When people hear the phrase “left-wing political machine,” they probably think of local activist groups, paid protestors, and maybe even out-of-state wealthy progressive donors writing checks from afar. That mental model would be both outdated, oversimplified, and a major underestimation.
What operates in Arizona today is far more sophisticated and opaque. It’s best understood not as a movement (as the Left likes to brand themselves), but as a syndicate: multiple non-profits leveraging tax deductible contributions to advance shared political goals through a permanent, year-round infrastructure.
Our newly released report, prepared in conjunction with the Arizona Liberty Network, examined the financial transactions between a consortium of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating in the Grand Canyon State, and illuminates just how far-reaching this system is…in Arizona, this liberal syndicate has its fingerprints on almost every lever of government.
A National Pipeline, Not a Local Movement
When examining the financing of the liberal syndicate, it’s important to note that virtually all of their funding comes from out of state sources. National, and in some cases multinational, donors and foundations are the primary sources of money. The NGO network also utilizes direct taxpayer subsidies through grants at the federal level.
Most of the individual donors and foundations bankrolling the syndicate provide their giving through a financial instrument known as a donor-advised fund (DAFs). A DAF lets wealthy progressives make tax-deductible contributions to a private fund, which then routs their donations to ideological nonprofits.
The other major trough of funding for the network comes from taxpayers in the form of government grants. The most notable Federal agency providing these funds was USAID, which contributed over $50 million last cycle to progressive “philanthropic” organizations that then participate in political advocacy in Arizona.
From there, the money gets funneled through a web of intermediary organizations. Arabella Advisors (recently defunct and being replaced by Sunflower Services), Tides, and their affiliated funds dominate this space. These groups aggregate all that tax-advantaged and taxpayer-backed dollars, then redeploy them nationwide. Arizona is one of their preferred destinations.
Our report tracked more than 180 financial transactions, primarily from 2023 and 2024 alone. Altogether, the upstream sources pushed over $1.8 billion into the liberal NGO network, with nearly $200M ending up with organizations operating in Arizona.
So, this is no organic grassroots “movement”. It is a sophisticated syndicate: part tax-subsidized, part tax-advantaged, and built to operate year-round.
Permanent Infrastructure is the Name of the Game
What makes this system effective isn’t any single race or election. The bigger picture (and the bigger bucket of money) is the investment in everyday operations: voter registration, litigation, lobbying, and media narrative control.
Progressive organizations build C3/C4 pairings where the “nonpartisan” arm registers voters, builds databases, does policy research, and trains staff year-round. The sister C4 then uses that same infrastructure for electioneering, lobbying, litigation, and ballot measures.
Another mainstay is their funding of media outlets that will curate and frame the everyday narratives around Arizona issues, politics, and politicians. For example, Copper Courier received more than $7 million since 2022 from Soros-aligned entities. Though funded through tax-exempt nonprofits, it functions less like journalism and more like a citation farm for Democrat messaging with content written by operatives, shared by activists, and then recycled by campaigns during election season.
They then utilize the network to amplify their direct political spending.
In 2024 alone, aligned progressive groups spent over $33.2 million on non-federal races, which includes down-ticket candidate races and ballot measures.
One mega-PAC, PAC for America’s Future – Arizona, raised $28 million, mostly from out-of-state donors, and sent $3.2 million straight to the Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. Their largest individual donation was a $2 million check from Jonathan Soros, son of billionaire donor George Soros.
Their major targets were flipping the Arizona State Legislature blue and passing an extreme pro-abortion measure. Coordinated progressive groups, such as the Chispa AZ PAC, Future Freedoms, Opportunity Arizona, and Our Voice, Our Vote poured over $7 million into boosting legislative Democrats and $4.5 million into opposing Republicans in key swing districts. Groups such as Mi Familia Vota, Will of the People, AANHPI Rising Tide, and Worker Power PAC spent heavily in the ballot measure space.
Understanding and Countering the Blueprint
Most people after viewing our report want to know if anything can be done to thwart this coordinated assault on Arizona and other states around the country.
We believe it can be stopped, and believe the first step is creating awareness about this threat. It’s obvious that this liberal network is not spontaneous civic engagement. This is a sophisticated, tax-subsidized, and centrally coordinated political syndicate, built to operate every day, every year, regardless of election outcomes. The more people know about it, the less they can operate in the shadows.
The next step is cutting off taxpayer funds from organizations that engage in political activity. The Trump administration took a major step on this front when they shuttered USAID earlier this year. But there are other federal, state and even local jurisdictions handing out taxpayer cash to liberal non-profits, that then use those dollars to lobby and electioneer in Arizona. All of it should be banned.
And finally, while it can be difficult to draw a clear line between some philanthropic educational activity that can be political, what is undeniable is that tax-deductible NGO’s cannot finance overt electioneering or activities that violate the law. For instance, partisan get-out-the-vote drives or organizations that promote violent protests should not receive tax-exempt status and must be investigated by the Department of Justice.
The good news is that it’s clear that this progressive network is feeling the heat. In just the last couple of months, several major donors have announced that they are severing ties with the syndicate. And Arabella Advisors, the largest intermediary in the network, quietly announced that they are closing their doors and have reorganized under a new entity called “Sunflower Services.”
We believe that with continued public scrutiny and political pressure, the Arizona Liberal NGO Syndicate can be dismantled.
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