How much funding does george soros give to us political causes and where does it go
Executive summary
George Soros and organizations he controls have funneled at least hundreds of millions into U.S. political causes in recent years: a $125 million gift to Democracy PAC II in 2021 and large transfers such as $60 million in January 2024 to Democracy PAC and reported cycle-level giving that reached tens of millions to Democratic-aligned groups [1] [2]. Soros also gives through the Open Society Foundations and related nonprofits, which have moved billions globally though reporting shows specific U.S. political spending often flows through super PACs, state parties and grant-making intermediaries [3] [4].
1. Who pays and what channels they use — a complex, layered apparatus
Soros’s political giving is not a single bank transfer directly to candidates; it largely moves through entities he funds: super PACs he created (Democracy PAC and Democracy PAC II), the Fund for Policy Reform and other nonprofit vehicles tied to the Open Society orbit. FactCheck documents a $125 million donation to Democracy PAC II in 2021 and notes Democracy PAC’s 2024 receipts were dominated by the Fund for Policy Reform [1]. Reporting also shows a $60 million move from a nonprofit Soros founded into Democracy PAC in January 2024 [2]. Open Society Foundations is the long-established philanthropic umbrella into which Soros has donated more than $32 billion overall, though that figure includes global philanthropy, not just U.S. electoral politics [3].
2. Scale: big numbers but different kinds of totals
Public records show both very large one-off gifts to super PACs and steady, smaller grants to policy groups. The headline-grabbing $125 million and $60 million sums are verifiable filings connected to the liberal super PAC apparatus [1] [2]. Open Society’s total philanthropic transfers exceed $32 billion over decades, but that total covers global grants and institutional philanthropy rather than direct U.S. campaign spending [3]. Available sources do not offer a single, consolidated total for “how much Soros gives to U.S. political causes” because contributions are split among foundations, nonprofits, PACs, state parties and direct donations traceable via FEC and IRS filings [3] [1] [2].
3. Where the money goes — elections, policy groups, and criminal-justice reform
Soros-funded groups have backed mainstream Democratic efforts (donating to super PACs that in turn supported Senate Majority PAC and other national organizations), targeted issue campaigns (e.g., drug policy and legalization work) and state- and local-level races such as district attorney contests and state supreme court campaigns. FactCheck traces Democracy PAC’s transfers to groups including Senate Majority PAC and Planned Parenthood Votes [1]. Ballotpedia and other coverage document long-term funding on drug policy and criminal-justice reform, including tens of millions directed at prosecutorial reform efforts and at least $80 million on drug-legalization efforts since the 1990s [5] [6].
4. State-level playbooks — parties as pass-throughs
State-party transfers and rules shape how big donors influence local contests. Reporting on Wisconsin shows Soros gave $2 million to the state Democratic Party (which then transferred funds to a candidate) and other state examples show seven- and six-figure gifts routed via parties to judicial candidates [7] [8]. That pattern—large gifts to state parties, then onward to candidates—magnifies the political effect of major donors within the limits of state law [7] [8].
5. Transparency and critics — why totals are disputed
Opponents and some congressional materials argue Soros uses nonprofits and family-run groups to obscure political spending; hearings and documents presented to Congress have asserted that funds are “steered through dark money nonprofit groups,” complicating a consolidated accounting [4]. Independent trackers like OpenSecrets compile FEC and IRS filings and show thousands of records of contributions and transfers, but their datasets distinguish individual versus foundation giving and are subject to reporting rules and timing differences [9] [10].
6. Two narratives: philanthropist of global causes vs. partisan megadonor
Sources present competing perspectives. Proponents emphasize Open Society’s long-term investments in democracy, human rights and policy research worldwide and Soros’s multibillion-dollar philanthropic record [3]. Critics focus on the concentrated, partisan political spending — for example large sums to a super PAC that donated to Democratic organizations or to local prosecutor races — and allege opacity and political influence [1] [6]. Both perspectives are supported in the public record cited above.
7. What reporters and trackers can and cannot tell you
OpenSecrets, FEC filings and news investigations document specific gifts, super PAC receipts and flows to national groups and state parties [9] [10] [1] [2]. However, there is no single authoritative total in the provided sources that aggregates every dollar Soros or his foundations have ever deployed specifically for U.S. political causes; available sources do not mention a consolidated, definitive figure tying all Open Society and private transfers to U.S. politics alone [3] [4].
Bottom line: public filings prove Soros has moved very large sums into U.S. politics—documented $125 million and $60 million gifts to liberal super PACs among them—and his funding reaches national super PACs, state parties and issue organizations, but exact aggregate totals for “U.S. political causes” are not summarized in the available reporting [1] [2] [3] [4].