Congresswoman Sharice Davids enjoys "dark money" support

"Protect Our Care" is the DC Sixteen Thirty Fund

In recent weeks TV ads supporting Congresswoman Sharice Davids often appear during local news programs.

Who is behind the group Protect Our Care paying for these ads?

DC Business and Trade Names

The DC government business page shows Protect Our Care is a “Trade Name” of the Sixteen Thirty Fund, which is a a 501(c)(4) political organization.

Sixteen Thirty currently uses about 60 trade names on their projects.

From 2018 through 2020 Sixteen Thirty owned the trade name Kansans for Secure Elections, but it’s unclear how it was used.

Since May 2022 Sixteen Thirty acquired new trade names for unknown purposes:

• Action for Responsive Government and

• Campaign for Our Shared Future Action Fund.

IRS 990 Filing for 2020

The Sixteen Thirty Fund’s IRS 990 report for 2020 shows it is a 501(c)(4) organization.

Their huge spending in the 2020 election was only revealed in this IRS 990 filing from December 2021. Similar spending in the 2022 election may not be known until Dec. 2023 at the earliest.

Original sources of these funds often will remain unknown, unless revealed by comments in an IRS 990 — there are no reporting requirements for donors.

Arabella Advisors and “Dark Money”

The Sixteen Thirty Fund is one of the “dark money” funds managed by the Arabella Advisors, all of which spend huge amounts money to influence elections.

Here is a partial accounting of the spending by the Arabella Advisors funds from 2020 as documented in their IRS 990s:

Kansas Recipients of Arabella Advisor Funds from 2020

Kansas recipients of these funds in 2020 include:

• Kansas Values Institute, Lawrence, $100K from New Venture Fund, $300K from Sixteen Thirty

• Loud Light, Topeka, $100K from Windward Fund

• Loud Light Civic Action, Topeka, $75K from New Venture Fund

• SOCE Neighborhood Action Foundation, Wichita, $100K from Windward Fund

• The Seed House - La Casa de la Semilla Inc, Wichita, $132K from New Venture Fund

• Trust Women Foundation, Wichita, $952K from Hopewell Fund