Who were some major funders of the recent anti-Trump No Kings protests

1. Who the media say organized and supported No Kings: grassroots groups plus national progressive networks

Mainstream outlets report the No Kings demonstrations were conceived and coordinated by Indivisible together with “a coalition of pro‑democracy partner organizations,” and that a wide network of progressive groups, unions and advocacy organizations served as partners in planning and outreach ^{[1] [4] [6]}. Reuters and The New York Times described thousands of events nationwide and emphasized organizational breadth rather than a single sponsor ^{[6] [5]}.

2. Open Society Foundations and Soros: grants for allied networks, not verified cash to protesters

Multiple reports and follow‑up fact‑checks note that Open Society Foundations — founded by George Soros — made grants to progressive networks that are part of the coalition supporting No Kings for things like permits, promotion and organizing. Fact‑checkers cautioned that those grants fund organizational capacity rather than direct per‑person payment of protesters ^{[1] [3] [2]}.

3. Viral claims of massive billionaire payouts were challenged by fact‑checks

Online rumors circulated claiming enormous sums (figures as high as hundreds of millions) were used to “buy” the protests. Snopes and other fact‑checking outlets cited in the reporting say those claims are misleading: billionaires and foundations may fund organizing and allied groups, but evidence does not support the assertion that protesters were broadly paid to attend ^{[1] [3]}.

4. Who else was publicly visible or named as donors or allies

Coverage lists a mix of progressive organizations and prominent Democratic‑aligned figures who publicly supported the movement; The Guardian quoted leaders of organizations involved and named partners including working‑class and labor groups, while Reuters listed elected officials who voiced support ^{[4] [6]}. Local and national reporting also flagged involvement from groups like Black Lives Matter, ACLU, Planned Parenthood and various unions as participants or partners in the coalition ^[7].

5. Conflicting narratives and political framing — why disagreement persists

Conservative outlets and social posts emphasized billionaire influence and alleged paid attendance to frame No Kings as “orchestrated,” while fact‑checkers and many mainstream outlets pushed back, framing the events as large‑scale civic mobilization coordinated by existing progressive infrastructure ^{[1] [3] [5]}. Both narratives serve political aims: critics seek to delegitimize the movement; organizers and many reporters emphasize grassroots participation and First Amendment exercise ^{[1] [5]}.

6. What the sources do not claim or prove

Available sources do not show a verified list of individual protesters receiving payment, nor do they corroborate a single $300 million or similar figure spent to “fund” the rallies in the sense of paying attendance. Specific numerical claims about direct payments to attendees are not substantiated in the provided reporting ^{[1] [3] [2]}.

7. Bottom line for readers seeking clarity

If your question is “who funded No Kings?” the most defensible answer from the provided reporting is that national progressive networks coordinated the protests, with organizational grants from philanthropic foundations such as Open Society Foundations supporting allied groups’ capacity for permitting, promotion and logistics — but the allegation that billionaires directly paid protesters en masse is contradicted by fact‑checks and lacks substantiation in these sources ^{[1] [3] [4]}.

Limitations: this summary relies solely on the provided set of articles; other reporting or later disclosures may provide more detailed grant amounts or donor lists not found here (not found in current reporting).