How CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin’s family foundation became a major funder of left-wing activist groups

CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin (left) and CodePink activists protest during a rally in Washington, D.C.(right).�s family foundation, Arc of Justice, provided nearly $3.2 million to CodePink since 2009 while also funding dozens of other activist organizations.(Left: Mattie Neretin/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect;Right: Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Arc of Justice has come under scrutiny afterCalifornia revoked its charitable registrationfollowing years of financial compliance failures, though the foundation has been working to regain its standing with California regulators.

Benjamin, who co-founded CodePink with Singham’s wife Jodie Evans, has remained one of the group’s most visible public faces, frequently leading protests and interrupting congressional hearings.On Tuesday, she was escorted from aHouse Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearingon alleged foreign malign influence after protesting during the proceedings.

Following the money

Arc of Justice began funding CodePink in 2009 and provided grants to the organization in 15 tax years through 2024, totaling $3,195,280.

According to the documents, CodePink was Arc of Justice’s largest activist beneficiary.Since 2009, the foundation and its predecessor, The Benjamin Fund, also directed about $2.05 million to Global Exchange, the anti-war and social justice advocacy group Benjamin co-founded with her former husband, Kevin Danaher, which has long campaigned against U.S.military intervention and economic sanctions.

Arc of Justice also provided about $2.24 million to Grassroots International, which funds grassroots social movements around the world;$1.61 million to Social Good Fund, which provides nonprofit infrastructure and fundraising support for charitable projects;about $1.29 million to the Center for Constitutional Rights, a legal advocacy organization;and about $114,000 to Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ), an activist nonprofit.

AFGJ has drawn scrutiny over its past fiscal sponsorship of Samidoun, a pro-Palestinian activist group later sanctioned by the U.S.Treasury.Benjamin said Arc’s final grant to Alliance for Global Justice was $10,000 in 2022 and that the foundation “was not aware of any specific groups fiscally sponsored by AFGJ” when it made its grants.

Through attorney David Levitt, the foundation said both CodePink and Alliance for Global Justice were recognized by the IRS as tax-exempt public charities and that Arc was entitled to rely on that status when making its grants.

The grantmaking reached across a much broader activist network.It also gave $110,000 to Grassroots Global Justice and about $90,000 to the Center for Popular Democracy.

IRS filings also show Arc of Justice and its predecessor provided about $65,500 to Democracy Now!since 2009, whereBenjamin has frequently appearedas a guest over the years.

WATCH: CodePink activists questioned on motives ahead of foreign influence hearing

From funding to activism

Founded in 2002 with the aim of preventing the Iraq War, CodePink has grown into one of the country’s most visible anti-war protest groups, repeatedly disrupting congressional hearings and protests involving senior U.S.officials, including then-Secretaries of State John Kerry and Mike Pompeo.The group has also participated innationwide No Kings protests, opposed ICE enforcement actions, organized anti-Israel rallies and campaigned against U.S.policy toward China, Cuba and Iran.Earlier this year, CodePink led a delegation to Cuba that included Twitch political streamerHasan Piker.

Asked about Arc’s long-term funding of CodePink and other activist organizations, Matthew Johnson, a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, said sustained financial support can have an impact well beyond the dollar amounts involved.

“Small amounts of money can actually go a long way toward impacting the broader media ecosystem… from the perspective of political organization, they may be having an outsized impact on the kind of information that is available to Americans,�

Johnson, who testified before Congress Tuesday about how foreign adversaries may use nonprofits and other organizations to shape U.S.public opinion and policy, told lawmakers that CodePink launched its “China Is Not Our Enemy” campaign in 2020 following meetings in Beijing and has since pursued China-focused advocacy and organized travel.The campaign argued the United States should pursue cooperation with Beijing rather than confrontation.CodePink and Benjamin have denied taking direction from the Chinese government.