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Donor

Center Forward

Dark money

DC

9 gifts to 1 group, as reported to the FEC by the groups that received them.

Mixed

Center Forward gave $3.0M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2020 federal elections, and 100% of it helped Democrats (FEC filings through Dec 31, 2020). Counting dollars, not candidates, and only races already called, 39% ended up on the winning side ($1.1M won, $1.7M lost).

Nonprofit that does not disclose its donors.

Gave to outside spenders

$3.0M

100% of it helped Democrats

Ended up on the winning side

39%

$1.1M of the dollars in races already called

Spent on the losing side

$1.7M

Not spent yet

$114K

Sitting with groups that have not spent

Where the trail ends

What the IRS sees

Center Forward is a 501(c)(4) social welfare group based in Mclean, VA. It files a Form 990 with the IRS every year that shows how much money it moves, but never who gave it. That is the whole point of routing money this way.
IRS filings on ProPublica →

Revenue, 2023

$13M

from donors it does not have to name

Spent, 2023

$12M

Assets at year end, 2023

$5.5M

Tax yearRevenueSpentAssetsFiling
2023$13M$12M$5.5M990 PDF
2022$14M$13M$4.6M990 PDF
2021$19M$17M$3.7M990 PDF
2020$11M$9.9M$1.5M990 PDF
2019$5.0M$4.6M$724Ke-file
2018$6.4M$6.3M$303K990 PDF
2024filed, not yet digitised990 PDF

The $3.0M it gave to super PACs in 2020 is 23% of what it took in during 2023, its latest year on file. The 990 lists what it spent on politics in a single line and leaves every donor blank.

Center Forward also bought $14K of Google and YouTube ads under its own name this cycle. All ad buyers →

Where the cheques went

A nonprofit that does not have to say where its own money came from. The trail ends here. Each gift is split the way the group that received it split its spending between winners and losers, so a $10M cheque to a group that spent 80% on losers counts as $8M on the losing side.
✓ Backed the winner or attacked the loser ✗ Backed the loser or attacked the winner Result not matched
GroupGaveHow the group spent itWon / lost
Center Forward Committee

$80K not spent yet

$3.0M
$1.1M / $1.7M

The trail

What the money bought

The candidates Center Forward's money was spent for or against, pro-rated by Center Forward's share of each group's funding.
CandidateRaceSpendingTheir sharePaid off?
Claudia TenneyNew York 22nd DistrictAttacking$461K✗ No
Yvette HerrellNew Mexico 2nd DistrictAttacking$430K✗ No
Joe CunninghamSouth Carolina 1st DistrictSupporting$353K✗ No
Burgess OwensUtah 4th DistrictAttacking$294K✗ No
Tom O'HalleranArizona 1st DistrictSupporting$255K✓ Yes
Jared F. GoldenMaine 2nd DistrictSupporting$231K✓ Yes
Ron KindWisconsin 3rd DistrictSupporting$135K✓ Yes
Stephanie MurphyFlorida 7th DistrictSupporting$131K✓ Yes
Sharice L. DavidsKansas 3rd DistrictSupporting$131K✓ Yes
Colin AllredTexas 32nd DistrictSupporting$120K✓ Yes
Ben McAdamsUtah 4th DistrictSupporting$115K✗ No
Kendra S. HornOklahoma 5th DistrictSupporting$87K✗ No

Dark money as classified from the FEC entity type and public reporting.

Questions people ask

How much did Center Forward spend on the 2020 elections, and did it win?
Center Forward gave $3.0M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2020 federal elections, and 100% of it helped Democrats (FEC filings through Dec 31, 2020). Counting dollars, not candidates, and only races already called, 39% ended up on the winning side ($1.1M won, $1.7M lost).
Which super PACs did Center Forward fund in 2020?
Center Forward Committee ($3.0M).
Which candidates did Center Forward's money end up backing or attacking in 2020?
against Claudia Tenney (New York 22nd District, about $461K, lost); against Yvette Herrell (New Mexico 2nd District, about $430K, lost); for Joe Cunningham (South Carolina 1st District, about $353K, lost). Amounts are the donor's share of each group's spending.