T
he National Association of Realtors (NAR) has responded to a New York Times investigation into its affiliated nonprofit, the American Property Owners Alliance (APOA), with a comprehensive rebuttal addressing claims of political bias and questionable financial practices. Key points from NAR's response include:

    * The formation and funding details of APOA have been publicly available since its launch in 2020.

    * NAR refutes the claim that APOA favors or has a bias toward conservative-leaning groups or super PACs, stating that the nonprofit has an issues-based grantmaking process to organizations on both sides of the aisle.

    * In 2025, NAR has earmarked $6.6 million for APOA's advocacy efforts, which does not represent a disproportionate amount of NAR's budget.

    Regarding transparency surrounding APOA and its grant process, NAR argues that it publicly announced the creation of the organization when it launched in 2020 and funds APOA through an annual grant, which is fully transparent to members and the public. However, NAR acknowledges that while it appoints board members to the APOA Board of Directors, this board operates independently without oversight from NAR.

    NAR also refutes claims of partisan leanings, stating that APOA does not engage in political activity as defined by the IRS and has an issues-based grantmaking process. The nonprofit has provided grants to numerous housing-focused organizations on both sides of the aisle, including left-leaning groups.

    Regarding the issue of "dark money" and member dues funding political activity, NAR argues that it is required to report where grant funds from APOA are going and refutes the "dark money" label. The organization discloses all required advocacy-related expenditures in full compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.