The Liberal Dark Money Maze: Tracing the Billions Behind Progressive Politics
Tides Foundation is a left-leaning donor advised fund based in the United States that manages over $1.4 billion in assets.
In the shadowy world of political financing, few networks loom as large—or as opaque—as the Tides Foundation and its associated entities. Andrew Kerr an investigative reporter for Free Beacon uncovered spent years unraveling the complex web of liberal dark money and we are pulling back the curtain on one of the most influential, yet least understood, forces shaping American politics.
The Tides Tsunami
Let's start with the numbers because they're staggering. In 2023, the Tides network reported an influx of nearly $800 million, according to their own audited financial statements. That's not just a drop in the ocean—it's a veritable tidal wave of cash but where does this money come from?
The usual suspects make their appearances:
- George Soros, the liberal billionaire financier
- The Rockefeller Brothers Fund
- The Ford Foundation
- Other Perpetual Funds and Donors
These names have become shorthand for progressive funding, but they're just the tip of the iceberg.
The Alliance for Global Justice is just one recipient that we can investigate since they are a 'Fiscal Sponsor" of Samidoun.
Samidoun, also known as the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, has recently faced significant international pressure and sanctions. In October 2024, both the United States and Canada took coordinated action against the organization, designating it as a terrorist entity12.
The US Department of the Treasury accused Samidoun of being a "sham charity" that serves as an international fundraiser for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is classified as a terrorist organization3.
This move followed similar actions by Germany and the Netherlands, raising concerns about the implications for Palestinian advocacy and solidarity movements2.
The sanctions have resulted in asset freezes and prohibitions on US citizens or entities engaging in business with Samidoun3. These actions have sparked outrage among Palestinian advocates, who view them as an attempt to suppress solidarity efforts and part of a broader trend targeting Palestinian civil society organizations24.
I have been asked to re-release a teach-in from CUNY that I covered back in early November. This event, Contexts And Histories Of Palestinian Resistance, featured...
— Stu (@thestustustudio) March 29, 2024
Moderator: CUNY's Siraj Ahmed
Panel Speakers: Charlotte Kates of Samidoun, Nerdeen Kiswani of Within Our… pic.twitter.com/okf3xJaoDQ
Samidoun has maintained a strong relationship with anti-Israel student groups at Columbia University, particularly Columbia University Apartheid Divest. In March 2024, Samidoun was invited to teach a lecture on "Palestinian resistance" and the "fight for liberation" at Columbia1.
During this event, Samidoun leaders Charlotte Kates and her husband Khaled Barakat explicitly endorsed terrorism against Jews1. This lecture, titled "Resistance 101," took place off-campus after the university refused to host it3.
In 2021 Alliance for Global Justice, this organization received over $9 million from just two sources:
- The Tides network
- The New Venture Fund (the largest branch of the Arabella Advisors dark money network)
But the flow didn't stop there. In 2022, the Arabella Advisors network funneled an additional $1 million to the Alliance, as reported by the Free Beacon.
Some of historic Tides foundation funding to NGO's. In 2021, the Tides Foundation provided $600 million in grants to donor-advised funds.
| NGO | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance for Middle East Peace | $25,000 | |||
| American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) | $13,000 | $13,000 | $89,500 | $13,000 |
| Amnesty International USA | $7,500 | $19,884 | $23,253 | $21,268 |
| B'Tselem | $12,000 | $8,000 | ||
| Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) | $28,000 | $17,000 | $55,893 | $35,000 |
| CODEPINK | $54,500 | $54,500 | $25,000 | |
| Grassroots International | $980,000 | $35,000 | $154,000 | $50,000 |
| Human Rights Watch | $25,000 | $112,000 | $187,000 | |
| IfNotNow | $45,000 | $20,000 | $35,000 | $10,000 |
| J Street | $75,000 | $70,000 | $20,000 | $10,000 |
| Jewish Voice for Peace | $75,000 | $100,000 | ||
| Medecins Sans Frontiers | $258,361 | |||
| National Lawyers Guild | $280,000 | $515,250 | $515,250 | |
| New Israel Fund | $12,000 | $83,776 | $30,000 | |
| Oxfam America | $11,000 | $14,000 | $1,001,000 | |
| Save the Children | $100,000 | $71,100 | $430,000 | |
| T'ruah | $10,000 | $30,000 | $8,000 | $7,000 |
What we're seeing here is not just a few isolated donations. It's a systematic, interlocking network of financial influence. The Tides network, the Arabella Advisors empire, and other similar entities form a hydra of liberal dark money, each head feeding and supporting the others.
This network operates in the shadows, shaping progressive politics, funding movements, and influencing narratives across the country. The scale is breathtaking—we're talking billions of dollars moving through a labyrinth of nonprofits, foundations, and advocacy groups.
As we head into another election cycle, understanding these financial flows isn't just an academic exercise—it's crucial for anyone who wants to comprehend the real forces shaping our political discourse.
Stay tuned. This is just the beginning of our deep dive into the world of dark money. In our next installment, we'll be following the money trail to see exactly how these funds translate into political action on the ground. Until then, keep your eyes open and your calculators ready. In this game, the numbers tell the real story.