DonorsTrust Injected More Than $150 Million in Untraceable Cash Into Right-Wing Groups in 2023

DonorsTrust — the donor conduit favored by the Koch political network — funneled over $152.5 million to MAGA groups, right-wing national and state think tanks and litigation centers, hate groups, youth groups, and more in 2023, according to an analysis of its latest IRS filing obtained by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD).

The donor advised fund — dubbed the “dark money ATM” of the Right because the contributors are unknown — increased its giving to far-right groups by $18.6 million over 2022, according to CMD’s calculations.

Total revenue for DonorsTrust in 2023 saw a steep decline of 49% from 2022, indicated on its filing by a $67.8-million loss in investment income and $77.2 million less in contributions.

In addition to providing millions for right-wing groups, DonorsTrust transferred $100.7 million to Dechomai Asset Trust, another donor advised fund operated by Charitable Solutions LLC out of Jacksonville, Florida. Its clients list includes a large number of community and religious foundations, universities, and other major donor advised funds.

Dechomai Asset Trust’s 2023 IRS filing is not publicly available, and it did not respond to CMD’s inquiries as of publication. An examination of its 2022 filing shows that in addition to making a couple of smaller grants, the trust moved $474.8 million to its sister organization, Dechomai Foundation. That foundation then sent hundreds of millions to many of the largest donor advised funds that same year, further anonymizing the cash.

DonorsTrust disclosed $1.29 billion in net assets at the end of 2023.

$82 Million for Right-Wing Policy and Advocacy

DonorsTrust sent over $82 million to 170 national and state-based groups involved in public policy and advocacy in 2023, CMD’s analysis found. This is a jump of close to $8 million from 2022.

The largest grant of $10.5 million went to the State Policy Network (SPN), a web of right-wing “think tanks” and tax-exempt organizations in 48 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom. As of June, SPN’s membership totals 167 groups.

In addition to giving to the parent organization, DonorsTrust gave another $10.5 million to 41 of SPN’s 62 affiliate members. SPN members in the states work to influence policy by providing academic legitimacy when called upon to testify at hearings, producing “studies” or model legislation, and attracting media attention.

SPN is the sister organization of the right-wing policy mill the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which received $111,100 from DonorsTrust in 2023.

The largest SPN affiliate grant of $2.6 million went to the Florida-based Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA), $200,000 of which was designated for “school board election reform research.” FGA is a staunch opponent of the consideration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in public asset management, and advocates for loosening restrictions on child labor and booting the disadvantaged off of food stamps and Medicaid.

The next largest grant went to Consumers’ Research, though at $6.5 million it was down from the $9 million it received from DonorsTrust in 2022. Consumers’ Research is a leader in the Right’s manufactured crisis around so-called “woke” capitalism, which attacks companies that embrace ESG and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) factors in their business and investing practices.

In February 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that Leonard Leo’s Marble Freedom Trust (MFT) is funding Consumers’ Research. MFT’s 2023 IRS filing is not publicly available, but it gave DonorsTrust $59.1 million in 2020.

DonorsTrust has now funneled a total of $27.8 million to Consumers’ Research since 2013.

In 2022, MFT sent $55.5 million to Leo’s The Concord Fund, which in turn sent $350,000 to Consumers Defense, the advocacy group affiliated with Consumers’ Research.

$30.6 Million for Litigation

In 2023, DonorsTrust sent $30.6 million to litigation centers and groups that provide legal advocacy, CMD calculated, up from $19.6 million in 2022.

With $5.4 million in contributions, the Institute for Justice led all 28 law-related recipients in 2023. The libertarian legal group “is currently litigating 103 cases in 37 states and Washington, D.C.,” according to its website, and lists its top five priority projects as fighting to remove qualified immunity for government workers, uphold the right to privacy as guaranteed by the 4^th Amendment, probit civil forfeiture, remove regulations on food production and consumption, and remove “abusive zoning practices.”

Institute for Justice also produces model legislation that is circulated at ALEC meetings and its task forces.

$21.4 Million to Prop Up Right-Wing Media

DonorsTrust funneled $21.4 million to 32 media groups in 2023, CMD found.

RealClear Foundation led all recipients in 2023 with $5.5 million in contributions (just over $1 million more than it received the previous year), $2.5 million of which was designated for RealClear Politics and $7,000 for RealClear Science.

In 2021, RealClear launched a partnership with SPN to promote its affiliate members’ work and publish and syndicate content from them, CMD reported.

$8.1 Million for Climate Denialism and Misinformation

DonorsTrust doled out $8.1 million to 11 tax-exempt groups engaged in climate denialism and misinformation in 2023, CMD calculated.

The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) topped those recipients with $2.7 million in donations. Inside Climate News refers to CEI as “one of the fossil fuel industry’s most steadfast allies,” while CEI claims it “has been instrumental in fighting decades of climate alarmism and anti-energy policies that constrict energy supplies, raise prices, and stoke unjustified pessimism about human adaptive capabilities.”

$5.3 Million for MAGA and Right-Wing Youth Indoctrination Groups

In 2023, DonorsTrust gave $5.6 million to 11 MAGA and right-wing youth indoctrination groups, CMD calculated.

Passages America Israel (dba Passages Israel) received the most, with a $2.5 million grant. Passages was founded by a former adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former US marine Robert Nicholson in order to screen Christian youths for “leadership potential” and send them on Pro-Israel tours of the country.

The next largest grant of $1.2 million went to Turning Point USA, the radical student group led by the insurrectionist provocateur Charlie Kirk, with $200,000 of this designated for use in the battleground states of Georgia and Wisconsin, the latest IRS filing details.

$4 Million to Extremist and Pro-Gun Groups

DonorsTrust moved $4 million into the coffers of 10 extremist and pro-gun groups, CMD found.

The Middle East Forum led the pack with $2.4 million received from the donor advised fund.

Georgetown University’s Bridge Initiative describes the extremist group as “a right-wing anti-Islam think tank that spreads misinformation, creates ‘watchlists’ targeting academics, and advocates hawkish foreign policy.”

DonorsTrust also sent $262,000 to four gun rights groups that advocate for deregulation of weapons and policies like concealed carry on campuses.