Future Forward USA Action

Future Forward USA Action is the dark money 501(c)(4) counterpart to the Future Forward PAC, which together formed the single largest outside spending operation supporting Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in 2024. While the super PAC side discloses donors — revealing contributions from LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, cryptocurrency billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried (before his fraud conviction), and other Silicon Valley elites — the 501(c)(4) arm keeps its donors completely anonymous. The organization was co-founded by Chauncey McLean, a veteran Democratic operative who previously worked at Priorities USA, and operates out of a nondescript office arrangement with minimal public footprint. Future Forward USA Action uses a sophisticated digital-first advertising strategy, spending hundreds of millions on targeted social media ads, streaming platform placements, and programmatic digital buys. In the 2024 cycle, the organization reportedly raised over $700 million across both entities, with at least $150 million flowing through the dark money arm. The 501(c)(4) structure allows it to run issue ads that function as de facto campaign advertising without triggering donor disclosure requirements. The group has been criticized by campaign finance reformers on both sides for its opacity — the very same Democrats who decry Citizens United and dark money have built one of the most effective dark money machines in American politics. The organization uses donor-advised funds and intermediary LLCs to further obscure the source of contributions, and its tax filings reveal grants from other progressive nonprofits that themselves do not disclose donors, creating a Russian nesting doll of anonymity. Future Forward USA Action has also been linked to the Arabella Advisors network through shared vendors and consultants, though direct financial connections are difficult to trace. The group spent heavily on abortion rights messaging, democracy protection themes, and anti-MAGA advertising in swing states, particularly Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia.