The Gates Foundation has quietly cut ties with a major left-wing dark money operation linked to the Democratic Party. The New York Times revealed this development on Tuesday, highlighting how even billionaire-backed institutions are distancing themselves from progressive power players. This decision comes amid growing turmoil for Democrats, who are hemorrhaging support and facing a political landscape increasingly hostile to their agenda.
The foundation’s internal announcement on June 24, obtained by the Times, confirms the halt in grants to nonprofit funds run by Arabella Advisors. According to the report, the memo avoided any direct mention of politics, but the implications are clear for anyone watching the left’s financial web unravel.
Instead, Gates officials cited a desire to forge “deeper” connections with their partners. “Teams are increasingly working directly with programmatic partners — organizations that are deeply embedded in the communities we serve and closely aligned with our mission,” the internal announcement states, according to the NYT. “As we look ahead, this is a chance to build deeper, more durable relationships with those partners — and to reinforce the kind of legacy we want to leave behind.”
Arabella Advisors oversees a sprawling network of dark money funds that channel hundreds of millions in hard-to-track dollars to far-left groups and causes. In 2022 alone, the organization raked in over $1 billion, funneling massive sums into progressive activism across the country, as reported by the Daily Caller News Foundation last November.
This shadowy operation has long served as a cash pipeline for Democratic-aligned efforts, propping up everything from environmental extremism to voter mobilization in swing states. With the Gates Foundation pulling out, it raises questions about the sustainability of these leftist ventures as big donors reassess their commitments in a changing political climate.
The Gates Foundation described the split as “a business decision that reflects our regular strategic assessments of partnerships and operating models” in a statement to the Times. This pragmatic pivot suggests even globalist philanthropists like Bill Gates are wary of being too entangled with failing progressive networks.
The announcement also specified no new investments with “Arabella-related entities,” including the Redstone Strategy Group, which Arabella acquired in 2023. Furthermore, the foundation plans to avoid extending current grants and seeks “early exits” from some long-term commitments, per the Times report.
Arabella’s roots trace back to 2005, when it was founded by Eric Kessler, a Clinton administration alum and former staffer at the National Democratic Institute and the League of Conservation Voters. The LCV, a radical environmental group, has relentlessly opposed the Trump administration and funneled money through its super PAC to boost Democratic candidates.
In 2022, Arabella-managed groups dumped over $4 million into voter registration and engagement outfits in key battleground states, demonstrating their role as a Democratic election machine. This kind of behind-the-scenes maneuvering has fueled suspicions of undue influence in American politics.
Billionaire Elon Musk called out Arabella in March, accusing its groups and the Democratic fundraising giant ActBlue of forming a “left-wing NGO cabal” that coordinated and funded anti-Tesla protests. Musk has repeatedly demanded investigations into Arabella’s operations, as noted by the Times.
Five anonymous sources told the Times that some Arabella clients, fearing probes under President Donald Trump, have explored ways to reduce reliance on the firm’s services this year.
This Gates pullback arrives as Democrats grapple with a rapid erosion of their political standing in 2025. Following their devastating 2024 defeat to Trump, the party’s favorability has plunged to record lows, with one CNN poll in March pegging it at an all-time bottom. Voters are fleeing in droves, with widespread registration shifts favoring Republicans across nearly every state.
Recent data from The New York Times analysis shows Democrats suffering voter registration declines in 30 states and D.C., a historic setback that weakens their base ahead of future elections. Polls indicate the party’s approval rating has hit its lowest point in over three decades, with one Wall Street Journal survey marking a 30-year nadir. This collapse stems from failed policies on inflation, border security, and crime that alienated working-class Americans.
Internal divisions are accelerating the Democrats’ downfall, with progressives clashing against moderates over issues like transgender sports and endless foreign aid to Ukraine. An AP-NORC poll in May found party members deeply pessimistic about their future, signaling a loss of enthusiasm even among core supporters. Meanwhile, Republicans have surged in party affiliation, overtaking Democrats in Gallup’s second-quarter 2025 tracking before a slight rebound that still leaves the left vulnerable.
The exodus includes key demographics like Hispanics and Black voters shifting rightward, frustrated by economic hardships and cultural overreach. X posts from influencers highlight how over 4.5 million former Democrats have switched parties since 2024, boosting GOP ranks by 30 percent in some estimates. As Trump’s policies deliver results, the Democratic brand has become toxic, with approval among their own congressional members dipping into negative territory for the first time. This Gates defection is just the latest blow, proving the left’s empire is crumbling under the weight of its own excesses.
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