A vast coalition of left-leaning donors and organizations contributed around $638 million through tax-exempt groups focused on voter registration and turnout efforts during the 2024 election cycle. This was part of what researchers characterize as a well-organized, pro-Democratic “vote machine” operating through charities and aimed at influencing future elections, as reported exclusively by Breitbart News prior to its Monday release.
The 64-page report from the conservative watchdog Capital Research Center (CRC), titled The “Charities” Influencing Elections: 2024 and Beyond, tracks how left-wing funding flows through tax-exempt entities into a network aimed at shaping elections, including activities like voter registration, Census initiatives, redistricting, the National Popular Vote Compact, and ranked-choice voting.
Researchers at CRC analyzed the financial records of 83 leading 501(c)(3) organizations dedicated to voter registration and turnout. They discovered that these groups spent about $638.7 million in 2024—a 30 percent increase compared to 2020 when adjusted for inflation, which still represents a 10 percent rise even after inflation is considered. In contrast, traditional political action committees saw a decline in inflation-adjusted spending by approximately 20 percent. The report contends that this tax-exempt framework increasingly favors Democratic candidates while providing distinct advantages absent in standard political organizations, such as tax-deductible contributions and minimal donor transparency.
“Americans have a right to know if their tax-deductible charitable donations are being misused to support political activities,” said Scott Walter, President of CRC, in a statement to Breitbart News.
“This report follows the financial trail and uncovers a coordinated effort aimed at influencing voter behavior, district mapping, presidential elections, and ultimately who holds power in the government,” he added. “It is crucial for Congress, the IRS, and state authorities to investigate these findings and hold these ‘charities’ accountable.”
The report attributes the emergence of what CRC identifies as the modern “tax-exempt vote machine” to a 2015 strategy surfaced in leaked emails from longtime Democratic strategist John Podesta, who later chaired Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
One of the leaked communications, sent to Podesta by the head of a private foundation associated with Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss—a major left-leaning donor—outlines a comprehensive $100 million initiative aimed at using 501(c)(3) organizations to register millions of voters. The plan included projections of expected “non-white” votes across eight key battleground states, although some language discussing strategies to “beat Republicans” was later removed from the document, according to CRC.
CRC claims that these documents indicate the registration effort was constructed to reach demographic groups expected to lean Democratic, all while masquerading as a nonpartisan initiative.
Wyss has arisen as a key backer of leftist causes, channeling vast sums to entities such as the Sixteen Thirty Fund and New Venture Fund, both of which were previously run by Arabella Advisors. The Arabella network has turned into one of the most significant dark-money operations supporting leftist initiatives, acting as a cover for projects financed by affluent progressive donors.
By 2020, the report notes that a leaked memo from the Democratic-aligned super PAC Mind the Gap indicated that charitable voter registration was “4 to 10 times more cost effective than the next best alternative” for securing additional Democratic votes.
As the 2024 election approached, Pierre Omidyar, eBay founder and liberal billionaire, launched the “All by April” campaign through his Democracy Fund, encouraging donors to allocate election-related donations to 501(c)(3) organizations in advance to enhance their efficacy before November. This initiative reportedly secured pledges from 174 donors, estimated to mobilize $155 million—including $79 million in new election-related grants through 501(c)(3) entities.
Among the largest players in this network was the Everybody Votes Campaign (EVC), which encompasses the Voter Registration Project, its Education Fund, and Register America. The campaign raised over $75 million in 2024, increasing from around $50 million in 2020, with a significant portion funneled to other leftist nonprofits and canvassing companies.
One recipient of these funds was Field+Media Corps, which received $4.6 million for “voter registration support” in 2024. However, seven staff members of the firm were later charged by the Pennsylvania Attorney General with charges including forgery and tampering with public records after a large number of allegedly false voter-registration forms were submitted in various battleground areas.
Another grantee under EVC was the New Georgia Project, established by Stacey Abrams, who has run unsuccessfully for the Georgia governorship twice. The organization faced a hefty $300,000 fine after the Georgia State Ethics Commission identified violations related to campaign finance during Abrams’s 2018 campaign. Subsequently, the organization ceased operations.
The report also highlights the left-leaning Voter Participation Center (VPC), which has targeted what it labels “underrepresented” groups in its voter registration drives. In the 2024 election, VPC received criticism for directing its digital voter registration ads away from users with interests in areas such as NASCAR, Duck Dynasty, and golf, which critics argued could include more Republican-leaning individuals. This raised concerns, with Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) advocating for an IRS inquiry into VPC’s compliance with tax-exempt regulations.
Furthermore, CRC contrasts VPC’s historical claims about voter suppression with its own research findings.
Following Georgia’s passage of an election-integrity law in 2021—which then-President Joe Biden condemned as “Jim Crow 2.0”—VPC joined an unsuccessful lawsuit to overturn it. Nevertheless, a September 2025 analysis from VPC noted that voter turnout among the “underrepresented” groups it focuses on—like Black, Latino, and Asian voters—rose by nearly 200,000 votes, or 6.8 percent, in Georgia between 2020 and 2024. In contrast, turnout among voters outside these demographics decreased by around 180,000.
CRC asserts that the left-wing philanthropic network’s influence extends beyond just voter registration and into the upcoming 2024 elections.
The report also discusses $118 million in philanthropic expenditures related to the 2020 Census, an increase from $38 million in 2010, driven by an initiative from the Funders Committee for Civic Participation and its Funders Census Initiative, backed by the Ford Foundation and other significant leftist financiers.
According to a post-census evaluation from the Census Bureau, several states were either undercounted or overcounted. CRC refers to analysis indicating that these miscounts were substantial enough that two congressional seats allocated to Democratic-leaning Minnesota and Rhode Island might have gone to Florida instead.
Another section of the report addresses over $66 million dedicated to a Virginia redistricting measure in April 2026. This change could have shifted the state’s congressional representation from a tight 6-5 Democratic majority to potentially a 10-1 edge for Democrats.
Supporters of the proposed map were reported to be “significantly better resourced,” as the report traced millions to groups connected with leftist billionaire George Soros, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and organizations linked to the former Arabella Advisors network. Although Virginia voters approved the measure, the new map was later annulled by the state Supreme Court due to procedural issues.
The investigation also reviews the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which seeks to compel states to distribute their electoral votes based on the national popular vote, irrespective of state-level outcomes. The report attributes much of the movement’s support to left-leaning donors, labor unions, the Soros network, the Tides Foundation, and organizations connected with the former Arabella network.
Currently, states partaking in the compact account for 222 of the 270 electoral votes needed for implementation, as noted in the report.
CRC also critiques the push toward ranked-choice voting, citing that voters rejected ballot initiatives involving this system in at least five states in 2024, while 19 states enacted measures to prohibit its use.
Overall, CRC contends that these findings illustrate a broader trend of leftist political funding slanting away from traditional political entities and moving into the charitable sector. This shift allows affluent donors and advocacy groups to support extensive election-related activities through tax-advantaged organizations, with contributors often remaining anonymous.
“The report weaves together a straightforward narrative,” CRC stated while unveiling its findings: “a significant portion of the ‘money in politics’ that voters distrust does not flow through political channels; rather, it conceals itself within charities that claim to be nonpartisan.”
