New Database Exposes Billions In Foreign Money Funding Lefty Groups, Causes

Democrats are facing fresh scrutiny as the 2026 midterm election cycle intensifies, this time over billions of dollars in foreign-linked funding flowing through organizations tied to progressive political causes.

Americans for Public Trust on Friday unveiled a new database aimed at helping lawmakers, journalists, watchdog organizations, and ordinary Americans trace foreign money moving into U.S. political and policy battles.

The organization says its research has already uncovered more than $5 billion in foreign-linked spending, with the total expected to rise as researchers continue reviewing additional records.

Among the major beneficiaries identified by the watchdog are the Sixteen Thirty Fund, the ClimateWorks Foundation, and the Gates Medical Research Institute — organizations associated with left-wing causes and Democratic policy priorities, according to APT.

“As we enter the height of midterm election season, it is critical that the public is aware of the vast sums of foreign funds flowing across our borders to influence the outcomes of our political battles,” APT Executive Director Caitlin Sutherland told The Center Square.

Americans for Public Trust describes its mission as “restoring trust by holding the powerful accountable.”

Sutherland said the issue extends well beyond traditional campaign donations.

“whether through ballot initiatives, issue advocacy, or voter registration, American politics is indisputably being shaped by foreign cash.”

“That’s why we’ve created this first-of-its-kind database to help the public untangle the complex web of foreign money bankrolling leftwing nonprofits,” Sutherland added, per the outlet.

The database, called Follow Foreign Money, has so far examined more than 520 organizations, identified over 12,000 records, and tracked more than $5 billion in foreign-linked funding.

APT argues that those numbers may represent only part of the broader financial network.

The group said “foreign governments, foreign charities, and foreign nationals are actively exploiting loopholes on the state and federal level that allow their money to flow into important policy fights and electoral tools.”

“Foreign money funding advocacy in the United States is a threat to our democracy and must be exposed and stopped,” the group added.

Federal law already prohibits foreign nationals from contributing directly to American political candidates and campaigns. But Americans for Public Trust says foreign funds may still enter the political system through other channels, including lobbying, demonstrations, ballot initiative campaigns, voter-related activity, and ballot-harvesting efforts.

That distinction has become increasingly important as wealthy foreign donors and international foundations pour large sums into nonprofit organizations operating inside the United States.

One of the most notable figures identified by APT is Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss.

According to the watchdog, Wyss has donated more than $300 million to the Sixteen Thirty Fund and other organizations, The Center Square reported.

The Sixteen Thirty Fund has become one of the most prominent institutions in the progressive nonprofit ecosystem. The Center Square reported in 2024 that the organization helped financially support Missouri’s Amendment 3 campaign, which placed abortion protections into the state constitution.

During the political battle over the measure, Missouri Republican Sen. Ben Brown warned that foreign-funded ballot campaigns could allow wealthy overseas interests to “essentially purchase amendments” to state constitutions through massive financial contributions.

Missouri later joined several other states in banning foreign money from funding ballot initiative campaigns.

Americans for Public Trust also identified several major foreign-based philanthropic institutions that have provided money to U.S. nonprofit organizations, including the London-based Arcadia Fund, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, and the IKEA Foundation.

The watchdog says the influence of foreign funding is not limited to political advocacy groups.

American colleges and universities have also received enormous sums from overseas sources, according to APT.

The organization said “nearly $12 billion from China and Qatar – countries that are openly hostile to the United States – [having] flooded the American higher education system for decades.”

APT also pointed to foreign support for environmental activism and climate policy campaigns.

According to the organization, “a group of foreign ‘charities’ has spent almost $2 billion bankrolling U.S. policy fights and advancing an extreme climate agenda.”

The findings are likely to add fuel to a broader debate over sovereignty, election integrity, and whether foreign wealth should be permitted to shape American political outcomes indirectly through nonprofit organizations and advocacy campaigns.

Conservatives have long argued that election laws focused solely on direct candidate contributions leave major loopholes untouched, allowing powerful interests to influence public policy without ever writing a check directly to a campaign.

As voters prepare for a decisive midterm election, the Follow Foreign Money database could put renewed pressure on lawmakers to close those loopholes and ensure that American elections and policy battles are decided by American citizens — not billionaires, foundations, or governments operating from overseas.