A cadre of campaign organizations is lining up to fuel President Joe Biden’s reelection bid. Among them, a pivotal player looms large: Future Forward, or FF PAC, which garners robust financial support from its affiliated nonprofit group, Future Forward Action USA—both entities sharing a leadership team and nomenclature.
The power of this organization is evident in the numbers. A look at the FF PAC’s latest filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) reveals that it accumulated a formidable $25.3 million in 2023. Roughly a third of those funds, amounting to about $8.3 million, originated from Future Forward Action USA, showcasing the nonprofit’s pivotal role in buttressing FF PAC’s financial arsenal.
These dynamics aren’t new. Flash back to the 2020 elections, where the combatants were then-Vice President Joe Biden and incumbent President Donald Trump, and here too we find Future Forward Action USA playing a significant role in the financial underpinnings of FF PAC. An astonishing $61 million was transferred from the former to the latter between 2019 and 2020, accounting for nearly 40 percent of FF PAC’s revenue for that election cycle.
The synergy continued through the 2022 midterm elections—with Future Forward Action USA directing approximately $16.3 million to FF PAC, representing over half of the PAC’s total fundraising in that period.
Operating as a 501(c)(4), the Internal Revenue Service categorizes Future Forward Action USA under “social welfare organizations,” a designation that generally precludes these entities from central political activities. Nevertheless, the provision does permit engagement in politics, provided such endeavors are not the organization’s primary activity.
Amidst these intricacies sits the hybrid PAC, FF PAC, distinguished by its ability to solicit and accept contributions sans limits from a diverse roster encompassing individuals, corporations, labor unions and other committees. Dual bank accounts maintained by the PAC distinguish its functions: one dedicated to independent expenditure on campaign activities like advertisements and voter mobilization; and the other catering to direct donations to candidates.
Contrasts in transparency are stark when comparing this duo with other politically fiscal entities. While Future Forward USA Action, benefiting from a 501(c)(4) status, is not mandated to divulge donor details or contribution ceilings, FF PAC and committees directly linked to President Biden must practice periodic public disclosures of their financial dealings.
Under the watchful eye of the FEC, an election year intensifies scrutiny and necessitates monthly reporting on contributions, expenditures, and overall financial health of these funds, as well as the candidates these finances support or oppose.
The impact of such financial mechanisms is not to be underestimated. During the 2020 elections, FF PAC channeled approximately $74 million in support of Biden, while investing about $54.4 million to counter President Trump’s campaign. More recently, in 2022, FF PAC played a pivotal role in opposing Mehmet Oz’s bid in Pennsylvania and bolstering now-Senator John Fetterman’s campaign—echoes of its extensive influence in politics.