Funding

To build a durable governing majority, progressives and Democrats need all the financial support they can get. The good news: funding for advocacy, social movements and candidates is exploding these days. Intersecting crises have driven more and more people to back progressive solutions and political leaders.

 

This new money is flowing in a range of directions, but the bottom line is that both nonprofits and candidates have a lot of opportunities to find support. Candidates are raising record sums from big and small donors alike. Nonprofit change agents are getting a boost as society reckons with various forms of systemic injustice and a growing ecological crisis. Philanthropies are backing progressive policy work, inclusive organizing, journalism, research, voter engagement—the list goes on. Meanwhile, large sums of campaign giving are flowing into federal, state and local electoral campaigns.

 

But identifying and accessing these resources can be challenging, whether you’re trying to build a nonprofit organization or run for office. Blue Tent is here to help. We’re tracking multiple funder types—501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), 527, and donations to party committees and candidates themselves. We share this research through the funding guides listed on this site. These resources are only available to annual members. (Join here) Our hope is that progressives find Blue Tent’s resources useful as they seek funding—and seek justice.

 

Please note: This Blue Tent resource is not yet complete. We are working to add additional content and links. Check back soon.

 

Philanthropy

 

Philanthropy is playing a crucial and expanding role in the progressive world. Lots of 501(c)(3) funders are pursuing social justice through a nonpartisan lens, shifting power by backing movements, civic participation, policy advocacy and the like. Unabashedly progressive philanthropy has enjoyed an upsurge since the 2016 election. More than ever before, major donors, foundations and philanthropic intermediary groups on the left are funding to advance their values, not just some measure of technocratic impact. And that makes a difference. Blue Tent is closely watching this funding.

Foundations

A handful of national legacy foundations—places like Ford and Kellogg—have long been bedrock supporters of many progressive nonprofits. Their funding remains vital today, but so is giving from big foundations there are not explicitly progressive. Many smaller family foundations also channel wealth in a way that leans progressive as younger generations take the reins. And community foundations often support progressive causes, too. In partnership with Inside Philanthropy, Blue Tent has researched over 200 key foundations that support progressive work. Members only: Explore Foundations

 

Philanthropists

We’re in the throes of a new gilded age, with wealth inequality is at its highest point in living memory. One result is a surge of philanthropy from billionaires and multi-millionaires. Even though most of that giving isn’t progressive, a growing chunk of it is. Wealthy donors are getting less afraid to back causes that were once pretty much taboo amongst the upper crust. With more major donors cutting checks to make society a fairer place, Blue Tent is closely tracking the top individual givers to progressive causes. Members only: Explore Major Donors

 

Funding Intermediaries

One of the most interesting and under-reported stories on the left is the rapid rise of philanthropic funding intermediaries, some of which are helping move tens or even hundreds of millions to progressive causes. These are the bridge-builders: pooled funds, collaboratives, fiscal sponsors and donor networks operating between the world of rarefied money and the nonprofit grassroots. Blue Tent has identified all the most important players in this space that progressives need to know. Members only: Explore Intermediaries

Political Giving

 

For better or worse, money is very much in politics. Frenzied big-dollar political fundraising is a source of concern for some progressives in the long-term aftermath of 2010’s Citizens United ruling, but it’s also a source of campaign and advocacy dollars that can’t be ignored. Especially in the wake of Donald Trump’s 2016 victory, progressive political action committees—including super PACs—and party committees have enjoyed a surge of support, culminating in record flood of donations during the 2020 election. The wider universe of progressive 501(c)(4) organizations has also grown substantially as left-leaning activists look to pull every lever they can to build power.

Top Political Donors

Never before have Democratic candidates at the federal, state and local level have more opportunities to raise money from deep-pocketed donors. But finding the right match can be tricky. These givers come in many ideological stripes—from moderates to wealthy progressives who are quite left. To help candidates identify potential supporters, Blue Tent is building a trove of in-depth profiles of the most important donors to Democratic causes. Members only: Explore Top Donors

  

Super PACs

Independent expenditure-only political action committees have transformed the political giving landscape over the past decade. While they are a potent tool for corporations and conservative big donors, there’s also been a growing proliferation of progressive and Democratic super PACs that have embraced a range of strategies to sway electoral outcomes. Blue Tent researches and tracks these funding vehicles to make them more accessible to political fundraisers. Members only: Explore Super PACs

  

501(c)(4)s

Tax-exempt 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations have long played a role on the left, sometimes as “action funds” sitting adjacent to established 501(c)(3) groups, and sometimes in their own right. Since 2016, the progressive world has seen an explosion of new c4 groups come onto the scene, often with the stated purpose of resisting Trump-era Republicanism. With their unlimited lobbying capacity, limited donor disclosure requirements, and ability to engage in partisan activities as well as more typically “nonprofit” work, 501(c)(4)s are a powerful and adaptable tool that progressives—and conservatives—are using to good effect today. Blue Tent is tracking the c4s that fundraisers need to know. Members only: Explore 501(c)(4)s