Arabella’s $1.6 Billion “Dark Money” Haul in 2021
The country’s largest and perhaps most influential “dark money” network pulled in nearly $1.6 billion in 2021, according to new IRS filings, a mere $148 million drop from the record…
Eric Kessler
The For-Profit DC Firm Staging America’s ‘Grassroots’ Movements
Behind the closed doors of an unassuming philanthropic consultancy in Washington, D.C., is one of the most powerful lobbying forces in the United States. The Atlantic has called it “the massive progressive dark-money…
Excavating Arabella’s Origin: Arabella Trails
Before Arabella Advisors and its nonprofit minions was ALF—the “Arabella Legacy Fund," bankrolled by the Hewlett Foundation and Wilburforce Foundation. Its first initiative was Responsible Trails America, a “pop-up” astroturf…
Excavating Arabella’s Origin: Starting Small
Arabella has been all about other people’s money from day one, and it remains so. The money in this case was a special but tiny federal fund, the Recreational Trails…
Excavating Arabella’s Origin: Behind the Curtain
Arabella Legacy Fund’s IRS Form 990s were signed by Eric Kessler, actually Eric J. Kessler. In 2008, Arabella's throughput nearly quadrupled, to $6.1 million in gross receipts, $732,000 of which…
Excavating Arabella’s Origin: Lessons Learned
Responsible Trails America’s narrative shamelessly copycatted other progressive outlines. It existed as an “organization” or “coalition” mostly through numerous professionally written press releases. Those in turn directed journalist inquiries to…