EXCLUSIVE — A little-known organization fighting for “the interests of progressive voters through public advocacy” is quietly overseeing an unusual “fellowship” to ensure repeat Democratic congressional hopefuls get paychecks between runs.

New Politics Leadership Academy, a charity that trains prospective candidates and has an affiliated New Politics 527 advocacy group also focused on “recruiting, developing, and electing servant leaders who put community and country over self,” previously sponsored the fellowship, and it ran a similar one in 2019 that drew legal scrutiny from campaign experts for cutting large checks to failed candidates. Years later, New Politics Leadership Academy has moved on from the initiative, which Our American Future Foundation, a newly-formed charity incorporated in Washington, D.C., by an associate of Democratic superlawyer Marc Elias, recently absorbed, according to documents obtained by the Washington Examiner.