Dark Money Group Allegedly Bankrolling Democrat Social Media Influencers in Secret: Report

by Melissa O’Rourke

A major liberal dark money group is reportedly paying Democratic social media influencers thousands of dollars a month to promote progressive messaging online, WIRED reported Wednesday.

Influencers who participated in the program could receive up to $8,000 per month, according to WIRED. The program, run by Chorus, a nonprofit arm of the influencer marketing platform Good Influence, is funded by the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a major Democrat-aligned dark money group.

In June, dozens of Democratic influencers with a combined following of at least 13 million were contacted about the Chorus Creator Incubator Program, which was pitched as a way to “expand their reach and impact,” according to the outlet.

The program is funded by the Sixteen Thirty Fund, one of the largest 501(c)(4) funders of Democratic-aligned causes. 501(c)(4) entities are one of the most common vehicles for funneling hundreds of millions of dollars into left-of-center political organizations and advocacy groups, since they are not legally required to disclose their donors.

Managed by the for-profit firm Arabella Advisors, the Sixteen Thirty Fund poured millions into Democratic-aligned super PACs in the 2024 election cycle, campaign finance records show. Four anonymous donors accounted for nearly two-thirds of its 2023 revenue, according to tax filings.

“There are some real great advantages to … housing this program in a nonprofit,” a lawyer working with Chorus said to creators on a Zoom call reviewed by WIRED. “It gives us the ability to raise money from donors. It also, with this structure, it avoids a lot of the public disclosure or public disclaimers—you know, ‘Paid for by blah blah blah blah’—that you see on political ads. We don’t need to deal with any of that. Your names aren’t showing up on, like, reports filed with the FEC.”

Contracts reviewed by WIRED show influencers are barred from publicly disclosing their relationship with Chorus or the Sixteen Thirty Fund, or from revealing that they are being paid. Participants are also prohibited from using any funds or resources that they receive as part of the program to create content that supports or opposes any political candidate or campaign without prior written approval from Chorus, the outlet reported. In addition, they are allegedly required to notify Chorus of any independently arranged meetings with government officials or political leaders.

Influencers included in communications about the program — and in some cases onboarding sessions — include Olivia Julianna, a Gen Z influencer who spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention; Loren Piretra, who hosts a podcast for Occupy Democrats; Suzanne Lambert, who calls herself a “Regina George liberal”; and Sander Jennings, brother of transgender reality star Jazz Jennings, according to the outlet.

Chorus confirmed the program’s existence but denied that influencers were prohibited from disclosing their ties to the group or the Sixteen Thirty Fund.

“Chorus is disappointed about the misinformation being posted about this program and that WIRED did not fact check a piece authored by someone with such a clear axe to grind with Chorus. The piece is misleading and riddled with factual inaccuracies about the program,” a Chorus spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Every creator working with Chorus has always been free and encouraged to talk about their work with Chorus if they want to do so. Creators who work with Chorus are also free to independently engage in whatever content they want or as part of any other partnership that they would like to take on.”

It is unclear from the response whether the contract reviewed by WIRED included specific conditions not addressed by Chorus. The organization did not respond to the DCNF’s request for clarification.

“Chorus is doing crucial work to spread a pro-democracy message to Americans,” a Sixteen Thirty Fund spokesperson told the DCNF. “Creators working with Chorus have always been encouraged to talk about their involvement in the program. Chorus creators are not paid to support candidates, but they are free to do so in their own time.”

“Sixteen Thirty Fund’s work with Chorus is limited to our role as a fiscal sponsor. When Sixteen Thirty Fund (STF) fiscally sponsors a project, STF receives funding on behalf of the project and provides it with operational and administrative support,” the spokesperson added.

– – –

Melissa O’Rourke is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.

The post Dark Money Group Allegedly Bankrolling Democrat Social Media Influencers in Secret: Report first appeared on The Arizona Sun Times.