Foundation Watch
The Open Society Foundation’s 2022 Grants Expose Arabella and Soros
Arabella Advisors is a private, for-profit public relations firm that runs several nonprofits: the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a 501(c)(4) lobbying organization; the North Fund; a 501(c)(4) that operates closely with the Sixteen Thirty Fund; the New Venture Fund, the 501(c)(3) education arm; and the Hopewell Fund and Windward Fund, 501(c)(3) education and research groups. Credit: Capital Research Center.
In 2022, the Open Society Foundations gave $31,075,000 to the “Five Sisters”: the Sixteen Thirty Fund, New Venture Fund, Hopewell Fund, Windward Fund, and North Fund. The Five Sisters are nonprofits managed by Arabella Advisors “that serve as incubators and accelerators” for a range of left-of-center causes. Arabella Advisors is a philanthropic consulting company that guides the strategy, advocacy, impact investing, and management for high-dollar left-leaning nonprofits and individuals. It was founded in 2005 by Eric Kessler, an alumnus of the Clinton administration. Kessler was a long-time staffer at the League of Conservation Voters, and he remains a senior managing partner and principal at the firm.
Arabella Advisors
According to its website, Arabella Advisors is focused on breaking down barriers to equity by promoting diversity, demonstrating empathy and “changing inequitable practices” to “balance purpose and profit.” Arabella is also often now in the regular news cycle for these very reasons. For instance, while Arabella Advisors maintains that it has not been involved in supporting Hamas or the Palestinians, the Sixteen Thirty Fund—a fund managed by Arabella—gave $62,000 to the If Not Now Movement, a group behind pro-Palestinian demonstrations throughout the United States.
Arabella Advisors is simply and firmly ensconced in what many detractors identify as “the Swamp”—the political establishment of Washington, DC. These critics view groups such as Arabella as part of the problem—not the solution—because they drive so many efforts and conversations that are often counterproductive to healthy political discourse and legitimate American government. To its credit, Arabella does not get involved directly in politics and publishes a blog, regular reports, and its 2021–2002 Impact Report on its website.
Soros and Son
George Soros is the philanthropist behind the Open Societies Foundations and one of the most well-known kings of “dark money.” “Dark money” is political spending meant to influence voter decision-making where both the donor and source of the money is not known. George Soros is Hungarian-born American investor, who survived the Holocaust as a child. He is also an author and major left-of-center political donor and philanthropist.
Recently, Soros turned the reins of his political kingdom over to his son Alexander. Unlike his father, who made his billions in hedge funds, Alexander is notably “more political” and will continue to focus the empire’s energies on liberal aims such as gender equity and racial bias.
