Minnesota’s nonprofit-industrial complex is under the hottest law-enforcement spotlight in years, and not just because of the Feeding Our Future case.

While federal prosecutors keep stacking new fraud cases across state programs, a separate but related pipeline is hiding in plain sight: taxpayer-funded “community” nonprofits that sit next to political spending vehicles explicitly built to “buy access” to elected officials.

This scandal involves high-level Democrats, rising all the way up to the levels of Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison.

One example now deserves a closer look: Isuroon, a Minneapolis nonprofit that received a $3,000,000 state earmark, and SAWPAC (Somali American Women Political Action Committee), a 501(c)(4) group that openly describes itself as a way to pool money so political leaders “start paying attention.”

1) The $3,000,000 carve-out: “Isuroon” in black-and-white state law

Minnesota legislative text shows a straight-up earmark for Isuroon:

A 2025 bill text (SF 3452) states $3,000,000 “for a grant to Isuroon” tied to predesign, design, construction, and renovation for property at 1600 East Lake Street in Minneapolis to carry out a mission described in the bill as supporting immigrant women and providing mental health counseling.

The bill also states that remaining money after the project is completed may be used for a specialty care center in the metro area.

“Founded in 2010, Isuroon is a women-led organization empowering Somali women in Minnesota. We provide access to health, financial literacy, civic engagement, and leadership programs,” explains the group’s About Us page. “Our mission is to support Somali women in overcoming barriers, navigating healthcare systems, and advocating for their well-being,” it continues before outlining how they leverage the “courage of Somali women” to battle racism.

2) The political machine next to it: SAWPAC

Somali American Women Political Action Committee (SAWPAC) describes its mission as “empowering Somali American women to take an active role in the political process.”

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“SAWPAC works with political leaders throughout Minnesota to ensure they hear the voices of Somali women and families and our diverse needs are addressed,” they continue before listing out their top priorities:

In SAWPAC’s “Our Plan,” the group says its goal is ensuring advocates have “access to elected officials,” adding:

“It is no secret that money buys access to political leaders.”

They say SAWPAC is a way to pool resources “to make sure that political leaders hear our communities’ concerns and start paying attention when we speak.” They also describe building a database of advocates to “call, email, text, and meet directly with elected officials.”

3) Isuroon’s Ties To SAWPAC

Here’s where the trail tightens.

The CEO and Founder of Isuroon is the Chair of SAWPAC.

In Minnesota Campaign Finance Board meeting materials (August 2020), a message about a late SAWPAC filing shows Fartun Weli copied on the email — with an isuroon.org email address.

Separately, SAWPAC’s own fundraiser post says:

“This event is curated by the Somali American Women Political Action Committee that is chaired by Fartun Weli.”

4) Who SAWPAC supports: their endorsement list is heavily Democratic-coded

SAWPAC’s candidate page lists four “Minnesota Candidates” it supports:

SAWPAC also published a post promoting a fundraiser honoring Keith Ellison’s re-election, identifying Weli as chair and listing committee members.

Recent examples of candidate support include:

Gov. Tim Walz participated in the inaugural “Somali Day at the Capitol” on May 2, 2023 at the Minnesota State Capitol. Coverage of the event in local media identifies Fartun Weli as the executive director of Isuroon and a key event organizer.

“The community has come to the realization that by working together, we can effectively tackle a wide range of challenges such as education, housing, the opioid crisis, security, and issues concerning Uber and Lyft drivers,” said Weli.

Governor Walz spoke after the call to prayer, saying: “The influence of this community is across Minnesota.” He followed by praising Somali Minnesotans’ “contributions” across the state - pointing to business, the arts, education, and the broader economy.