The Gates Foundation, the largest charitable foundation in the United States, has cut ties with Arabella Advisors, a consulting firm with close ties to nonprofits for Democratic and leftist causes.
The decision to step back from work with Arabella Advisors has alarmed some leftist groups that rely on the Gates Foundation for substantial financial support, according to The New York Times. The foundation said in a statement that the move to distance itself from the leftist-linked consulting firm is “a business decision that reflects our regular strategic assessments of partnerships and operating models.”
The Gates Foundation sent a memo to some employees in June who oversee the charity’s grant programs, stating that it would move toward more direct relationships with grant recipients rather than working through Arabella.
“Teams are increasingly working directly with programmatic partners — organizations that are deeply embedded in the communities we serve and closely aligned with our mission,” the note said, according to the Times. “As we look ahead, this is a chance to build deeper, more durable relationships with those partners — and to reinforce the kind of legacy we want to leave behind.”
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The funding at stake is immense for Arabella groups. The Gates Foundation has directed nearly half a billion dollars toward nonprofits in the Arabella network over the past 16 years.
Arabella Advisers reportedly controls hundreds of activist groups that support leftist causes. The consulting firm administers a wide network of so-called “dark money” groups while drawing support from left-wing financiers such as George Soros and, until recently, the Gates Foundation.
Conservatives have often attacked the consulting group for its ties to political organizations and its support for leftist causes. Nonprofits in its network have also received blowback. In 2023, the conservative watchdog group Americans for Public Trust filed a complaint with the IRS alleging that four Arabella-connected groups “diverted substantial portions of their income and assets” to benefit Arabella’s founder, Eric Kessler.
The Gates Foundation’s split from Arabella comes as the Trump administration has cracked down on leftist financial networks such as ActBlue, the Democratic Party’s main fundraising platform.
