DivertED: National teachers’ unions have contributed over $660M million to far-left organizations and leftwing political groups

Total national teachers union contributions to organizations and PACs: $669,324,912.33

Total AFT dues contributions: $159,277,660

Total AFT COPE disbursements: $70,181,403.19

Total NEA member dues contributions: $307,930,359.00

Total NEA Advocacy & Children & Public Education Funds disbursements: $131,935,490.14

SUMMARY

Since August 2015, the two largest teachers unions, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA), have given out a combined $669,324,912.33 in member dues/fees and Political Action Committee (PAC) funds to leftwing political entities, far-left nonprofits, school board campaigns, and opponents to school choice legislation.

This report tracks the expenditures and contributions of the AFT and NEA through federal reporting documents and Federal Elections Campaign (FEC) filings. This data reflects how the AFT and NEA utilize these funds to influence political and social outcomes both nationally and locally. While it is clear in some cases which organizations or campaigns receive funding, in other cases it is less clear as other PACs and nonprofits can act as passthroughs to benefit campaigns, advance ballot initiatives, oppose school choice legislation, or promote far-left social justice ideologies.

Every effort has been made to ensure that dollars are not duplicated in the data collection process. The information and numbers that are included in this report will be updated over time.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The teachers unions and their PACs gave a combined $85M+ to federal, state, and local Democratic party entities and their PACs. (This amount does not include contributions to individual candidate campaigns and PACs)
• Since 2016, the AFT and NEA gave the State Engagement Fund over $60M+.
• The two unions gave a combined $37M+ to For Our Future Action Fund and its other entities.
• The two unions distributed over $10M of member dues to state ballot initiatives.
• From 2016 to the present, Citizens Who Support Maine’s Public Schools has received $4,297,000 in contributions. The organization actively opposes school choice and voucher measures.
• In 2017, the AFT COPE gave $1,365,000 to Students Parents & Educators in Support of Padilla & Zimmer for School Board in their race for Los Angeles Unified School District board seats. Additionally, the NEA Advocacy Fund donated another $600,000 to the Padilla and Zimmer campaign.
• Between 2023 and 2024, Support Our Schools Nebraska, which led a campaign to repeal school choice legislation, received $4,298,076 from the NEA.
• Protect Our Schools KY received $7.2M from the NEA in 2024. The organization advocates against school choice and voucher legislation.
• In 2025, AFT COPE contributed $500,000 to Spanberger for Governor.
• Since 2016, Midwest Academy has received $1.7M in funding from the teachers unions. The organization is part of a collective effort to provide training for May Day 2026 mobilization activities.
• In 2024, the NEA gave $4,037,500 to Colorado based Public Schools Strong to campaign against Amendment 80 and school choice.
• Over $5M was donated to the Hopewell, New Venture, and Sixteen Thirty Funds; all part of the Sunflower Services network (formerly Arabella Advisors).

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SPENDING

TOP FIVE FUNDED ORGANIZATIONS

1. State Engagement Fund – $60,525,000

2. For Our Future, Action Fund, and PAC – $44,732,078

4. Senate Majority PAC – $32,655,000

5. House Majority PAC – $25,842,790.83

3. Strategic Victory Fund – $19,300,000

Below are links to each teachers unions’ reporting forms. Also listed are the organizations that received funds and how much per report. If the same organization is listed twice, it means it received funds during both reporting years.

Additionally, some organizations feature links to a profile page created by InfluenceWatch, which is run by the Capital Research Center.

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AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS (AFT)

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL EDUCATION (COPE)

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NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION (NEA)

NEA ADVOCACY FUND

NEA FUND OR CHILDREN & PUBLIC EDUCATION

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LIST OF ORGANIZATIONS AND NONPROFITS

Below is a sample list of organizations and nonprofits receiving contributions. The amount listed after each organization is the total funding they have received since August 2015.

