{"entity":{"id":29190,"slug":"protect-progress-pac","name":"Protect Progress","type":"institution","role":"Democratic-aligned affiliate of the Fairshake super-PAC network","description":"Protect Progress is the Democratic-leaning affiliate of Fairshake, used to channel crypto-industry money into Democratic primaries and general elections without reciprocal partisan branding on the parent PAC.","imageUrl":null,"createdAt":"2026-05-03T02:04:32.382Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-18T09:05:40.417Z"},"electedOffice":null,"significance":{"score":10,"components":{"totalFindings":0,"connectionDegree":8,"recentFindings90d":0,"activeResearchJobs":0,"goblinAttributions":1,"recentSyntheses90d":0,"moneyFlowChainsTotal":1,"closedLoopMemberships":0,"moneyFlowHopsRecent90d":0},"computedAt":"2026-10-15T01:32:54.708Z"},"facts":[{"id":41364,"text":"The Fairshake network, including Protect Progress, concentrated over 80% of its 2024-2026 Democratic primary spending on candidates who subsequently co-sponsored the GENIUS Act or voted for the SAB 121 repeal.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":"2026-06-15","source":null},{"id":40146,"text":"Protect Progress received $4,000,000 in transfers from affiliated committees between January 2025 and March 2026, representing the vast majority of its operating capital.","confidence":"primary","dateOccurred":"2026-06-15","source":null},{"id":44992,"text":"Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) was an original co-sponsor of the GENIUS Act (Pub. L. 119-27) and a primary negotiator for the CLARITY Act markup in April 2026.","confidence":"primary","dateOccurred":"2026-04-15","source":null},{"id":44994,"text":"The Fairshake network maintained a centralized treasury under a single common treasurer (Brandon Philipczyk) throughout the Q1 2026 reporting period despite its partitioned partisan branding.","confidence":"primary","dateOccurred":"2026-03-31","source":null},{"id":44993,"text":"On March 20, 2026, the 'Tillis-Alsobrooks Accord' was reached in the Senate Banking Committee to carve out 'activity-based rewards' as a permitted stablecoin revenue model, a standard favored by major U.S. exchanges.","confidence":"primary","dateOccurred":"2026-03-20","source":null},{"id":41363,"text":"Protect Progress utilized the same strategic consulting network in 2025 as the parent Fairshake PAC to manage $4.2M in 'candidate education' transfers, masking the specific policy benchmarks required for funding.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":"2025-06-15","source":null},{"id":40147,"text":"The treasurer for Protect Progress, Brandon Philipczyk, serves the same role for the parent Fairshake PAC and the GOP-aligned Defend American Jobs, centralizing the accounting of the entire $190M+ network.","confidence":"primary","dateOccurred":"2025-06-15","source":null},{"id":48413,"text":"Tech billionaire Ron Conway, a $500,000 donor to the Fairshake network, was not informed before the network committed $12 million to oppose Sen. Sherrod Brown. In an August 2024 email obtained by Politico, Conway wrote: 'NOT ONE PERSON BOTHERED TO GIVE ME A HEADS UP THAT YOU WERE DOING THIS' and called the decision-making 'short-sighted and stupid.' He subsequently severed ties.","confidence":"primary","dateOccurred":"2024-08-19","source":null},{"id":48412,"text":"CoinDesk reported that after months of attempting to ask who is in charge of the Fairshake network and how spending choices are made, representatives of the PAC and its principal funders (Coinbase, Ripple, a16z) declined to answer. CoinDesk's Danny Nelson wrote: 'Nobody wants to say who's in charge, how it works.'","confidence":"primary","dateOccurred":"2024-06-26","source":null},{"id":39672,"text":"Protect Progress's expenditures were concentrated in races where the Democratic primary contained meaningful divergence on crypto-policy positioning.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":"2024-06-15","source":null},{"id":39671,"text":"Protect Progress shares treasurer and operational vendors with the Fairshake parent committee, consistent with affiliated-PAC governance.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":"2024-06-15","source":{"title":"Protect Progress — FEC Committee C00835967 Filings","url":"https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00835967/","publication":"Federal Election Commission"}},{"id":39670,"text":"Protect Progress was a leading outside spender in the 2024 Maryland Democratic Senate primary won by Angela Alsobrooks.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":"2024-06-15","source":{"title":"Fairshake — 2024 Cycle Summary","url":"https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/fairshake/C00835959/summary/2024","publication":"OpenSecrets"}},{"id":39170,"text":"Protect Progress receives the bulk of its funding via transfers from the Fairshake parent PAC, channelling crypto-industry money into Democratic primaries.