An elite liberal donor group that has given away more than $500 million is now considering funding the Black Lives Matter movement, Politico reports. Activist leaders of groups like the Black Youth Project 100, The Center for Popular Democracy, and the Black Civic Engagement Fund will be featured guests at a Tuesday fundraising dinner of The Democracy Alliance.

Although the civil rights messages of Black Lives Matter fall in line with the values of the Democracy Alliance, some question if the group's confrontational activism, such as shutting down freeways, might alienate the rich donors. DA President Gara LaMarche, for one, admits it might be an issue — but he isn't too worried: "We have a wide range of human beings and different temperaments and approaches in the DA, so it's quite possible that there are people who are a little concerned, as well as people who are curious or are supportive... we'll take stock of that and see where it might lead."

While funding could mean a significant boost toward building a more cohesive architecture for the Black Lives Matter movement, some activists value the group's independence over the allure of big money. And although the Democracy Alliance is left-leaning and separate from the Democratic Party, there's the additional problem of Black Lives Matter activists asking inconvenient questions of presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

Still, that doesn't deter everyone. "The progressive donor world should be adding zeroes to their contributions that support this transformative movement," Steve Phillips, a Democracy Alliance contributor, said. 

Source: The Week