The Tides Foundation provided the Southern Poverty Law Center with more than $1 million in grants between 2018 and 2022, according to analysis of IRS Form 990 filings. Tides operates as one of the largest progressive pass-through funders in the United States, using donor-advised funds that allow original donors to remain anonymous.
The SPLC is currently under federal indictment on fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering charges filed April 21, 2026.
Congressional lobbying disclosures show that the Tides Network retained The Raben Group beginning April 9, 2025 to lobby on "issues related to intermediary organizations." This was Tides Network's first-ever federal lobbying engagement.
The lobbying contract came as Congressional Republicans launched multiple investigations targeting nonprofit intermediaries. The Raben Group was founded by Robert Raben, a former Assistant Attorney General, and operates as a primary lobbying firm for progressive causes in Washington.
Tides functions as a financial pass-through between major donors and advocacy organizations — including the SPLC — while simultaneously retaining professional lobbying infrastructure to protect that pass-through model from congressional oversight. Both connections are documented in public record.