NAR’s nonprofit organization funds conservative groups
Everyone knows the National Association of Real Estate Agents(NAR) political action committee, but few are aware of the affiliated nonprofit organization American Property Owners Alliance.
While NAR’s PAC supports political candidates whose beliefs and goals align with those of the trade group and its spending is almost completely bipartisan, NAR’s affiliated nonprofit, the American Property Owners Alliance, is a different story.
The American Property Owners Alliance, which was formed by NAR in 2020 and is funded solely by the trade group, appears to be focusing its support on Republican-backed causes.
An examination of nonprofit tax records shows this The New York Times found that the group handed out $12.8 million in grants in its first four years of existence, with nearly $10 million of that going to Republican super PACs and groups with conservative agendas.
Of the groups that received grants, only Republicans had signed on Americans for Tax Reformwhich received $25,000, identifies promoting housing or property rights as one of its goals.
According to the New York Times analysis, this pattern of donations appears to be politically motivated and not aligned with the American Property Owners Alliance’s mission to advocate for “the rights of all property owners.” By going against its mission, the nonprofit could potentially attract unwanted attention from the Domestic Tax Authorities.
In a statement to the New York Times, the American Property Owners Alliance wrote that it “has acted in a manner consistent with that of a Section 501(c)(4) advocacy organization,” and that the grants it awards “are its own promote APOA’s agenda. and while not direct program activities, they advance the interests of property owners and their rights.”
To date, the largest grant recipient is One Nation, having received $7 million in grants from the American Property Owners Alliance.
One Nation is a so-called dark money groupwhich uses dollars to influence elections and regularly contributes to the Senate Leadership Fund, the largest super PAC for Senate Republicans.
Other groups that have received grants from the American Property Owners Alliance include the Douglass Leadership Institute, a Christian group focused on, among other things, reducing the number of abortions and abortion providers in the black community; the American Unity Fund, a Republican-leaning LGBTQ advocacy group that supports same-sex marriage; and the American Action Network, a Republican advocacy group founded by former Senator Norm Coleman, a Minnesota Republican, and Fred Malek, who served as an adviser to President Richard Nixon and President George HW Bush.
Despite the hefty donations to Republican causes, the American Property Owners Alliance has also given roughly $3 million to this project Housing majority forwarda major contributor to the House Democratic Majority PAC, and a top super PAC for Democrats. The National Black Empowerment Council also received a small subsidy. The nonpartisan group cites closing the wealth gap between Black Americans and other groups as its main goal.
In addition to their findings on the American Property Owners Alliance, the Times investigation also found that Walt Witek, NAR’s former senior vice president of community and political affairs, was fired from his position in 2018 over his opposition to the creation of this branch. non-profit organization.
The idea for the American Property Owners Alliance came from Bill Malkasian, the founder of the American Property Owners Alliance Wisconsin Homeowners Alliance in 2005, while serving as CEO of the Wisconsin Association of Realtors. Much of the nonprofit’s funding has gone to supporting conservative groups, according to tax records. When he started working as NAR’s vice president for political strategic planning in 2011, Malkasian brought his idea to the national trade group.
“He wanted to use soft money and make it really dark. He didn’t want the real estate agent’s name on it,” Witek told the Times of Malkasian’s plan. “He wanted to make it untraceable.”
Malkasian became the first executive director of the American Property Owners Alliance, but retired in 2020. However, he is still on NAR’s payroll as a “former officer.”
A previous Times investigation found that NAR executives and leaders enjoy lavish benefits unmatched by other industry trade groups.
NAR did not return a request for comment.
