A shadowy organization that Republicans have long accused of laundering foreign money into the American electoral system poured tens of millions of dollars into liberal groups during the 2024 election, new tax filings show.
The Berger Action Fund, a public advocacy group founded by Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss, transferred $34.4 million to the Sixteen Thirty Fund between April 2023 and March 2024, alongside tens of millions more to other left-wing activists, nonprofit disclosures first shared with Politico show. Conservative activists have accused Wyss of using the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a major leftwing dark money group, as a vehicle to influence American policy with his foreign wealth through a loophole in campaign finance law.
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While foreigners cannot spend money directly on elections by supporting candidates or funding PACs, in many states they can pass money to 501(c)(4) groups like the Sixteen Thirty Fund which can then run campaigns for or against ballot measures. This effectively provides foreigners with an opening to influence policy at the state level. Some states, such as Ohio, have taken action to make arrangements like this illegal.
Wyss was responsible for roughly one-sixth of the Sixteen Thirty Fund’s revenue between 2019 and 2022, contributing a total of $143 million across those four years. As of December 2024, Sixteen Thirty Fund had spent about $130 million on ballot measures in 25 states, according to RealClearPolicy. Democratic PACs also count on the Sixteen Thirty Fund for revenue, disclosing over $20 million from the 501(c)(4) during the 2024 election cycle.
Marnee Banks, a spokeswoman for Berger Action Fund, told Politico that the organization “prohibits its grants from being used to support or oppose political candidates or parties or otherwise engage in electoral activities” and insisted that it supports efforts to improve political transparency.
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Berger Action Fund’s contribution to the Sixteen Thirty Fund represents a significant decline from its previous tax year, where it donated $42.5 million. Its overall grantmaking dropped by 7%, reported no inbound donations, and saw roughly $13 million in capital gains losses. Despite the lackluster financial year, the fund maintains a massive hoard of assets valued at $232 million.
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Other left-of-center groups that raked in cash from the foreign billionaire-linked nonprofit organization included Fund For A Better Future, Climate Power, League of Conservation Voters, Our American Future Action, the American Civil Liberties Union, Animal Wellness Action, and the Indivisible Project.
Some groups funded by Wyss’s group directly involve themselves in electoral politics, whereas others adopt more indirect roles by criticizing the Trump administration and Republicans more broadly.
