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Which Soros-funded nonprofits were most active in 2024 independent expenditure campaigns?
Executive summary
Reported filings and investigative coverage show that George Soros’s network funneled large sums into a mix of super PACs and nonprofit intermediaries tied to Democratic causes in the 2024 cycle; Democracy PAC received about $60 million from a Soros-funded entity and dark‑money nonprofits such as Sixteen Thirty Fund and Arabella‑linked funds were major spenders [1] [2] [3]. Available sources do not provide a single, definitive ranked list of “Soros‑funded nonprofits most active in 2024 independent expenditure campaigns,” but the materials below identify the principal players repeatedly connected to Soros funding and independent‑expenditure activity [4] [3] [5].
1. Democracy PAC — the direct political vehicle
Democracy PAC (and its sibling Democracy PAC II) is the most clearly documented vehicle tied to Soros money for 2024 independent political spending: filings show a roughly $60–61 million infusion to Democracy PAC in the cycle, largely coming from a Soros‑linked nonprofit, the Fund for Policy Reform, which is part of the Open Society network [1] [2]. FactCheck.org and Bloomberg both describe Democracy PAC as a liberal super PAC created and funded by Soros to back Democratic committees and campaigns, making it a top recipient of Soros‑originated outside spending for 2024 [1] [2].
2. Sixteen Thirty Fund and Arabella network — the big nonprofit spender
Independent reporting and tax filings point to Sixteen Thirty Fund as one of the largest “dark money” nonprofit spenders in 2024, disbursing hundreds of millions for progressive causes; Sixteen Thirty Fund has also received major donations historically from philanthropies that include Soros‑linked funders [3]. POLITICO’s reporting shows Sixteen Thirty Fund spent nearly $311 million in 2024 and that past donors have included funds tied to Soros’s Open Society network, though as a 501(c)[6] it does not disclose all donors [3].
3. Arabella‑affiliated fiscal sponsorship funds (New Venture, Sixteen Thirty, Hopewell, North, Windward)
Watchdog and investigative accounts identify a pattern where Soros‑linked foundations granted large sums to Arabella Advisors‑managed funds—New Venture Fund, Sixteen Thirty Fund, Hopewell Fund, North Fund, and Windward Fund—totaling tens of millions in grants that were then steered to political activities or to allied super PACs [5]. WatchdogLab’s analysis cites 27 grants from Soros nonprofits to Arabella funds totaling more than $43 million in 2023 and notes earlier flows that affected 2024‑cycle spending patterns [5]. Available sources do not provide a full, audited flowchart of 2024 independent expenditures from each Soros grant through these intermediaries into specific ads.
4. Open Society Foundations and affiliated funds — grantmaker, not an ad buyer
Open Society Foundations (OSF) and associated entities are the origin of many grants and philanthropic commitments (OSF reported large 2024 expenditures and said it would grant major civic‑engagement funds between 2024–2026), but OSF itself is not shown in filings as an outside‑spender super PAC; instead its grants often go to intermediaries and advocacy groups that can engage in electoral activity [7] [8]. OpenSecrets’ organizational profile for Soros Fund Management records no direct outside spending in 2024, underscoring that much of the political money attributed to Soros flows through a web of nonprofits and PACs rather than a single line‑item spender [4].
5. Other groups reported as Soros‑funded or connected (Free Press, Global Witness, etc.)
A range of issue and media groups (for example, Free Press, Global Witness and others) appear in media accounts and advocacy critiques as recipients of Soros grants in prior years and were active in issue campaigns in 2024; some conservative outlets and watchdogs assert these groups pushed content moderation or election‑related projects that intersected with the 2024 cycle [9] [10] [11]. These claims are contested across outlets: reporting documents grants and issue work, while fact‑checking and OSF statements emphasize degrees of separation and that many grants were for general operating support rather than direct ad buys [12] [8]. Available sources do not establish that all named organizations were the top independent‑expenditure advertisers in 2024.
6. Key caveats, transparency limits, and competing narratives
All sources stress that Soros’s funding commonly moves through a complex network—direct grants, fiscal sponsors, and donor‑advised conduits—so tracing a single dollar from Soros to a particular independent expenditure can be difficult; nonprofits like Sixteen Thirty Fund and Arabella entities are structured so donor identities often remain undisclosed, which complicates public accounting [13] [3] [5]. Conservative outlets and watchdogs emphasize alleged political coordination and large grants to particular groups [11] [14], while OSF and some reporting note that much grantmaking is legal philanthropic support for civic engagement and that not all grants were election‑targeted [8] [7]. Where sources explicitly contradict a claim, I have cited that reporting; where they do not, I note that available sources do not mention it.
Conclusion — what the evidence supports
The best‑documented 2024 independent‑expenditure activity tied to Soros funding centers on Democracy PAC (≈$60M infusion) and on major nonprofit intermediaries—Sixteen Thirty Fund and Arabella‑managed funds—that spent heavily in 2024; Open Society grant records and watchdog reporting link those flows but do not produce a single, fully transparent ranking of “most active” Soros nonprofits because of legal disclosure gaps and intermediary structures [1] [2] [3] [5].