Despite Alaskan Republicans outnumbering Alaskan Democrats 2:1, liberal ideology appears rampant in Alaska’s public schools, government decisions, and non-profit industry. Time after time, Alaskans see ballot measures, lawsuits, and media campaigns pushing policies resembling those drafted in Portland. At the heart of the issue, like every political issue, is money.
On Nov. 12, the American Accountability Foundation (AAF) launched the Alaska Influence Pipeline. This online hub traces how wealthy, out-of-state advocacy networks fund a liberal agenda in Alaska. Disguised behind seemingly benign nonprofits and nonpartisan brands, out-of-state plutocrats are pushing progressive politics into Alaska.
The Arabella Machine: Billions in Liberal Money, Now Flowing North
The Sixteen Thirty Fund, the New Venture fund, the Hopewell Fund, and the Windward Fund are few of the progressive nonprofits showing their way into Alaska. At the center of all of them is the for-profit consulting firm Arabella Advisors, a powerful D.C.-based firm that manages these nonprofits.
According to public filings highlighted by AAF, the Arabella-managed network has spent approximately $9 billion since 2006, shaping policies around the country through ballot measures, ad campaigns, “popup” groups, and media projects.
Between 2020 and 2024, entities backed by Arabella spent more than $9 million on opposing or delaying Alaskan resource development and infrastructure projects, pushing progressive ballot initiatives, and building “local” organizations that echo national talking points.
In a small population state like Alaska, $9 million targeted over a few years can overwhelm genuine local activism and drown out voices that do not have access to large amounts of money or D.C.-backed management resources.
“Alaskan” in Name Only
The Alaska Influence Pipeline flags several entities that brand themselves as Alaskan organizations but rely heavily on out-of-state funding.
For example, the Sixteen Thirty Fund and other liberal sources support the Alaska Center. This group pressures candidates to endorse an agenda seeking 100% renewable energy by 2050, higher oil and gas taxes, and changes to Alaska’s voting system. These policy positions reflect nationwide liberal demands, not the desires of the average Alaskan.
Progress Alaska is another example. Arabella-managed organizations infused Progress Alaska with $3 million to aid a campaign against energy development, mining prospects, and projects such as the West Susitna Access Road.
Although these organizations appear homegrown, with websites featuring local scenery and familiar rhetoric, their funding and strategy point back to national campaigns that treat Alaska as another battlefield, not as a unique state with unique needs.
Ballot Measures and Faux “Grassroots” Campaigns
Non-profits are not the only political devices manipulated by dark money. The Alaska Influence Pipeline also shows heavy out-of-state involvement in Alaska’s ballot initiatives. For example, the New Venture Fund played a key role in funding 2016’s Ballot Measure 1, which linked automatic voter registration to the Permanent Fund Dividend. In 2024, the Sixteen Thirty Fund poured approximately $930,000 into an initiative pushing higher minimum wages and mandated paid sick leave.
Additionally, campaigns like the 907 Initiative and “Alaskans for Posterity” launched an extensive advertising and political campaign in Alaska, but they did not openly disclose the out-of-state funding, such as funding from the New Venture Fund, that propped up their campaign.
Whose State Is It Anyway?
The reality of out-of-state money pouring into Alaska to fuel the liberal agenda raises the question of whether self-government means anything if the messaging, lawsuits, and ballot language are all being drafted somewhere between K Street and Silicon Valley.
Alaskans deserve to know who is paying for the ads and mailers they see, who underwrites the “nonpartisan” or “local” group knocking on their door, and which national networks are experimenting on Alaska’s political system.
The Alaska Influence Pipeline offers transparency to Alaskans wanting to know who is meddling with their resources, elections, and communities.
More to Come
COMING SOON: Let’s go deeper! This column outlines just the tip of the iceberg of the dark money problem. Keep watch for more articles diving deeper into the problem and what can be done about it. In the meantime, read our previous coverage below:
“Alaskans deserve to know who is paying for the ads and mailers they see, who underwrites the “nonpartisan” or “local” group knocking on their door, and which national networks are experimenting on Alaska’s political system.”
Agreed!
You can start by asking that POC Murkowski Most of her money is dark money from Lower 48
Who is funding Alaska Influence Pipeline? that seems questionable as well…
This has been going on for some time now. Good to see it’s finally coming to light. Another blight are the NGOs and out of state law firms that continue to sue this state on matters such as fishing, law enforcement and Corrections, and state disclosure laws. We got RCV from these same fine folks. WA, OR, and CA are gone, Alaska is the last standing and its clearly in the crosshairs. Survival seems unlikely.
“Despite Alaskan Republicans outnumbering Alaskan Democrats 2:1”
OK. Where are they…? Where are they on election day…..? Where are they when public meetings are held..?
