Swiss billionaire-backed dark money group poured millions into Biden-allied groups

A dark money group called the Berger Action Fund, funded by a Swiss billionaire named Hansjorg Wyss, allegedly granted tens of millions of dollars in 2021 to other dark money organizations that support President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party. Tax forms disclosed that the group transferred around $72 million to nonprofit organizations that advocate for Democratic congressional candidates during the 2022 midterm elections.

The Wyss Foundation, affiliated with the Berger Action Fund, has been supported by Hansjorg Wyss since 1998. The records show that influential left-wing dark money groups spent over $1.5 billion in 2020 to support Biden’s presidential campaign, while GOP-aligned groups spent over $900 million to back former President Donald Trump.

The Berger Action Fund is an advocacy and lobbying group aligned with the Democratic Party that predominantly focuses on issues such as biodiversity and climate crises, income inequality, and health disparities. It aims to safeguard policies like the Affordable Care Act, a law signed by former President Barack Obama in 2010 that overhauled private insurance.

The Berger Action Fund gave approximately $42.4 million of its funding to Sixteen Thirty Fund, a group managed by Arabella Advisors, the United States’ largest liberal dark money network. The Sixteen Thirty Fund directs the money to groups that broadly align with the Democratic and liberal agenda, and it does not disclose its donors. The Berger Action Fund also granted over $20.2 million to the Fund for a Better Future, a dark money group that focuses on issues like climate, election integrity, healthcare, and immigration rights.

The League of Conservation Voters is another left-leaning environmental group that received over $3.4 million in grants from Berger Action Fund in 2021. In addition to these groups, other recipients of the Wyss-linked cash in 2021 included the progressive Center for Popular Democracy and the Indivisible Project. The Indivisible has been criticized in the past for publishing a guide online that instructed activists on how to pressure members of Congress.

Lauding the Democratic Party, Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist for the left-wing think tank Public Citizen, said, “As long as it remains legal, Democrats will tap into dark money, which you obviously are seeing.”

Democrats, including Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), have also criticized dark money, but bipartisan support on legislation requiring groups to disclose donors giving over $10,000 in an election cycle has not been achieved.

In 2021, the Berger Action Fund granted $72.71 million to 12 groups for “pro-conservation and social welfare advocacy.” The fund does not endorse political candidates, and it has strict policies prohibiting its funding from being used for get-out-the-vote activities, voter registration, or supporting or opposing candidates or political parties.