Three previously unknown donors gave $26 million to Trump-aligned dark money group

An Issue One examination of tax filings has revealed three previously unknown donors who gave more than $26 million to Securing American Greatness, a dark money group that supported President Donald Trump’s election in 2024 and has since helped advance his policy agenda. One of these donors is connected to the cryptocurrency industry while the other two are dark money groups that do not disclose their donors.

“Dark money groups like Securing American Greatness allow wealthy donors and special interests to buy influence with politicians through huge contributions and to do so anonymously,” said Issue One Director of Money in Politics Reform Michael Beckel. “When money flows into secretive dark money groups from other secretive dark money groups, the public is left with no meaningful information whatsoever regarding who is working behind the scenes to influence elections and gain favorable policy outcomes. It’s long past time for these shell games to stop and for the public to be able to fully and transparently follow the money in politics.”

Securing American Greatness was launched in March 2024 by Trump allies including Taylor Budowich — who, for most of last year, worked in Trump’s White House as deputy chief of staff. It raised $275 million in 2024, as previously reported by news outlets including Bloomberg and the New York Times. This massive war chest was bankrolled by fewer than 100 donors and donor organizations, which each gave sums ranging in size from $2,500 to $35 million.

Three of those previously unknown donors, Issue One has learned, are the American Prosperity Alliance (which gave $17 million), MAGA Action Inc. (which gave approximately $7.7 million), and the Bitcoin Advocacy Project (which gave $2 million).

The Bitcoin Advocacy Project formed in 2022 to educate lawmakers and the public about the cryptocurrency Bitcoin and grow a pro-crypto coalition of voters. The American Prosperity Alliance and MAGA Action Inc. are both Trump-aligned conservative advocacy organizations that also formed in 2022. As nonprofits registered under Sec. 501(c)(4) of the tax code, they are not required to disclose their donors. Like Securing American Greatness, MAGA Action Inc. was also founded by Taylor Budowich.

The only other known donor to Securing American Greatness is telecommunications company Qualcomm, which voluntarily reported that it gave $1 million sometime between September 30, 2024, and March 30, 2025, as first reported by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).

Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Securing American Greatness invested more than $67 million into pro-Trump super PACs, including more than $52 million into the Make America Great Again Inc super PAC, a sum that represented about $1 of every $8 the super PAC raised.

Securing American Greatness also gave Trump’s Make America Great Again Inc super PAC $21.25 million last year, representing about $1 in every $14 the super PAC raised in 2025.