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Fact check: How does George Soros' funding of Indivisible compare to other progressive organizations?
Executive Summary
George Soros' Open Society Foundations (OSF) and related entities have provided multi-million dollar grants to Indivisible and groups tied to the "No Kings" protests, with reported OSF funding to Indivisible in the range of $3 million to $7.6 million in recent grant cycles and Soros-affiliated giving measured in the hundreds of millions across broader advocacy networks [1] [2] [3] [4]. Compared with Indivisible's overall revenues and outside spending, those OSF grants represent a large but not exclusive share of the group's funding picture [3] [5] [6].
1. Why the Dollar Figures Matter — A Closer Look at the Numbers
Reports attribute roughly $7.6 million in grants from Open Society Foundations to Indivisible or related organizers of the "No Kings" protests, while some pieces highlight a two-year $3 million grant specifically from Open Society Action Fund to Indivisible [1] [7] [2] [3]. Indivisible’s own reported revenues for recent years place total contributions in the low tens of millions annually, with a 2023 combined contribution figure cited around $14,062,076 and outside spending for the 2024 cycle at $177,473 — indicating that an OSF grant in the millions would be a meaningful portion of annual income but not an exclusive funding source [5] [6]. These figures show that OSF funding is significant enough to influence programming but must be viewed alongside other revenue streams.
2. How OSF Support Compares to Indivisible’s Broader Funding Mix
Indivisible’s revenue mix according to its 2023 report shows diversified funding: 41% foundations, 32% major gifts, and 23% small-dollar donations, which means foundation grants are a large category but still one among several funding sources [5]. If OSF grants total between $3 million and $7.6 million, they fit within the foundation portion but do not alone equal the full foundation budget year over year. That pattern suggests Indivisible is not wholly dependent on a single benefactor, even when a single donor provides a sizable grant; OSF support is consequential but embedded within a broader finance structure [5] [3].
3. The Political Spotlight: Why Soros Grants Draw Disproportionate Attention
George Soros and OSF are longtime financiers of progressive causes and have made very large cumulative transfers into advocacy and philanthropic networks — reporting has cited hundreds of millions distributed via OSF affiliates and Soros’ personal donations in the billions historically [2] [4]. This scale makes any OSF grant to a visible group like Indivisible politically salient. The attention is amplified because OSF grants are easily framed as centralized influence, even when the recipient’s overall budget shows multiple revenue sources; media and political actors often use large named donations to anchor narratives about control and intent [1] [3].
4. Contrasting Reporting on Scale and Purpose of Grants
Contemporaneous accounts vary in specificity: some reports center on aggregate OSF giving to organizers amounting to $7.61 million, while others emphasize a discrete two-year, $3 million grant from an OSF affiliate for social welfare activities [1] [7] [2]. Indivisible’s public financial disclosures provide context that total contributions exceed single grants, but the reporting divergence shows how framing can alter perception. The factual takeaway is that OSF funding is substantial and documented, but the exact framing of that amount — whether as a single large infusion or multiple targeted grants — changes how it appears relative to Indivisible’s overall budget [1] [7] [5].
5. Legal and Political Ramifications Reported by Others
Coverage also connects OSF-funded groups to political responses including federal scrutiny; one piece notes Justice Department directives for U.S. attorney plans addressing organizations funded by Soros, including possible severe charges, which underscores the politically charged environment surrounding OSF-funded activism [8]. That reporting does not alter the grant totals but places OSF support in a climate where funding sources are contested politically, and donors and recipients may face heightened legal and public-relations consequences as a result [8].
6. Putting Influence in Perspective — Dollars Versus Activities
Financial contributions are only one metric of influence. Indivisible’s outside spending for 2024 was modest relative to total revenues, while programmatic impact comes from organizing infrastructure, volunteer mobilization, and messaging as much as direct ad buys [6] [5]. Therefore, a multi-million dollar grant can enable capacity-building and campaigns, but measuring influence requires tracking how funds are spent over time. The available documents show OSF grants create meaningful operational support without proving total control over Indivisible’s agenda [5] [2].
7. Bottom Line: Significant Funding, Shared Ecosystem, and Political Framing
The evidence establishes that OSF has provided multi-million-dollar grants to Indivisible and related organizers, representing a significant portion of foundation funding within Indivisible’s broader revenue base, but not the organization’s entire budgetary story [1] [3] [5]. Reporting varies in exact figures and emphasis, and political actors use these figures to advance differing narratives; the facts show substantial funding embedded in a diversified funding mix, and much of the ensuing controversy reflects political framing as much as financial reality [7] [8].