Nonprofits involved in elections using “issue advocacy” often delay reporting of election activities for a year or more in their IRS 990 tax filings.
The DC-based Arabella Advisors is a progressive behemoth funneling money to many organizations in many states, including Kansas, often for some aspect of elections.
Arabella’s funds are often called “dark money” since most of the donors cannot be traced. Money from other nonprofits given to Arabella’s funds can be tracked with difficulty.
In November seven nonprofits managed by Arabella publicly released their IRS 990 reports, which revealed these “funds” collectively spent nearly $1.5 billion in 2023. This will be the subject of a future article.
Five of these seven nonprofits sent $3.5 million to Kansas, mostly for some aspect of elections.
This $3.5 million was less than one-fourth of one percent of Arabella nonprofit spending in 2023. Kansas is very “small potatoes” for Arabella.
Kansas Recipients in 2023
The following summary table shows which Kansas recipients received how much money from the five Arabella funds.
The “purpose” line for these Kansas grants in the IRS 990s can be summarized into four categories, which will be explained in more detail below.
- Abortion services (called “health” in the IRS 990);
- Agriculture, food, nutrition;
- Civil rights, social action, advocacy;
- Environmental programs.
Abortion services (“Health”)
The Kansas Value Them Both Constitutional Amendment referendum was held in in Aug. 2022, shortly after the Supreme Court’s Dobb’s decision in June 2022, which said states should decide such matters.
After a $22 million battle the pro-abortion forces won with 59% of the vote versus 41% for the pro-life advocates. The Arabella “Sixteen Thirty Fund” donated $1.5 million to support abortion.
With a green light for nearly-unrestricted abortions in Kansas, a huge nonprofit money flow to Kansas for abortions is not surprising.
- Aria Medical Clinic LLC, Wichita. $1,156,746 from Hopewell Fund.
- Trust Women Foundation, Wichita. $1,660,541 from Hopewell Fund.
A huge amount of Hopewell Fund dark money flowed into Kansas in 2023, which is consistent with recent news reports: “Kansas Abortion Numbers Hit Historic High in 2023, State Data Shows.”
This news was from a Kansas “Annual Summary of Vital Statistics, 2023” report issued by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment .
Here’s the breakdown of the 19,467 abortions in Kansas in 2023 of which about 78% were from out-of-state:
An email from Kansans for Life last Saturday gave this commentary:
… after more than six months of stonewalling, the Kelly/Toland Administration’s Department of Health and Environment has finally released 2023 abortion statistics for Kansas. There were 19,466 total abortions performed in Kansas. It is worth noting that these statistics were intentionally held until after the election.
The surge of abortions in Kansas is a heartbreaking reminder of the abortion industry’s relentless targeting of vulnerable women who are no longer protected by enforceable informed consent laws or basic abortion facility-inspection and safety standards. Anyone who says this is what Kansans voted for is a liar and on the wrong side of history.
Agriculture, food, nutrition
- Kansas Black Farmers Association, Bogue. $75,000 from the Windward Fund.
In 2023 the Arabella Sixteen Thirty Fund and Windward Fund combined to spend $200,000 on its Rural Democracy Initiative in Kansas.
 | Rural Democracy Initiative spent $200,000 in Kansas in 2023 from “dark money” Arabella Advisors’ fundsEARL F GLYNN·APR 3Read full story |
While there is no known connection between The Kansas Black Farmers Association and Rural Democracy Initiative, they share some thematic and strategic alignments:
- Racial justice in rural communities,
- Policy advocacy,
- Community empowerment.
Civil rights, social action, advocacy
All four of these organizations are actively involved in Kansas elections as nonprofits:
- Kansas Civic Engagement Table, Lenexa $108,750 from the New Venture Fund. At address of Ryan Wright, former Executive Director of Kansas Values Institute. This organization appears to be the “emerging table” for Kansas in the national State Voices, which claimed to have made 1.75 million voter contacts in Kansas in 2022.
- Kansas Values Institute, Lawrence. $250,000 from the North Fund. Nonprofit Kansas Values Institute spent $23 million to help Gov. Laura Kelly and other candidates in 2022.
- Loud Light Civic Action, Topeka. $50,000 from the Sixteen Thirty Fund. The 2022 Arabella “Impact Report” connected Loud Light to the “Vote Neigh” campaign to defeat Value them Both in 2022.
- The Voter Network, Merriam. $76,000 from the New Venture Fund. At address of Mainstream Coalition. The Voter Network’s “peer pressure with a purpose” had $1 million in funding from non-profit health foundations as part of their “Integrated Voter Engagement” multi-year project.
Environmental programs
- Kansas Inter Faith Action, Lawrence. $50,000 from the Windward Fund.
- Loud Light, Topeka. $50,000 from the Windward Fund.
- SOCE Neighborhood Action Foundation (The Neighboring Movement), Wichita. $50,000 from the Windward Fund.
All three of these grantees were part of the $8.7 million Kansas Health Foundation’s Integrated Voter Engagement Project from 2017-2025.
Recent Years
The 2023 Arabella $3.5 million grant total was roughly the same as the $3.8 million total from 2022.
 | Over $6 Million in Arabella Advisors’ “Dark Money” Sent to Kansas Nonprofits to Impact Elections from 2020-2022EARL F GLYNN·JAN 22Read full story |
Related
Arabella by Scott Walter, Capital Research Center. April 2024.
Earl Glynn – Watchdog Lab
Earl F. Glynn is a mostly-retired data scientist, scientific programmer, software engineer and physical scientist living in the Kansas City metro area, and the publisher of the substack Watchdog Lab.
