Voters Abroad: Nonprofit files FEC reports about spending to help Biden (Harris) and hurt Trump through voter registrations?
Advisory board for Center for US Voters Abroad Turnout Project has significant ties to "dark money" and progressive organizing
Nonprofits file “990” tax returns with the IRS revealing details of spending, often delayed a year or more after the money was spent.
Federal candidates and Political Action Committees (PAC) file receipts and expenditures reports with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) regularly — especially before federal elections.
So how and why is a 501(c)(4) “nonprofit” filing FEC reports as “any other person” to support Joe Biden and oppose Donald Trump for US President?
We should have great concern about US voting abroad when only progressive partisans are the ones involved with the Center for US Voters Abroad.
This article, the first in a three-part series about the Center for US Voters Abroad Turnout Project, will focus on two related IRS nonprofits, and their significant connections to “dark money” and progressive organizations through their Advisory Board.
The second article will expose the express advocacy spending by the 501(c)(4) The Act Now Project doing business as Center for US Voters Abroad as an FEC “any other person” to “support” Joe Biden (now Kamala Harris) and “oppose” Donald Trump for US President in their voter registration efforts.
The final article will show known examples of a mailing and some Internet ads used by the Center for US Voters Abroad nonprofit organizations for voter registration and their get-out-the-vote efforts.
Center for US Voters Abroad Turnout Project
The web site for the Center for US Voters Abroad “Turnout Project” at usvotersabroad.org is fairly simple with “About Us” and “FAQ” links.
But the site shows no location, phone number, management or employee names.
In their FAQ they claim “We are a non-partisan, non-profit organization and are not connected to any U.S. political party or party organization.”
The web site usvotersabroad.org reveals two nonprofits: The Center for US Voters Abroad Foundation and The Center for US Voters Abroad collectively are Center for U.S. Voters Abroad Turnout Project.
Their About Us page gives a short introduction to their mission.
The Center for U.S. Voters Abroad Turnout Project believes every overseas vote matters—including yours. If U.S. voters abroad formed a state, they would rank larger than 15 states, falling between Kansas and New Mexico in population size. However, in 2020, less than 8% of overseas U.S. voters cast their ballots, according to federal estimates.
Our mission is to change that.
One problem: neither of these names can be found as a nonprofits via the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search.
Here’s a brief name summary guide for the discussion below.
In the beginning
The Center for US Voters Abroad was a tradename of the Hopewell Fund managed by the “dark money” Arabella Advisors.
DC government says the Center for US Voters Abroad was one of four trade names of Hopewell Fund from Aug. 8, 2022 through April 2, 2024. During that time the Hopewell Fund was doing business as the Center for US Voters Abroad.
But what is the organization now since DC records show “cancelled” and an expiration date of April 2, 2024?
The website fine print: Terms and Privacy
The legal names for the two nonprofits masquerading with names “Center for US Voters Abroad” are quite different.
Terms of Use
The Wayback Machine shows the first meaningful version of usvotersabroad.org was online on Apr. 15, 2024.
Near the bottom right of the page, the Terms link on that date showed the “Center for US Voters Abroad” was legally “The Act Now Project.”
Effective Date: September 18, 2023
These Terms of Use (“Terms”) of the Act Now Project d/b/a Center for U.S. Voters Abroad (“Center for U.S. Voters Abroad” “we,” “us,” and “our”) apply to all contents and information available within the domain www.votersabroad.org (the “Site”). You agree to be legally bound by these Terms when you access or use the Site.
The Privacy link at that time showed something similar about Act Now Project, but with an effective date of Feb. 1, 2024.
Wayback shows the same “fine print” in several other snapshots until Sept. 13, when the Terms introduced Act Now Coalition as the legal name for Center for US Voters Abroad Foundation. The effective date remained the same.
Effective Date: September 18, 2023
These Terms of Use (“Terms”) of the Act Now Project d/b/a Center for U.S. Voters Abroad and the Act Now Coalition d/b/a Center for U.S. Voters Abroad Foundation (jointly the “Center for U.S. Voters Abroad Turnout Project” “we,” “us,” and “our”) apply to all contents and information available within the domain www.votersabroad.org (the “Site”).
The Privacy Link was also updated sometime on or before Sept. 13.
This information should be everywhere on the usvotersabroad.org site for full transparency.
IRS nonprofit Filings
A variety of “Act Now” documents can now be found via the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search.
Curiously, both nonprofits below share the street address with the Open Collective Foundation and dozens of other nonprofits.
