LNC Board Member Ford's Non-Profit Receives Money from Libertarian Party Kennedy Fundraising Agreement

PAC moves money from joint fundraising committee to Ford's non-profit. PAC receives no other contributions. Reports doing no political activity.

On July 11, 2024, the Libertarian National Committee (LNC) authorized the party to enter into a legally questionable joint fundraising agreement (Kennedy Victory Fund) with the Robert Kennedy Presidential campaign who was not the party’s Presidential nominee.

Marketplace.org has an article that explains in greater detail how joint fundraising committees work.

You can think of them sort of as umbrella organizations. They can include a candidate’s committee, a PAC, national party committees, state party committees, convention committees — the list goes on. But the key thing is that while each of these groups has a limit to how much one person can donate to them, when they connect under that umbrella of the joint fundraising committee, they can combine all those limits together and ask donors for one big check.

Board member Pat Ford voted in favor of entering the party into the questionable joint fundraising agreement that his non-profit would soon financially benefit from.

In June 2024, a nonprofit “Libertarian Mutual Aid, Inc” was established in Rhode Island with Ford listed as a Director.

On August 12, 2024, Ford files a statement of organization with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) forming the Libertarian Mutual Aid PAC.

On September 6, 2024, the Kennedy Victory Fund adds an additional group of participants including the Libertarian Mutual Aid PAC.

In August 2024, according to FEC reports, the joint fundraising committee made $46,700 in payments to the Libertarian Mutual Aid PAC. The joint fundraising agreement dictates that 90% of the money paid from the joint fundraising committee to the PAC must go back to the LNC.

The PAC lists $30,690 as debt owed back to the LNC and paid $11,340 back in the month of August. This would leave a little under $5,000 for the PAC.

The PAC moved $3,250 to Libertarian Mutual Aid, Inc listed at the same address that Ford is listed at on the state of Rhode Island filings. The PAC had no other expenditures and no other contributions other than the Kennedy Victory Fund.

From October to November, the PAC brought in an additional $13,600 from the joint fundraising committee. They listed $12,240 as debt owed to the LNC and sent the $30,690 to the LNC.

Several small “contributions” were made to Libertarian Mutal Aid totaling $3,225. Other than money flowing in from the Kenedy Victory Fund to the PAC, no contributions were made and they made no other expenditures.

It is my understanding that a nonprofit cannot legally participate in a joint fundraising committee in which money flows back to a political party.

According to the FEC:

Incorporated charitable organizations—like other corporations—are prohibited from making contributions in connection with federal elections. Unlike most other corporations, charities face additional restrictions on political activity under provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.

The Libertarian Mutual Aid PAC has received two letters from the FEC for their failure to file the end of the year report and their late filing of their post-general election report which showed the last payments made in October and November.

We do not know if Ford earns a salary from Libertarian Mutual Aid, Inc, but it might be a question other board members might consider asking. They may also want to find out if it influenced his vote for the joint fundraising committee or if he was given the idea to pay his non-profit from the joint fundraising committee by someone else.