ProPublica bills itself as an “independent, nonprofit newsroom” willing to “dig deep into important issues, shining a light on abuses of power and betrayals of public trust.”
But a Washington Reporter review of ProPublica’s records shows that the outlet has been bankrolled by major Democratic donors since its beginning, and its board currently includes a prominent Maine Democratic fundraiser, while the outlet is used by Democratic groups to attack Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine).
Bobby Monks, a Maine real estate developer, sits on ProPublica’s board of directors, the Washington Reporter previously reported. Monks has worked as a fundraiser for top Democrats, including for President Barack Obama and for other Senate candidates who have challenged Collins.
ProPublica says its donors and board members have no control over its journalism, but its financial records show that many of its top donors have themselves spent many years and thousands of dollars financing Democratic candidates and progressive organizations in addition to supporting ProPublica itself.
ProPublica was founded by Herbert and Marion Sandler, a billionaire banking couple whose foundation provided nearly all the money needed to launch the non-profit newsroom in 2007. The Sandler Foundation initially pledged $10 million a year for the outlet’s first three years and supplied 93 percent of its funding in its first year.
The family’s foundation remains a major source of money for the organization. Its 2025 tax filings show a $6 million grant to ProPublica, and the news site’s latest annual report lists the foundation as being among its “leading supporters,” according to a Reporter analysis. The Sandler Foundation has also donated extensively to progressive groups, including the Sierra Club and EarthJustice.
Susan Sandler, daughter of Herbert and Marion Sandler, took over the Sandler Foundation following the deaths of her parents in 2019 and 2012, respectively. Before her own death in 2022, Susan Sandler served as a co-chair of the foundation and was described as the “largest and earliest individual funder” of Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.
Susan Sandler later helped bankroll the political careers of Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, and Stacey Abrams. Sandler, an advocate for “educational equity” and “racial justice,” sat on the board of Democracy Alliance, a fundraising group George Soros helped to found that now boasts that its network has put more than $2 billion toward progressive causes and infrastructure.
Another top ProPublica supporter, Stephen Silberstein, also has a record of financing progressive organizations. ProPublica’s latest annual report lists Silberstein among its leading supporters, while records from his foundation show repeated six-figure grants to ProPublica. Silberstein has also donated to Democratic political organizations, including a $250,000 contribution to the Democrat-aligned Majority Action and $10,000 to the Democratic Treasures Association, a group that works to elect Democratic state treasurers.
ProPublica also works with several Maine news outlets. Its 2025 annual report lists both the Bangor Daily News and The Maine Monitor as being among its publishing partners. The Maine Monitor has been labeled a “Lean Left” outlet and has faced criticism from conservative outlet Maine Wire over the Monitor’s negative portrayal of homeschool students and for its refusal to cover Somali fraud in the state.
“ProPublica’s newsroom operates with fierce independence,” a ProPublica spokesperson told the Reporter. “Our investigations aren’t driven by partisan or ideological agendas. No donors or board members are made aware of stories before they are published. They do not have a say as to which organizations we partner with or which stories we pursue. They see our stories when the public sees them. We receive philanthropic support from donors of every political stripe. More than 90,000 people actively fund our investigative, nonpartisan journalism.”
But a GOP strategist told the Reporter the outlet’s claims to nonpartisan journalism is not authentic.
“It’s laughable,” a GOP strategist told the Reporter. “They’ve become the definition of partisan and agenda-driven journalism.”
