016 presidential election to president Donald Trump. The Atlantic described the founders’ initial impetus as capitalizing on “the fear and anger of the activist left,” following Trump being elected. ⁴

Squadron was a well-known left-wing New York State Senator from New York City before founding the organization. Adam Pritzker is a successful businessman and member of the multi-billionaire Pritzker political family that also includes Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) and Obama administration Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker. Jeffrey Sachs is a prominent Columbia University economics professor who had Pritzker as both a student and employee at Columbia’s Earth Institute, which Sachs led at the time of Future Now’s founding. ⁵

Organizational Overview

PAC for America’s Future provides funding for state-level candidates as a component of Future Now’s organization, which also includes its States Project. ¹ The overall goal is to win Democratic Party control of Republican-controlled state legislatures to enact policies in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. ²

According to OpenSecrets data, In 2018, during the first election cycle for Future Now Fund PAC (as Future Now Fund), the group raised $2.7 million and spent $2.4 million. In the 2020 cycle, it raised $12.5 million and spent $11.7 million. In the 2022 cycle, it raised $28 million and spent $23.75 million. In the 2024 cycle, it raised $18.5 million and spent $20.8 million. ³

Rebranding

By 2021, Future Now Fund was renamed PAC for America’s Future. ⁶

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Mentioned in this Article

References

1. Corasaniti, Nick. “How a Little-Known Group Helped Resurgent Democrats Wield Power.” The New York Times, September 25, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/25/us/politics/states-project-democrats.html.

2. Wulfhorst, Ellen. “New group launched in US to set nation’s own long-term goals to fix ills.” Reuters. Archived from the original December 1, 2017. Accessed June 23, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035206/https://af.reuters.com/article/africaTech/idAFL2N1MK0ZE.

3. “PAC Profile: Future Now Fund PAC.” Open Secrets. Accessed June 23, 2022. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/future-now-fund/C00654053/summary/2020

4. Berman, Russell. “The Democrats Whose 2020 Goal Is Grander Than the Presidency.” The Atlantic. Accessed June 28, 2022. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/04/future-now-democrats-2020-state-legislatures/587314/.

5. Gelles, David. “A Pritzker Sets Out With Ideas of Empire.” The New York Times. Accessed June 23, 2022. https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/11/05/a-pritzker-sets-out-with-ideas-of-empire/.

6. Ludwig, Hayden. “Future Now Fund: A Democratic ‘Dark Money’ Front to Capture the States.” Capital Research Center, June 29, 2022. https://capitalresearch.org/article/future-now-fund-a-democratic-dark-money-front-to-capture-the-states/.