Bradley Foundation, Impact Fund Double Down on Funding Far-Right Extremism

New reporting today in Mother Jones unveiled troubling trends in the grant-giving practices of The Bradley Foundation and its affiliated Bradley Impact Fund. These right-wing donor groups have doubled down on efforts to fund far-right causes, funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars into extremist groups pushing a hateful agenda.

As Mother Jones notes, “Bradley boasts about cultivating a network of contributors across 44 states. But more than 75 percent of contributions to the Bradley Impact Fund in 2022 came from just four sources, according to an audited financial statement filed with the California Department of Justice that the nonprofit research organization Accountable US shared with Mother Jones.”

Since its inception, The Bradley Foundation has donated over $1 billion, much of which has gone to conservative causes challenging civil rights, voting rights, and climate policy. The Bradley Impact Fund — created over a decade ago as a donor-advised fund affiliated with The Bradley Foundation — has followed suit, backing efforts to roll back Americans’ rights.

The Bradley Foundation’s 2023 annual report reveals hundreds of thousands of dollars flowing to far-right groups at the forefront of movements against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, LGBTQ rights, and reproductive rights. Among those receiving substantial funding are: 

• Becket Fund, which has filed amicus briefs in legal cases attempting to roll back reproductive rights and discriminate against LGBTQ Americans.
• The Conservative Partnership Institute, the sprawling “MAGA nerve center.”
• The Teneo Network, which is working to increase conservative influence in all aspects of American society and counts far-right judicial activist Leonard Leo as its chair.
• The Manhattan Institute, which received a quarter of a million dollars specifically earmarked to “support efforts to combat identity politics” and where anti-CRT activist Christopher Rufo is a senior fellow.

Accountable.US launched its Monitoring Influence database to document and track the dark influence network made up of dangerous groups like The Bradley Foundation and The Bradley Impact Fund. Learn more at MonitoringInfluence.org.

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