A dark money group tied to Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss poured tens of millions of dollars into organizations leading major left-wing campaigns, according to recently released tax filings.
Fund for a Better Future (FBF), which has received a majority of its funding from two nonprofit foundations overseen by Wyss in recent years, pushed large sums of cash last year to groups dedicated to overhauling the Supreme Court, supporting President Biden’s “Build Back Better” initiative, addressing alleged voter suppression and advocating for aggressive climate change policies.
“Fund for a Better Future works with donors and changemakers to advance bold solutions to some of the most difficult problems facing our society,” the group states on its website. “Our team has decades of experience partnering with donors to help marshal resources, fiscally sponsor projects, and advise on how funds can most effectively be deployed to maximize impact on the issues our partners care about most.”
In 2021, the group funneled nearly $10.7 million to the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), a powerful environmental organization that advocates for a massive green transition away from fossil fuels and which is active on Capitol Hill. The contribution was the largest donation FBF made to any group last year.
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Hansjörg Wyss attends Oceana’s 2015 New York City benefit at Four Seasons Restaurant in New York City on April 1, 2015.
(Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Oceana)
Molly McUsic, who sits on LCV’s board of directors, is the president of the Wyss Foundation and also a director on the board of the Berger Action Fund, two Wyss-linked groups. Wyss founded the Wyss Foundation in the late 1990s as his main tax-exempt funding arm, according to Influence Watch. He then founded the Berger Action Fund, formerly known as the Wyss Action Fund, in 2007.
Together, the groups operate as a dark money network, funneling money from undisclosed donors to high-profile left-wing groups like the LCV.
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In addition, FBF gave $10 million last year to Priorities USA Action, a left-wing political action committee (PAC) that works to elect Democratic candidates across the country. Priorities USA Action was aligned with former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2012 and 2016, respectively, and has been described as the largest Democratic super PAC in 2020.
Guy Cecil, the chairman of Priorities USA Action, previously served as the executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and as national political director for Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign.
Priorities USA Action and Building Back Together, two groups that received millions of dollars from Fund for a Better Future, have actively pushed Biden administration priorities and worked to elect Democrats.
(Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
FBF also gave $4.9 million to Fair Fight Action, a group founded by former Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams to “protect the freedom to vote.”
FBF gave another $2.9 million to Building Back Together, which was founded to “champion the Biden-Harris agenda.” The group has advocated in favor of key Biden priorities, including the American Rescue Plan, the 2021 infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act.
Building Back Together executive director Danielle Melfi led the Biden presidential campaign’s effort to win Wisconsin in 2020.
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And FBF pushed $2 million to Demand Justice, a judicial activist organization that seeks to transform the U.S. court system to be more progressive.
“They want to add seats to the Supreme Court, they want to add term limits for justices, they want to overhaul it and swing not just the Supreme Court but all levels of the judiciary more progressive,” Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of conservative-leaning Americans for Public Trust, told Fox News in 2021.
Fair Fight Action, a voter rights group launched by former Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams, received $4.9 million from Fund for a Better Future in 2021.
(Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
Overall, between 2016 and mid-2020, FBF received $45.2 million, which represents most of its funding, from the Berger Action Fund, The New York Times reported last year.
Still, FBF has previously pushed back on the characterization that it is “overseen” by Wyss.
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“Fund for a Better Future receives support from many funders, and its independent board of directors and staff make decisions about where the funding goes,” Niki Woodard, a spokesperson for the group, told Fox News Digital earlier this month.
The group added Thursday that it complies with all laws and regulations and reiterated that its independent board makes all funding decisions.
“Fund for a Better Future (FBF) is proud to support effective organizations working toward outcomes that align with our mission to promote the common good by protecting the environment, upholding democratic values, addressing disparities in public health, and advancing social equity,” the group told FOX Business in a statement.
“FBF receives support from many funders, and its independent board of directors and staff make decisions as to where the funding goes,” it continued. “We comply with all rules, laws, and regulations with respect to the disclosure of individual donors and grantees.”
