Full Breakdown
Teachers Unions’ Decade-Long Political Spending Revealed
By Drooid · · How we work
In this breakdown
01
Core Findings of the NAVI Report
An investigation by the North American Values Institute (NAVI), a nonprofit that monitors ideological activism in education, determined that the two largest U.S. teachers’ unions allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to political activity, lobbying and progressive advocacy between fiscal years 2016 and 2025. NAVI calculated that the National Education Association (NEA) spent at least $547 million on such efforts, while the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) reported $383 million over the same period.
02
Background on the Unions and the Watchdog
The NEA, with more than three million members, is the nation’s largest teachers’ union. The AFT ranks second in membership. NAVI, which tracks financial disclosures of education-related organizations, obtained the unions’ Form LM-2 tax filings and other public records to compile its analysis.
Visual evidence
Images from the story
03
Financial Breakdown
- NEA: $458.9 million was filed as political activity and lobbying; an additional $88.2 million went directly to progressive advocacy groups. The union’s super-PAC, the NEA Advocacy Fund, received $116.9 million, and intermediary entities such as the State Engagement Fund, Strategic Victory Fund and State Victory Fund LLC together obtained $80.2 million.
- AFT: Of $331.95 million in itemized political payments, $123.35 million went to outside political organizations and committees, $179.99 million to affiliates and internal accounts, and $28.6 million to vendors and consultants. Four national partisan political committees received a combined $45.7 million. Specific campaign expenditures included roughly $1 million each for an Ohio redistricting measure, Oregon’s Measure 97, California’s Proposition 15, and $1.125 million across Wisconsin Supreme Court election cycles.
- International Funding: Both unions allocated more than $30 million to Education International, a global federation that includes the General Union of Palestinian Teachers, which NAVI describes as affiliated with the Palestine Liberation Organization.
04
Official Responses
NAVI spokespersons provided the numerical details and highlighted the difficulty union members face in tracking money routed through intermediaries. Neither the NEA nor the AFT responded to requests for comment.
05
Implications for Union Members
The report underscores the scale of political spending by the nation’s largest teachers’ unions and raises questions about transparency for dues-paying members, who may find it challenging to discern how contributions are allocated across domestic policy campaigns and international affiliations.