NEA Financial Records Show Millions Directed to Progressive Organizations

In a significant financial disclosure, the National Education Association (NEA) has channeled millions of dollars to progressive organizations, political initiatives, and social justice groups, according to federal labor filings released in November.

The document, obtained by the North American Values Institute (NAVI), details the teachers union’s fiscal year 2024 expenditures, revealing substantial financial support for various left-leaning causes. The NEA, which represents more than 3 million educators nationwide, directed $300,000 to the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a prominent liberal dark money organization that has drawn scrutiny for its political activities.

Additionally, tens of thousands of dollars were allocated to the Tides Foundation network, an organization previously linked to anti-Israel protests and various progressive causes. Among the most substantial outlays was $3.5 million sent to Education International, a global teachers federation where NEA President Becky Pringle serves as vice president.

The financial records also show the union’s active involvement in ballot initiatives across multiple states. The NEA contributed $500,000 to support a campaign opposing standardized testing in Massachusetts and another $500,000 to back an anti-gerrymandering amendment in Ohio. Nearly $500,000 went to a progressive political consulting firm specializing in ballot initiatives and voter outreach.

Beyond electoral politics, the teachers union directed significant funding toward diversity and social justice programs. This included more than $166,000 to Imagine Us LLC, a consulting firm focused on racial equity training, and substantial contributions to organizations promoting what they describe as “social justice education” – curriculum materials centered on race, gender identity, and activism in K-12 classrooms.

The NEA also allocated $350,000 to the Schott Foundation, which identifies itself as “a BIPOC-led public fund that pools philanthropic funding and fuels racial and education justice movements.”

This pattern of spending has drawn criticism from education watchdog groups, who argue that the union has strayed from its core mission of representing teachers’ workplace interests. Mika Hackner, Director of Research at NAVI, characterized the financial disclosures as evidence of “social justice unionism.”

“Instead of focusing on members’ working conditions, unions spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on pet political projects completely divorced from the needs and wants of most teachers but perfectly in line with the political agenda the union has been co-opted to serve,” Hackner told reporters.

This isn’t the first time the NEA has faced scrutiny for its political activities. Last November, documents emerged showing the union providing guidance to members on workplace gender transitions, including best practices for using gender pronouns and addressing transphobia. Those materials also reportedly characterized conservative opposition as “villains.”

Erika Sanzi, senior director of communications for Defending Education, previously suggested that the NEA’s federal charter should be reconsidered in light of its political activities. “Their federal charter was granted because they promised to ‘elevate the character and advance the interests of the profession of teaching; and to promote the cause of education in the United States,'” Sanzi stated. She argued that the organization “has morphed into a far-left insane asylum that is actively destroying the cause of education.”

The NEA’s financial disclosures come at a time of heightened scrutiny over the role of teachers unions in American education, particularly regarding curriculum content and political advocacy. Critics contend that such spending diverts attention and resources from educational improvement and teacher support, while defenders maintain that social justice issues are inseparable from educational equity.

The union did not respond to requests for comment on the financial disclosures or the criticisms of its spending priorities.

As the second-largest labor union in the United States, the NEA’s financial decisions carry significant weight in both educational policy and national politics, making these disclosures particularly noteworthy for education stakeholders, policymakers, and the public.