Bonterra (formerly EveryAction, Social Solutions, and CyberGrants) is a for-profit software firm that sells technologies to left-of-center nonprofit organizations that claim to advocate  for “social good.” ¹ It also claims to be the second-largest “social good” software company in the world, with a set goal of increasing the total amount of U.S. GDP earmarked for philanthropic giving from 2.5 percent to 3 percent by 2033. ²

Bonterra also alleges to supports diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) policies, which it claims are key to its corporate “culture” and “values.” It also supports the critical race theory-inspired concept of “equity” which it defines as “recognizing and rectifying imbalances.” ³

Bonterra was formed in 2021 when London-based private equity advisory firm Apax Partners, through its Apax X technology fund, acquired and merged EveryAction, Social Solutions, and CyberGrants into one “social good” philanthropic software company. As a result of this merger, Bonterra came to have a network of 650,000 nonprofit organizations that, as of 2024, had over 38 million donors and volunteers. Apax claims the merger reflected its “long-standing focus on ESG.” ⁴

Bonterra acts as a network coordinator for NGP VAN, a digital services organization that has been previously used by the campaigns of Democratic party-connected candidates running for office. In 2022, NGP VAN claimed to have raised and tracked over $10 billion while making roughly 1.4 billion attempts at contacting voters during the 2022 election cycle. ⁵ As of 2023, NGP VAN was also being used by the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). ⁶

Background

Bonterra is a for-profit software firm that sells technologies to left-of-center nonprofit organizations which claim to pursue “social good.” ¹ It claims to be the second largest “social good” software company in the world, with a set goal of increasing the total amount of U.S. GDP earmarked for philanthropic giving from 2.5 percent to 3 percent by 2033. ⁷

Bonterra was formed in 2021 when global private equity advisory firm Apax Partners, through its Apax X technology fund, acquired and merged EveryAction, Social Solutions, and CyberGrants into one “social good” philanthropic software company. As a result of this merger, Bonterra came to have a network of 650,000 nonprofit organizations that, as of 2024, had over 38 million donors and volunteers. Apax stated that the decision was due to its “long-standing focus on ESG.” ⁴ The name Bonterra translates to “good earth.” ⁸

Activities

Software Products

One of Bonterra’s products is Bonterra Strategic Philanthropy, a corporate social responsibility (CSR) platform that claims to provide services and functions for organizations that work in corporate philanthropy. ⁹

Groups that use Bonterra’s case management software include Brooklyn Community Services (BCS), Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels, Phoenix Family, First 5 Riverside County, National CASA/GAL, Communities in Schools for Greater Tarrant County, and Family Services Supporting Tulane County. ¹⁰

Clients of Bonterra’s fundraising software include Covenant House, the NAACP, the Wilderness Society, National Audubon Society, the Special Olympics, Feeding America, and Cornell University. ¹¹

DEIB Policies

Bonterra supports diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) policies, while advocating for the critical race theory-inspired concept of “equity” which it defines as “recognizing and rectifying imbalances.” ³

Political Activities

NGP VAN

Bonterra is a network coordinator for NGP VAN, a digital services organization for the campaigns of Democratic party-connected candidates running for office. In 2022, NGP VAN claimed it had raised and tracked over $10 billion and made 1.4 billion attempts at contacting voters in the 2022 election cycle. ⁵ As of 2023, NGP VAN was also being used by the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). These groups also used EveryAction, which was absorbed into Bonterra following the merger. ⁶

NGP VAN claims to operate as an entity wholly independent of Bonterra. ⁵ However, the New York Times reported in March 2025 that private equity firm Apax Partners, Bonterra’s parent organization, had purchased NGP VAN as part of a $2 billion business deal that occurred in 2021 and later put Bonterra in charge of “oversee[ing]” it. ¹²

From 2023 through 2025, Bonterra reported several budget and staffing cuts to several of its own programs, including NGP Van, due to alleged economic conditions and rising interest rates. Several left-of-center activists and affiliated persons reported discomfort over the cuts, which included Tara Harwod, a former senior quality assurance engineer for Bonterra’s ActionKit team before being laid off in 2023. ⁸ She said in an interview with the New York Times: “Bonterra’s not in it to get Democrats elected, to provide the progressive movement with tools […] There’s nothing to prevent Bonterra from doing to NGP VAN what they did to [ActionKit].” ¹³

Subpoena Threat

In early 2025, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, threatened a subpoena to Bonterra over its affiliation with Democratic Party-linked infrastructure including NGP-VAN. ¹⁴ According to a statement released to Politico, Sen. Cruz threatened the subpoena claiming the group had “weaponized their terms of service to systematically deplatform conservatives.” ¹⁵ Sen. Cruz later told the New York Times that Bonterra was cooperating with his document requests and would not move forward with a subpoena. ¹⁶