• 482Forward – $140,000
• A Better Wisconsin Together Political Fund – $2,625,000
• Accelerate Action – $300,000
• Advancement Project – $225,000
• All for Justice (Illinois) – $250,000
• Alliance for a Better Minnesota – $121,088
• Alliance for Global Justice – $10,000
• Alliance for Justice – $311,146
• Alliance for Justice Action Campaign – $115,000
• Alliance for Youth Action – $100,000
• Amalgamated Foundation – $682,000
• America Votes – $13,082,422
• America Works USA – $2,835,000
• Americans United for Change – $150,000
• Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee – $108,000
• Ballot Initiative Strategy Center – $3,110,000
• Battleground CA – $100,000
• Biden Victory Fund – $923,500
• Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation – $725,000
• BLACK PAC – $896,366.67
• Black Progressive Action Coalition – $300,000
• Blue Green Alliance – $360,000
• Building Back Together – $1,250,000
• Campaign for America’s Future – $180,000
• Care in Action PAC – $75,000
• Catalist, LLC – $627,543
• Center for American Progress – $1,650,000
• Center for American Progress – Action Fund – $835,000
• Center for Popular Democracy – $2,495,115
• Center for Popular Democracy Action Fund – $933,000
• Change Corps Inc – $148,800
• Chinese for Affirmative Action – $93,850
• Chinese Progressive Association – $243,850
• Citizen Action of Wisconsin – $20,000
• Citizens Not Politicians – $3,000,000
• Citizens Who Support Maine’s Public Schools – $4,297,000
• Clinton Global Initiative – $400,000
• Color of Change and Color of Change PAC – $3,310,000
• Coloradans for Prosperity – $250,000
• Coloradans for the Common Good – $450,000
• Colorado League of Responsible Voters – $1,120,000
• Committee on States – $2,962,167
• Committee to Keep Georgia Schools Local – $4,700,000
• Communities United for Bass for LA Mayor 2022 – $300,000
• Congressional Progressive Caucus Center – $490,000
• Correct the Record – $75,000
• DAGA People’s Lawyer Project – $2,435,000
• DCCC – $1,545,000
• Defend Our Constitution – $650,000
• Demlist LLC – $10,000
• Democracy 21 – $250,000
• Democracy Alliance – $3,442,367
• Democracy Corps – $454,851
• Democratic Attorney’s General Association – $475,000
• Democratic Governors Association – $7,005,000
• Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee – $1,960,000
• Democratic Municipal Officials – $80,000
• Democratic Party of Wisconsin – $167,000
• Democratic State Central Committee of LA – $75,000
• Democrats for Public Education – $42,500
• DSCC – $1,815,000
• Economic Policy Institute – $3,200,000
• Educators for Washoe Schools – $225,000
• Emerging American Majorities – $1,135,000
• EMILY’S List – $1,685,163
• Every Eligible American – $425,000
• Fair Fight Action – $1,700,000
• Fair Share Massachusetts – $7,150,000
• Faith in Minnesota – $400,000
• Fighting for Our Future – $500,000
• For Our Future / For Our Future Action Fund – $42,932,078
• For Our Future PAC – $1,800,000
• Friends of Kathy Hochul – $69,700
• Friends of Michael J. Madigan – $250,000
• Future Forward PAC (FF PAC) – $2,200,000
• Future Forward USA Action – $2,250,000
• Gender Inclusivity, LLC – $29,250
• GLSEN – $92,000
• Good Jobs Montana – $2,450,000
• Great Lakes Center for Education, Research and Practice – $2,200,000
• Great Schools Now – $2,570,994
• Hillary Victory Fund – $444,250
• Hillsborough County Democratic Executive Committee – $25,000
• Hopewell Fund – $500,000
• House Democratic Caucus PAC – $14,000
• House Majority PAC – $25,842,790.83
• Human Rights Campaign Foundation – $357,500
• Ibram X. Kendi – $7,418
• In Union USA – $2,025,000
• Indivisible Project – $100,000
• Italian American Democratic Leadership Council – $20,000
• iVote Fund – $250,000
• Jobs and Opportunity – $1,325,000
• Jobs with Justice – $130,150
• Keep It Local – $704,000
• Kentucky Family Values – $2,624,670
• Latino Victory Fund – $855,000
• Leading Colorado Forward – $300,000
• Learning First Alliance – $806,364
• LiberatED, LLC – $10,000
• Living United for Change in Arizona – $465,000
• Louisiana Democrats – Victory for LA – $200,000
• LULAC Institute – $145,000
• Main Street Advocacy Fund – $1,250,000
• Majority Forward – $100,000
• March for Our Lives Action Fund – $415,000
• Media Matters for America – $700,000
• Mi Familia Vota Education Fund – $410,000
• Michigan Democratic State Central Committee – $755,000
• Midwest Academy – $1,755,000
• Mobilize America, Inc – $108,120
• MomsRising Together – $325,000