Where are they when they are needed most and called to do one thing- cast a ballot.
Why are they not calling their elected employees when something does not agree with them..?
It’s easier to whine an cry, than it is to wait in line and cast their ballot. With “mail-in” ballots, it should be a slam dunk, but it’s not. With Dominion voting machines (now Liberty Voting systems. Sold to avoid litigation) possibly fudging the database numbers.
Then we have Euro-trash billionaires pouring money in our elections. Why? To make our country just as screwed up as theirs..?
I agree. Zero outside funds. Laundered outside money should be a felony and a automatic 10 year prison term. If they can’t do it with local money, it means the candidate/party is weak and should not be in office.
Back in the late 80’s and early 90’s a successful Alaska legislative campaign would spend a little over 30 thousand dollars. I wonder what the cost is today? Probably still relatively cheap for what one gets. Lobbyists, NGO’s and hell, even foreign governments have made a mockery of our “free and fair” elections for the average Alaskan/ American who is struggling to keep food on the table and the lights on!
AGREED!!!
Most Alaskans don’t seem to care about politics and what happens to the state. The voter turn out is a disgrace on the republican and conservative side. Don’t vote, don’t bitch about communist democrats running the state.
The amazing part of this is these people are going to start paying a heavy price for our lack of natural resources, they are the reason for the high costs of production which equates high price of products. For instance Apple iPhones will shortly be $4500 or more. Let the games begin.
The recent ballot measure attempting to get rid of RCV is a perfect example. The “No on 2” group outspent the “Yes on 2” group by 100 to 1! Top 3 contributors to “No on 2” were John Arnold (Action Now Initiative, based in Houston, Texas) Kathryn Murdoch and Katherine Ghel ( Unite America, based in Denver, Colorado).
“No on 2” had, by the end, raised 12.3 million dollars, far more than Mary Peltola had spent for her entire campaign. Still, the measure was defeated by literally just a handful of votes. I have yet to meet a fellow Alaskan who supports RCV, although I will admit that I spend very little time in Anchorage.
Great article! But, in the spirit of ‘following the money,’ just who has the most to gain by shutting down resource development in Alaska? Certainly, groups that want our nation to not have access to Alaska’s vast energy reserves. Or, Alaska’s reserves of critical minerals needed for defence? Or even access to any high paying jobs in development? Heaven forbid, that our nation’s enemies might just be funding these ‘anti-development’ groups? And, why am I suddenly craving Chinese food? LOL!
This certainly is a revealing, albeit one-sided expose. What about the complement to this report: how much money do outside organizations send to conservative Alaskan projects? To contend that this is a one-sided feature of Alaskan politics is more propaganda than journalism.
Great point. Both sides are corrupt.
Interesting article. For the next portion of the story please include the conservative outside money attempting to influence Alaskans (endless rank choice initiatives) to provide a full context
Conservative money from entities such as:
-Americans for prosperity
-Families of the last frontier ( $ from Republican leadership committee and GOPAC)
-Alaska Policy Forum(funding from Donors Trust, Donors capital Forum, State policy Network)
-Club for Growth
– Northern Holdings plus individuals from outside like
– John Ellsworth
-Laura Arnold
– Katherine Murdoch
-Katherine Gerhel
– Mark Merrill
Sure would be amazing to rid our state of dark money, outside money or anyone’s opinions who have not lived here. It’s sickening to watch tv with these nauseating commercials. All of them need to back off. The corruption, nation and world wide is astounding. Elections have clearly been compromised and those who disagree are only ruining it for everyone. It is not a Democrat or Republican issue, it is now a citizen issue nation and world wide. The corruption is deeper than the human brain can imagine.
We’re either gonna wake up or loose this country! Been shouting about it since 2008.
Arabella-New Venture Fund-Salmon State- Biodiversity Funders-STOP Trawling Bycatch Facebook page.
Salmon State misleads the public about who’s funding their activities. Try to find Salmon State’s form 990 (IRS non-profit filings) on ProPublica or a similar website. The forms are not there, because they don’t exist: Salmon State is not a real entity. They are actually an operating division of the New Venture Fund, a billion dollar non-profit left-wing dark money advocacy group based in Washington, DC. New Venture Fund operates three front groups in Alaska: Salmon State, Alaska Venture Fund, and New Energy Alaska. Their stated goal, which is on the Alaska Venture Fund website, is to win US Senate races in Alaska so Democrats can enact left-wing policies favored by their outside foundation donors. The Trawling/Bycatch issue was never about saving salmon – it is just a tool to help defund the police, open the borders, and use climate change to regulate the economy by removing conservative elected representatives.
Follow the dark money.