Influence Watch gives an overview of the Open Collective Foundation:
Open Collective Foundation (OCF) is an incubator for left-wing advocacy projects in the United States. The foundation provides administrative support, fundraising tools, and assistance with securing nonprofit status to new and growing activist groups, taking a percentage of all donations and grants. OCF claims to be a fiscal sponsor for hundreds of organizations across the country
Act Now Coalition
The Act Now Coalition received its IRS determination letter as a 501(c)(3) on May 12, 2020, and has filed three IRS 990 reports.
Act Now Project
The Act Now Project received its IRS determination letter as a 501(c)(4) on July 26, 2024.
These nonprofits will likely file IRS 990 tax returns with some details about their spending in the 2024 election in late 2025.
“About Us” Advisory Board
Two independent organizations captured “About us” web pages with documentation about the Advisory Board members for the Center for US Voters Abroad on Sept. 21 and Sept. 22.
For unknown reasons, this advisory board information is no longer online. [Missing in Wayback snapshots from Sept 27, Sept 28, and Oct. 5.]
The screen capture below shows what was online less than a month ago.
Advisory board members
The “About” page gave brief biographies for each board member if clicked on.
Research shows many more connections most board members have with progressive organizations past and present.
Cristóbal Alex
Cristóbal Alex is a senior government, political and advocacy leader and a well-respected voice on MSNBC and other major outlets and publications. Now in a leadership role with Tusk Philanthropies, Cristóbal previously served as the White House Deputy Cabinet Secretary linking the White House and Cabinet.
Former President, New Venture Fund, and former director of Sixteen Thirty Fund, both managed by the Arabella Advisors.
White House staff (2021), Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Cabinet Secretary.
Advisory Board Member of the Institute for Responsive Government, which is a trade name the New Venture Fund.
Much like the Center for US Voters Abroad, the Institute for Responsive Government was incubated from April 2022 through April 2024 as a trade name of the New Venture Fund. The IRS Search shows this organization now is a separate 501(c)(4) with addresses in Kansas City and Chicago.
Other partisans on the advisory board of the Institute for Responsive Government include Tiana Epps-Johnson (CTCL), Kathleen Sebelius (former HHS Secretary, Kansas Governor), Jennifer Morrell (The Elections Group, Democracy Fund), Noah Praetz (The Elections Group), and Tom Lopach (Voter Participation Center, Center for Voter Information).
Niffer Nan
Niffer Nan is a Silicon Valley-based technology investor who specializes in AI and B2B companies. She was a senior product leader at Asana during its meteoric rise and global expansion. Before joining the startup world, she worked at Microsoft and NASA. She holds 15 patents in product innovations, and serves on Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean’s Cabinet, and the Advisory Council for GiveWell, an international nonprofit allocating over $400M a year to combat global poverty.
Donor to Biden Victory Fund in 2020
Anna Galland
Anna is a nationally-recognized civic strategist with two decades of experience. She serves as a consultant to national civil society groups and funders and as senior democracy fellow with Propel, a New York-based investment and philanthropic venture. She also teaches in the department of political science at Northwestern University.
Anna’s work in national media has included numerous appearances on MSNBC, CNN, and CSPAN. She serves as a member of the boards of the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics; Public Citizen; and the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and as an advisor to a number of other activist efforts and civic start-ups.
Current MoveOn.org Political Action consultant.
Contributor to Inside Philanthropy article, “Sending Up the Bat Signal: What Philanthropy Must Do To Ensure That Democracy Wins in 2024”.
Don Beyer
Congressman Don Beyer is serving his fifth term as the U.S. Representative from Virginia’s 8th District. Previously, Congressman Beyer served as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 1990 to 1998, and later as Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein under President Obama. As Ambassador, he was integral to U.S. Department of Justice efforts to halt the abuses of Swiss bank secrecy by wealthy Americans.
Congressman Beyer has spent four decades building his family business in Northern Virginia after a summer job at a car dealership in 1974.
Ari Steinberg
Ari is an investor and advisor in the tech industry. He spent 17 years in operating roles in the industry, including as a Director of Engineering at Airbnb and Facebook, and as CEO of Vamo, a travel startup that was sold to Airbnb. He also has a passion for working with non-profit civic-sector organizations, including time with U.S. Digital Response.
See other email exchanges related to Green Bay in 2020.
Sam Novey
Former Chief Strategist at the University of Maryland Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement.
Recent visiting fellow at Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University.
[According to Influence Watch SNF Agora Institute is a left-of-center research institute … that advocates for left-of-center public policy under the guise of improving democratic processes.]
The second article will expose the express advocacy spending by the 501(c)(4) Center for US Voters Abroad as an FEC “any other person.”
Related
Overseas Voting Sparks Litigation in These Battleground States, Fred Lucas, The Daily Signal, Oct. 9, 2024.
