Action Bail Fund is a left-of-center activist group formed in 2011 to provide bail money to individuals arrested during left-of-center and far-left protests. The fund is a fiscally sponsored project of the Alliance for Global Justice (AfGJ), a far-left nonprofit with a history of supporting radical-left movements in Latin America and beyond. ^{1 2}

Background

The Action Bail Fund was formed in 2011 to support “legal cost[s] associated w/ protest in NYC [sic].” The group has employed far-left rhetoric, stating that “We recognize that the US has weaponized the legal system to shut down dissent. We’re here to support whoever needs it. No one should get stuck in jail bc [sic] they took to the street and shared their voice.” ¹

The fund has been active throughout several waves of protests in New York City, particularly during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. A 2020 compilation of bail funds compiled from the National Bail Fund Network operating throughout the country during the Black Lives Matter protests noted that “This is the main protest bail support fund for NYC. The collective Free Them All 2020 that was holding the initial protest bail fund for NYC has merged its work into the Action Bail Fund (6/8).” ³

In 2020, a similar group, Action Bail Fund LA, was formed in Los Angeles and led by Black Lives Matter LA and supported by White People 4 Black Lives. ⁴

During the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, the Action Bail Fund and other New York City-based bail funds stated that “Due to an influx of donations, as of 5/31 the NYC Bail Funds have suggested to donate elsewhere.” ⁵

Free Them All 2020, a collective and bail fund that later merged into the Action Bail Fund, was involved in advocacy efforts supporting the mass release of prisoners throughout the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic and criticized the use of prison labor. It criticized then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) when he “announced that prison labor will produce 100,000 gallons of hand sanitizer that will ‘smell like flowers’ while prisoners earn on average 65 cents an hour in the state.” It further criticized prison labor in New York City’s Rikers Island jail, arguing, “Prisoners have been offered six dollars per hour and personal protective equipment to dig mass graves in preparation for the pandemic.” ⁶

Alliance for Global Justice

The Action Bail Fund operates under the umbrella of the Alliance for Global Justice (AfGJ), a controversial fiscal sponsor that supports numerous radical-left causes and activist groups. AFGJ has sponsored groups with alleged ties to foreign militant organizations and far-left movements across Latin America and the Middle East. In January 2023, the Washington Examiner reported that the Ford Foundation ceased all grantmaking to AfGJ after “years of warnings” about the organization’s ties to a Palestinian group with terrorist designations under U.S. law. ⁷

The Action Bail Fund is not an independent nonprofit and operates under AfGJ’s legal and tax status, it does not file independent tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service, publish audited financial statements, or disclose its internal governance. The group’s revenue sources, expenditures, and budget scale remain unclear. ^{7 8}

1. “Action Bail Fund LA.” Alliance for Global Justice. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://afgj.salsalabs.org/actionbailfund/index.html
2. Richardson, Valerie. “Antifa violence splits left as another major protest looms at Berkeley.” The Washington Times. September 13, 2017. Accessed July 5, 2025. https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/sep/13/antifa-protest-of-ben-shapiro-looms-at-berkeley/
3. “National Bail Fund Network Directory.” Bailfunds.github.io. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://bailfunds.github.io/
4. “Action Bail Fund LA.” Linktree. Accessed July 5, 2025. https://linktr.ee/ActionBailFundLA
5. “Action Bail Fund Los Angeles Document.” Accessed June 24, 2025. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1296X0Iws9uWO1OPuDYjGTTrkQ99FLKbkGuUtir9G1jM/edit?tab=t.0
6. “Corona Capitalism: Prison Profiteering in the Pandemic.” Corporate Watch. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://corporatewatch.org/coronacapitalismprison/
7. Kaminsky, Gabe. “Liberal Ford Foundation to Stop Funding Palestinian Terror-Tied Group after Years of Warnings.” Washington Examiner. June 18, 2024. Accessed July 5, 2025. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/2579782/liberal-ford-foundation-to-stop-funding-palestinian-terror-tied-group-years-of-warnings/
8. “Make a Donation!” Alliance for Global Justice. Accessed July 5, 2025. https://afgj.salsalabs.org/AdAstra/index.html