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":"2024-06-15","source":null},{"id":48411,"text":"The FEC Form 1 for Protect Progress (filed Dec. 14, 2023, amended Sept. 17, 2025) lists Brandon Philipczyk as Treasurer, designates Fairshake (C00835959) as Affiliated Committee, and contains no other disclosure of any individual with strategic decision-making authority. The same is true for the Fairshake and Defend American Jobs Form 1 filings — all list the same treasurer, same address, and same email domain but reveal no governance structure.","confidence":"primary","dateOccurred":"2023-12-14","source":null},{"id":39419,"text":"Protect Progress is registered with the FEC as committee C00835967 and reports under the super-PAC regime.","confidence":"primary","dateOccurred":"2023-06-15","source":{"title":"Protect Progress — FEC Committee C00835967 Filings","url":"https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00835967/","publication":"Federal Election Commission"}},{"id":48414,"text":"Brandon Philipczyk, the sole named treasurer for all three Fairshake network PACs, previously served as Deputy Director of Operations for Hillary for Nevada (2016) and as Regional Organizing Director for Mike Bloomberg's presidential campaign (2020). His consulting firm Bison Strategies, through which he operates the treasurership, is not profiled in any public business directory beyond the FEC filings.","confidence":"secondary","dateOccurred":"2016-2025","source":null},{"id":41020,"text":"Evidence gap: The internal communications between Protect Progress and its principal funders concerning candidate selection criteria during the 2024 cycle are not in the public record.","confidence":"inferential","dateOccurred":null,"source":null},{"id":39675,"text":"Evidence gap: The pass-through accounting tying specific corporate donor wires to Protect Progress's downstream independent expenditures is not separately disclosed.","confidence":"inferential","dateOccurred":null,"source":null},{"id":39422,"text":"Evidence gap: Direct communications between Protect Progress decisionmakers and the Democratic candidates the PAC supported are not in the public record.","confidence":"inferential","dateOccurred":null,"source":null},{"id":39171,"text":"Evidence gap: The strategic decision-making authority over Protect Progress's spending — whether independent or coordinated with Fairshake leadership — has not been disclosed in FEC filings beyond the standard treasurer attestations.","confidence":"inferential","dateOccurred":null,"source":null}],"connections":[{"id":91547,"relationshipType":"financial_support","description":"Protect Progress spent over $4 million in independent expenditures to aid Menefee's primary challenge against Green.","confidence":"confirmed","firstDocumented":null,"lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":128541,"name":"Christian Menefee","slug":"christian-menefee","type":"elected_official"}},{"id":19178,"relationshipType":"potential PAC alignment","description":"Balderson's 7 pro-crypto votes align with Protect Progress, a crypto super PAC supporting blockchain-friendly policies.","confidence":"inferential","firstDocumented":"2024","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":11087,"name":"Troy Balderson","slug":"congress-b001306","type":"person"}},{"id":17962,"relationshipType":"Legislation Co-Sponsor / Accord Partner","description":"Senator Thom Tillis was party to the 'Tillis-Alsobrooks Accord' on stablecoin regulation, which was shaped in the same timeframe as Protect Progress's political spending on supportive candidates.","confidence":"inferential","firstDocumented":"2026","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":9269,"name":"Thom Tillis","slug":"thom-tillis","type":"elected_official"}},{"id":17834,"relationshipType":"affiliation","description":"Protect Progress PAC is another political action committee listed in the known entities; both appear to be active in campaign finance as PACs.","confidence":"inferential","firstDocumented":"2026","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":32316,"name":"Defend American Jobs PAC","slug":"defend-american-jobs","type":"organization"}},{"id":17829,"relationshipType":"alternative_name","description":"The entity 'Protect Progress PAC' shares a name with 'Protect Progress', which appears in the known entities list. This likely refers to the same political action committee.","confidence":"inferential","firstDocumented":"2021","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":32315,"name":"Protect Progress PAC","slug":"protect-progress","type":"organization"}},{"id":17594,"relationshipType":"affiliation","description":"Protect Progress PAC is listed in the known entities; Fairshake-affiliated PACs include Protect Progress PAC.","confidence":"inferential","firstDocumented":"2024","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":1127,"name":"Kirsten Gillibrand","slug":"kirsten-gillibrand","type":"elected_official"}},{"id":16776,"relationshipType":"potential_pac_support","description":"Protect Progress is a crypto-focused PAC; Lummis is the Senate's most public crypto advocate.","confidence":"inferential","firstDocumented":"2026","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":9296,"name":"Cynthia Lummis","slug":"cynthia-lummis","type":"elected_official"}},{"id":17961,"relationshipType":"Parent Committee","description":"Protect Progress is explicitly designated as an affiliated committee of Fairshake PAC on FEC filings, sharing the same treasurer, address, and email domain.","confidence":"primary","firstDocumented":"2023","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":32304,"name":"Fairshake PAC","slug":"fairshake","type":"organization"}},{"id":17540,"relationshipType":"donor","description":"Crypto Super PAC Protect Progress spent approximately $1.5 million on independent expenditures supporting Randall's