DonorsTrust

IntermediaryDark Money ConduitDormant activityCross-state operator

Donor-advised fund; obscures the original source of grants

Alexandria, VAFirst tracked January 20, 2007

Donor-advised fund that severs the link between original donor and grantee on the 990. Nine of the eleven NYS front groups in this network show DonorsTrust as their largest single disclosed grant.

Fossil incumbentsFree-market absolutists

Recommended engagement strategy

Upstream targeting. Brief business press and the funder's own commercial counterparties, not the town board.

Dark Money Conduit profile: Never appears locally. Upstream exposure to funders' own stakeholders is the lever.

Open counter-measure playbook

Hearing appearances

Never appears locally

Counties active

Orange, Albany

Projects opposed

Solar & storage dockets

Funding received

$5.4M

2 traced inbound edges

Funding given

$5.1M

4 traced outbound edges

Arguments logged

Top: Ratepayer Cost

Where They OperateCounties with a tracked filing, appearance, or monitored channel, and the specific project dockets involved.Counties with a tracked filing, appearance, or monitored channel, and the specific project dockets involved.

Counties

Orange15 ev.
Albany6 ev.
Dutchess8 ev.
Chautauqua8 ev.

Project dockets

Goshen Ridge SolarOrange Co.NO DOSSIER
Milan SolarDutchess Co.NO DOSSIER
Silver Creek SolarChautauqua Co.

View on county map

What They Arguein funded materialsArgument classification from filings, testimony transcripts, and monitored posts. Counts are statements, not documents.Argument classification from filings, testimony transcripts, and monitored posts. Counts are statements, not documents.

Ratepayer Cost5 · 35.7%
Home Rule / Preemption4 · 28.6%
Property Value Claims3 · 21.4%
Other / Unknown2 · 14.3%

Most-repeated claim

“Ratepayers absorb the cost and the town inherits the cleanup.”

Who They FundTraced grants, dues, contractor payments, and campaign contributions. Amounts come from 990 filings, grant letters, and NYS BOE data.Traced grants, dues, contractor payments, and campaign contributions. Amounts come from 990 filings, grant letters, and NYS BOE data.

Inbound

Outbound

Open in funding network

Activity Log7 entriesChronological record assembled from hearing minutes, local law filings, 990 disclosures, and monitored channels.Chronological record assembled from hearing minutes, local law filings, 990 disclosures, and monitored channels.

Grant tranche releasedMay 28, 2025Second tranche released to an affiliate active against Goshen Ridge Solar; no NYS registration on file.
Donor-advised transferMay 21, 2025Transfer recorded through a donor-advised vehicle; the original contributor is not disclosed anywhere on the 990.
Affiliate spend reportedMay 9, 2025Affiliate reported Orange County field spending drawn from this grant cycle.
Model legislation fundedApr 24, 2025Grant cycle funded the model setback text now circulating in Orange and Albany counties.
990 filing reviewedApr 2, 2025Amended Form 990 discloses new grants tied to Orange County activity; original donor not named.
Grant agreement tracedMar 18, 2025Grant letter matched to a local committee active on Goshen Ridge Solar; purpose listed as “public education”.
First tracked activityJan 20, 2007Entered the monitor via a Orange County record referencing Milan Solar.

Aliases & AffiliationsAlternate names seen in filings and the organizations this actor is formally or functionally tied to.Alternate names seen in filings and the organizations this actor is formally or functionally tied to.

Known aliases and filing names

Donors Capital Fund

Affiliations

State Policy Network
Empire Center for Public Policy

Network position

Classified as a intermediary in the three-tier model, with 6 traced funding edges.