Dark Money 1: The Tax-Exempt Pipeline to Leftist Protest, By Chris Knight (Florida)
First, jargon bust: "Dark money" refers to funds funnelled through US 501(c)(3) charities, 501(c)(4) advocacy groups, and donor-advised funds (DAFs), vehicles that shield donor identities while claiming tax breaks. These aren't mum-and-pop ops; they're multibillion-dollar machines. Per GAI and CRC, they create "mutual aid" networks: Bail funds, legal aid, gear supplies, even "community defence" training (read: riot prep).
Antifa's decentralised nature, loose affinity groups, no central HQ, makes direct funding tricky, but the ecosystem thrives on platforms like Open Collective, where donors crowdfund "solidarity" efforts. Bruner highlighted gaps: Decentralized chapters (e.g., Socialist Rifle Association, John Brown Gun Club) obscure trails, but subpoenas could crack it. Recent X chatter echoes this: Users point to "dark money" sustaining Antifa ops, from U-Haul riot supplies to assassinations like Charlie Kirk's.
Taxpayer hook? Many NGOs get federal dollars via grants for "social justice" or "community organising," then redirect to radicals. Musk's "US taxpayer money" jab? Spot on, it's indirect, but real.
The Key Players: A Rogues' Gallery of Funders
Let's name names. Bruner's briefing spotlighted a quartet: Soros' OSF, Arabella Advisors, Tides Foundation, and Neville Roy Singham. Add Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss for good measure. These aren't lone wolves; they're a network pumping cash into unrest.
George Soros and Open Society Foundations (OSF): The granddaddy. OSF, chaired by Alex Soros, has poured billions into progressive causes. The NYT/CRC report: $80M to groups like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), tied to anti-Israel protests that overlap Antifa tactics. OSF funds bail funds (e.g., Minnesota Freedom Fund) that sprung 2020 rioters. Total Antifa-adjacent? Hundreds of millions via grantees.
Arabella Advisors: A D.C.-based hub managing $1B+ in dark money. It oversees funds like New Venture Fund and Sixteen Thirty Fund, channelling to activist groups. Linked to 2020 BLM riots and anti-ICE protests; critics call it the "Left's Death Star." CEO: Himesh Bhise. Ties to Antifa? Funds "mutual aid" collectives that supply protest gear.
Tides Foundation/Network: San Francisco-based, nearly $1B budget for Left causes. Funds anti-Israel campus protests (e.g., $2.6M from Rockefeller Bros. Fund, some to Palestine Legal). BLM sued Tides in September 2025 over $33M allegedly withheld. CEO: Janiece Evans-Page. Radical links: Grants to Trans Justice Project and others overlapping Antifa networks.
Neville Roy Singham: Chicago-born Maoist, now in China, worth millions via ThoughtWorks sale. Funds Code Pink, People's Forum, groups tied to pro-Hamas rallies and Antifa-style actions. GAI flags his $20M+ to U.S. radicals, including trans activism that feeds into protest coalitions.
Hansjörg Wyss: Swiss mogul, funnelled $208M to U.S. Left via foundations. Funds environmental radicals with protest arms, indirect Antifa ties via alliances.
These networks use DAFs for anonymity, donors give to Tides/Arabella, who grant to front groups. Foreign flavour: Singham's China ties raise espionage flags.
How does it work? Funds flow to "fiscal sponsors" like Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ), which backed 2020 riots. Bail funds (e.g., National Bail Fund Network) spring arrested activists, over $90M post-George Floyd. Training: Groups like Momentum teach "direct action" tactics. Online: Open Collective crowdfunds gear, travel.
Recent spikes: Post-Dobbs arsons (100+ pro-life centres hit), anti-ICE ambushes (1,000% attack increase per DHS, though disputed). X users link it to Kirk's killing, calling for probes.
This erodes rule of law, funded mobs disrupt, then cry foul when cracked down. Trump's response: Designate Antifa terrorist org (Sept 2025 EO), ramp investigations. Critics (e.g., Brennan Center) say it criminalises dissent. But with violence escalating, the Kirk assassination and Scalise shooting, it's a flashpoint.
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