primary campaign in July 2024.","confidence":"primary","firstDocumented":"2024","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":11192,"name":"Emily Randall","slug":"congress-r000621","type":"person"}},{"id":16591,"relationshipType":"donor","description":"Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) is identified as one of the principal funders of the Fairshake network, which channels money into Protect Progress; representatives declined to answer questions about governance.","confidence":"primary","firstDocumented":"2025","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":120,"name":"Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)","slug":"andreessen-horowitz-a16z","type":"company"}},{"id":16590,"relationshipType":"donor","description":"Ripple is identified as one of the principal funders of the Fairshake network, which channels money into Protect Progress; representatives declined to answer questions about governance.","confidence":"primary","firstDocumented":"2025","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":32318,"name":"Ripple Labs","slug":"ripple","type":"organization"}},{"id":16589,"relationshipType":"donor","description":"Coinbase is identified as one of the principal funders of the Fairshake network, which channels money into Protect Progress; representatives declined to answer questions about governance.","confidence":"primary","firstDocumented":"2025","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":29188,"name":"Coinbase","slug":"coinbase","type":"company"}},{"id":16588,"relationshipType":"opposed candidate","description":"The Fairshake network, including Protect Progress, committed $12 million to oppose Sen. Sherrod Brown in an August 2024 decision that donor Ron Conway was not informed about.","confidence":"primary","firstDocumented":"2024","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":9273,"name":"Sherrod Brown","slug":"sherrod-brown","type":"elected_official"}},{"id":16587,"relationshipType":"policy connection","description":"The Fairshake network, including Protect Progress, concentrated over 80% of its 2024-2026 Democratic primary spending on candidates who subsequently co-sponsored the GENIUS Act or voted for the SAB 121 repeal.","confidence":"primary","firstDocumented":"2024","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":2305,"name":"GENIUS Act","slug":"genius-act","type":"instrument"}},{"id":16586,"relationshipType":"supported candidate","description":"Protect Progress was a leading outside spender in the 2024 Maryland Democratic Senate primary won by Angela Alsobrooks, who later became an original co-sponsor of the GENIUS Act.","confidence":"primary","firstDocumented":"2024","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":9250,"name":"Angela Alsobrooks","slug":"angela-alsobrooks","type":"elected_official"}},{"id":14858,"relationshipType":"Super PAC supporter","description":"Protect Progress (a Fairshake-affiliated super PAC) spent more than $1 million on media buys supporting Walkinshaw in the June 2025 primary.","confidence":"primary","firstDocumented":"2025","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":11066,"name":"James R. Walkinshaw","slug":"congress-w000831","type":"person"}},{"id":13549,"relationshipType":"donor","description":"Crypto industry PACs Fairshake and Protect Progress spent $511,000 in outside spending to support Gomez in 2024, making crypto the second-largest outside spender in the race after AIPAC.","confidence":"primary","firstDocumented":"2024","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":11089,"name":"Jimmy Gomez","slug":"congress-g000585","type":"person"}},{"id":13064,"relationshipType":"donor","description":"Protect Progress super PAC, backed by cryptocurrency industry titans, spent $2.7 million in independent expenditures to secure Figures' primary victory — more than six times his own campaign's direct fundraising.","confidence":"primary","firstDocumented":"2024","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":10870,"name":"Shomari Figures","slug":"congress-f000481","type":"person"}},{"id":12931,"relationshipType":"independent_expenditure_support","description":"Protect Progress, a super PAC affiliated with Fairshake PAC (crypto industry), spent $106,947 in independent expenditures supporting Subramanyam's general election campaign.","confidence":"primary","firstDocumented":"2024","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":10826,"name":"Suhas Subramanyam","slug":"congress-s001230","type":"person"}},{"id":11479,"relationshipType":"affiliation","description":"Protect Progress is an affiliate PAC in the Fairshake network.","confidence":"primary","firstDocumented":"2024","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":29189,"name":"Fairshake","slug":"fairshake-pac","type":"institution"}},{"id":16401,"relationshipType":"affiliation","description":"Fairshake transferred $15 million to Defend American Jobs and $5 million to Protect Progress in the same reporting window, indicating they are sibling affiliated PACs within the Fairshake network.","confidence":"secondary","firstDocumented":"2024","lastDocumented":null,"other":{"id":29191,"name":"Defend American Jobs","slug":"defend-american-jobs-pac","type":"institution"}}],"contradictions":[],"permalink":"https://www.goblinhouse.net/entity/protect-progress-pac","timelineUrl":"https://www.goblinhouse.net/entity/protect-progress-pac/timeline"}