New Venture Fund

Deception & Misdirection
Scott Walter Testifies to a Senate Finance Subcommittee on “the Political Activities of Tax Exempt Entities”
The Capital Research Center has studied the problems connected to the intersection of politics and tax-exempt entities for decades. Just in the last few months, many more scandals have erupted.
by Scott Walter on May 4, 2022

Deception & Misdirection
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…
by Dave Skinner on April 13, 2022

Deception & Misdirection
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…
by Dave Skinner on April 13, 2022

Deception & Misdirection
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…
by Dave Skinner on April 13, 2022

Deception & Misdirection
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…
by Dave Skinner on April 13, 2022

Philanthropy
Elon Musk’s Philanthropy Is Still Big Philanthropy
Boy-genius Elon Musk—of SpaceX, Tesla, and $5.7 billion in charitable gifts no one’s yet seen distributed—nearly broke the internet this week when first he became the largest single shareholder of…
by Sarah Lee on April 6, 2022

Deception & Misdirection
Louisiana Turns Up the Heat on CTCL and Arabella’s New Venture Fund
Last week, Louisiana’s Third Circuit Court of Appeals reversed and remanded a lower court’s decision in October 2020 that had thrown out a lawsuit against the Center for Tech and…
by Hayden Ludwig on April 5, 2022

Philanthropy
Some Suggestions for Improving the Form 990
Each year, tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations and foundations are required to file returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Most of these groups file Form 990, while § 501(c)(3) private foundations…
by Robert Stilson on March 28, 2022

Organization Trends
WaPo Fact Checker Carries Water for Leftist “Dark Money” Group Behind Biden’s SCOTUS Pick
One aspect of President Joe Biden’s pick for the coming Supreme Court vacancy isn’t up for debate: Whatever her credentials, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is the “dark money” left’s choice…
by Hayden Ludwig on March 23, 2022

Foundation Watch
Ford Foundation’s Big Left Influence: The Ford Foundation’s Millions
One “lefty” billionaire that has been exerting a big influence on our politics for decades and yet escapes nearly all media scrutiny. This is more striking because Henry Ford died…
by Ken Braun on February 24, 2022