A Virginia-based charity that facilitated donations to the Catholic Diocese of Spokane and the local chapter of the Salvation Army in 2020 also handled funds that were given to groups espousing white nationalist views and one group that helped organize a rally before the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
That might explain why groups such as DonorsTrust handle donations for churches and other civic organizations, said Travis Ridout, the Thomas S. Foley Distinguished Professor of Government and Public Policy at Washington State University who studies political giving and spending.
“I didn’t find it particularly surprising,” Ridout said of DonorsTrust’s activity. “These groups that are involved in politics, if they want to remain dark money groups and keep that tax-exempt status, they have to at least pretend that really their primary purpose isn’t political, and may donate to nonpolitical groups as well as the political groups.”