Funding

In 2023, donor-advised fund (DAF) Network for Good paid Bonterra $4,765,096 for “professional fundraising” services. ¹⁷ The services, which amounted to promotion of its fundraising activities, reportedly earned the Network $333,721,910. ¹⁸ Network for Good’s nonprofit fundraising software, including its mobile messaging and various management services, was purchased by Bonterra following its formation, with Bonterra renaming it “Bonterra Fundraising and Engagement.” ¹⁹

In 2022, Boston Impact Initiative Fund provided Bonterra with two equity investments ($47,745 and $42,011). ²⁰

In 2022, Globalgiving Foundation gave Bonterra (through Network for Good’s fundraising department) $107,388 for a fundraising initiative. ²¹

Leadership

As of 2025, Scott Brighton was Bonterra’s chief executive officer (CEO). He previously ran the Leander Educational Excellence Foundation with his wife Coleen Brighton. ^{22 23} He began working as the CEO in June 2023, which was followed by him laying off roughly 200 employees, or 20 percent of the staff. ⁶

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2.   “Why Us.” Bonterra. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.bonterratech.com/why-us.
3. “Culture, Values, and DEIB.” Bonterra. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.bonterratech.com/culture-values-and-deib.
4. “Creating a leading provider of next-generation SaaS solutions to the social good ecosystem.” Apax. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.apaxglobalalpha.com/news/bonterra.
5. Thompson, Chelsea Peterson. “We’re in it for the long haul.” NGP VAN, December 7, 2022. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.ngpvan.com/blog/were-in-it-for-the-long-haul/.
6. Lacy, Akela. “Inside the Slow Implosion of the Democratic Party’s Vaunted Campaign Tech Firm.” The Intercept, January 24, 2023. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://theintercept.com/2023/01/24/layoffs-democratic-party-ngp-van/
7. “Why Us.” Bonterra. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.bonterratech.com/why-us.
8. Sifry, Micah L. “Living with VANxiety: The Present and Future of Progressive Movement Tech.” Michah L. Sifry, April 29, 2023. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://micahsifry.com/project/living-with-vanxiety-the-present-and-future-of-progressive-movement-tech/.
9. “Corporate Social Responsibility.” Bonterra. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.bonterratech.com/product/corporate-social-responsibility.
10. “Case Management.” Bonterra. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.bonterratech.com/product/case-management.
11. “Fundraising and Engagement.” Bonterra. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.bonterratech.com/product/fundraising-and-engagement.
12. Goldmacher, Shane. “Inside the Democratic Disaster That Didn’t Happen in November.” The New York Times, March 1, 2025. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/01/us/politics/democrats-voter-data.html.
13. ^[1] Lacy, Akela. “As 2024 Looms, Democrats’ Campaign Tech Crumbles Under Private Equity Squeeze.” The Intercept, October 5, 2023. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://theintercept.com/2023/10/05/democrats-campaign-tech-layoffs-2024-bonterra-ngp-van-actionkit/.
14. Vogel, Kenneth P; Goldmacher, Shane. “With Orders, Investigations and Innuendo, Trump and G.O.P. Aim to Cripple the Left.” The New York Times, March 19, 2025. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/us/politics/trump-republicans-attack-democrats-actblue.html.
15. Leonard, Ben. “Cruz plans first tech subpoena.” POLITICO, February 25, 2025. Accessed April 25, 2025. https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/02/25/congress/cruz-tech-subpoena-bonterra-00205931.
16. Epstein, Reid J.; Goldmacher, Shane. “ActBlue, the Democratic Fund-Raising Powerhouse, Faces Internal Chaos.” The New York Times, March 5, 2025. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/05/us/politics/actblue-democrat-fundraising-resignations.html.
17. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Network For Good. 2023. Part VII. Section B. – Independent Contractors.
18. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Network For Good. 2023. Schedule G, Part I – Fundraising Activities.
19. “How Network for Good became part of the Bonterra Tech family.” Bonterra, July 25, 2024. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://www.bonterratech.com/blog/network-for-good.
20. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Boston Impact Initiative Fund. 2022. Schedule D, Part VIII – Investments – Program Related.
21. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Globalgiving. 2022. Schedule I. Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
22. “Scott Brighton.” Bonterra. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.bonterratech.com/leadership/scott-brighton.
23. “Coleen Brighton.” LinkedIn. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/coleen-brighton-97b3b122/.