• Montana Federation of Public Employees Ballot Initiative Fund – $3,907,907.73
• Montanas for Fiscal Responsibility – $228,292
• MoveOn.org Civic Action – $297,800
• MoveOn.org Political Action – $475,000
• NAACP/ NAACP Empowerment Program – $2,820,000
• NARAL Pro-Choice America – $25,000
• National Action Network – $685,000
• National Center for Transgender Equality – $10,000
• National Democratic Institute – $155,000
• National Democratic Redistricting Committee – $650,000
• National Democratic Training Committee – $75,000
• National Equity Project – $17,941
• National Korean American Service and Education Consortium, Inc – $7,500
• National Redistricting Action Fund – $400,000
• NEO Philanthropic Action Fund – $1,080,628
• New Georgia Project Action Fund – $575,000
• New Jersey Democratic State Committee – $110,000
• New Venture Fund – $535,500
• New York State Democratic Campaign Assembly Committee – $192,300
• New York State Democratic Committee – $256,900
• NewsGuard Technologies, Inc – $350,000
• No on 2109 – $750,000
• No Tax Cut for the Super Rich – $980,000
• Northeast Regional Organizing Project – $2,775,917
• Ohio Democratic Party – $1,275,990.24
• One for All Committee – $330,000
• Opportunity Institute – $125,000
• Opportunity PAC – $200,000
• Organize Action – $300,000
• Organizing Empowerment PAC – $300,000
• Pennsylvania Alliance Action – $1,775,000
• Parents Together Action – $1,925,000
• Patriot Majority USA – $1,747,000
• PEN America Center – $50,000
• People’s Action – $100,000
• Pipeline Fund – $100,000
• Planned Parenthood of Federation of America – $10,000
• Planned Parenthood Votes – $350,000
• Politico LLC – $270,955
• Powerswitch Action – $350,000
• Preserve, Protect and Defend – $1,706,500
• Priorities USA – $3,920,000
• Priorities USA Action – $7,176,800
• Progressive Caucus Action Fund – $970,000
• Progressive Congress Action Fund – $150,000
• Progressive State Leaders Committee – $1,200,000
• ProgressNow – $625,000
• ProgressNow Colorado – $50,000
• ProgressNow Education – $250,000
• Project New America – $244,804.90
• Protect Constitutional Abortion Rights – $100,000
• Protect Our Schools KY – $7,215,000
• Proteus Fund – $15,000
• Public Schools Strong – $4,137,500
• Put Michigan First – $2,850,000
• Race & Equity in Education, Inc – $223,715
• Race Forward – $47,500
• Race Forward Action Inc – $300,000
• Raise Up Massachusetts 2022 – $300,000
• Red Wine & Blue – $1,145,000
• Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL) – $100,000
• Resist, Inc. Boston Education Justice Alliance – $105,000
• Rethinking Schools, LTD – $79,249
• Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors – $35,000
• Roosevelt Institute – $100,000
• Run for Something PAC – $150,000
• RuralVote.org – $115,000
• Ruthanne Buck – $63,225
• Save Our Public Schools – $5,400,000
• Senate Majority PAC – $32,655,000
• Sixteen Thirty Fund – $4,433,000
• Southern Poverty Law Center – $10,000
• State Democracy Action Fund – $400,000
• State Democracy Defenders Action – $500,000
• State Engagement Fund – $60,525,000
• State Innovation Exchange – $1,725,000
• State Power Action Fund – $445,000
• State Power Fund – $585,000
• State Senate Democratic Committee – $12,000
• State Victory Action – $1,750,000
• State Victory Fund LLC – $2,300,000
• Strategic Victory Fund – $19,300,000
• Strong Public Schools – $1,810,000
• Students Parents & Educators in Support of Padilla & Zimmer for School Board – $1,365,000
• Students, Parents, & Educators In Support Of Rivas – $150,000
• Supermajority – $550,000
• Support Our Schools Nebraska – $4,298,076
• Teaching for Change – $80,000
• The American Independent Foundation – $100,000
• The Good Land Committee – $4,285,594
• The Sunrise Project Inc – 75,000
• The Voter Project – $75,000
• Tides Advocacy – $445,000
• Tides Center – $285,472
• Tides Foundation – $10,000
• Trevor Project – $100,000
• UnidosUS – $173,750
• UnidosUS Action Fund – $265,000
• Virginia New Majority – $250,000
• Virginia Plus PAC – $50,000
• VoteVets – $570,000
• VoteVets Action Fund, Inc – $80,000
• VoteVets PAC – $50,000
• Voto Latino – $725,000
• W.K. Kellogg Foundation – $1,500,000
• Way to Win Action Fund – $150,000
• We the People for Education – $115,000
• Will of the People Arizona – $600,000
• Win Minnesota – $750,000
• Win Without War – $30,000
• Women Vote! – $1,425,000
• Women’s March, Inc – $112,500
• Workers Vote – $3,866,000
• Working America – $1,394,000
• Working Families Party National PAC – $169,000