LGBTQ+ Victory Fund CEO Evan Low speaks at his organization’s 2025 National Champagne Brunch in D.C. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade has learned the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund’s board of directors investigated former staffers’ allegations that CEO Evan Low bullied staff and mismanaged finances and found no evidence of wrongdoing on his part.
The Blade obtained a letter the former staffers emailed to the board on Aug. 5. The subject was “concerns about Evan Low.”
The World Pride Human Rights Conference began in Amsterdam the same day. Low on Aug. 7 spoke at the beginning of a panel that featured Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, who is the Netherlands’s first openly gay head of government, and other current and former European prime ministers and heads of government who are gay or lesbian.
“We, a coalition of former employees of the Victory Fund, are writing to bring urgent concerns to your attention regarding the leadership and management of our organization under the direction of President and Chief Executive Officer Evan Low,” it reads. “Over the past 18 months since his appointment in March 2025, we believe patterns of behavior have emerged that threaten the organizational integrity, financial stability, and mission of the Victory Fund.”
The Blade was unable to confirm how many former Victory Fund employees signed the anonymous letter. It does, however, state the “accounts below reflect our direct experiences and observations during our employment, as well as reports we received from colleagues, partners, and board members.”
Low was a former member of the California State Assembly who unsuccessfully ran to succeed then-U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) in the U.S. House of Representatives after she announced her retirement in 2024. He succeeded former Houston Mayor Annise Parker as the Victory Fund’s CEO in March 2025. (The California Fair Political Practices Commission the same month fined Low $106,000 after he admitted he tried to conceal payments to actor Alec Baldwin in exchange for appearing at his campaign events.)
The Blade has learned 21 people have left the Victory Fund since Low became CEO. Board spokesperson Claire VanSusteren pointed out to the Blade there “was significant turnover during the first 18 months of the prior CEO’s tenure, including across every major department or direct-report function — the Institute, Communications, Development, Political, Finance, Operations and the executive assistant to the CEO — as well as among staff in other positions.”
“The circumstances of individual departures varied, but changes in leadership often bring changes in staffing and organizational structure, and Victory has experienced that across leadership transitions,” she said.
‘Culture of intimidation and verbal mistreatment took root under Mr. Low’s leadership’
The Aug. 5 letter notes “a culture of intimidation and verbal mistreatment took root under Mr. Low’s leadership.”
“Multiple signatories to this letter personally witnessed Mr. Low raise his voice at staff members during public events with partner organizations and during staff meetings, on repeated occasions,” it reads. “We witnessed members of the leadership team, including multiple vice presidents, visibly distressed and in tears in the office after such interactions, in view of junior staff. On multiple occasions, shouting was audible through closed office doors.”
The letter further alleges that “departing employees who experienced or witnessed this conduct were offered financial compensation in exchange for non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreements.”
“If accurate, this practice is concerning because many of those receiving compensation had voluntarily resigned rather than been terminated,” it reads. “Severance for voluntarily departing employees is unusual; we believe the board should examine whether these agreements were used to prevent staff from speaking about their treatment.”
The Blade since obtaining the letter has spoken with three former Victory Fund staffers who left the organization since Low became CEO. All of them asked the Blade not to identify them by name.
“With Evan it’s not one or two incidents,” said one of the staffers. “It was nearly every conversation and every interaction, and he really created a culture of bullying and verbal abuse that was pervasive.”
“He was very volatile and prone to flying off the handle,” they added.
Another staffer with whom the Blade spoke echoed their former colleague.
“Everything around the culture of bullying is absolutely true,” they said, adding Low frequently humiliated staff in front of their colleagues during meetings. “He made it clear that he thought because you weren’t doing this X, Y, Z outreach that only existed in his head until that moment, you were one of the stupidest people he had ever encountered in his life.”
“Expectations were never clear,” they added. “Expectations were never laid out, but nonetheless that culture of bullying and that culture of you’re never doing enough, you are never ever going to perform in the way that he wants you to … was extremely prevalent, and it’s definitely a reason that I left. I was just so tired of dealing with that attitude.”
The Aug. 5 letter alleges Low “was frequently unresponsive to staff, board members, and external partners.”
“He did not, to our knowledge, hold regular one-on-one meetings with leadership,” it reads. “He rarely attended staff meetings, and when he did attend, he was frequently not present in person and regularly off camera.”
“At the same time, we observed him send emails demanding receipts for responses he claimed to have sent, copying multiple people in a manner staff experienced as publicly embarrassing,” added the letter. “In our experience, he rarely articulated clearly what he needed, and matters routinely devolved into last-minute crises that could have been prevented with clear direction.”
The letter notes two National Labor Relations Board complaints have been filed against the Victory Fund under Low’s tenure. One of them, which the Campaign Workers Guild filed on Feb. 23, remains active. The second case that was filed in December 2025 has been closed.
“For significant portions of time, staff, his chief of staff, and his executive assistant did not know his whereabouts or availability, making it difficult or impossible to schedule meetings likely to result in donations for the organization,” reads the letter. “He changed flights with minimal notice without informing anyone, and, on occasions we observed or were informed of, missed confirmed commitments with partners and elected officials.”
The letter also urges the board to “examine whether organizational resources have been used appropriately.”
The signatories state Low “has used his official title as President and CEO of the Victory Fund in fundraising activity for non-LGBTQ candidates in California, including Fiona Ma’s campaign for lieutenant governor and Karen Bass’s campaign for Los Angeles mayor.” The letter notes people who attended a Bass event at which Low “spoke while invoking his title” contacted Victory Fund staff “expressing concern about his apparent condition while speaking.”
The letter also points out Low “requested and obtained a Chase Sapphire credit card with travel rewards benefits outside established expense controls and audit procedures, that receipts were routinely not saved, and that when asked about the business purpose for travel, he instructed staff to charge expenses to the organization without articulating a business rationale.”
“We are informed that Mr. Low’s use of organizational credit cards, in direct circumvention of established financial controls, has resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in undocumented expenses, with no retained receipts, no stated business purpose, and no identifiable benefit to the organization,” reads the letter. “This is not a minor administrative lapse. It is a serious red flag that, left unaddressed, exposes the Victory Institute to real risk to its section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, and it must be treated by the board as an immediate priority, not a routine bookkeeping matter.”
“We recommend that the board require Mr. Low to personally reimburse the organization in full for any expenses that cannot be substantiated with legitimate documentation of business purpose, so that the organization bears no continuing cost for personal expenses he incurred and failed to account for,” it adds.
The letter also notes “trips were frequently extended at organizational expense.”
Low’s contract requires him to be in D.C. for at least three days a week.
“In our observation, he rarely met this requirement, instead spending significant time in California,” reads the letter.
“We are informed and believe that Mr. Low has, at times, directed his fundraising efforts in California toward Victory’s existing California PAC entity, rather than toward the Victory Fund or Victory Institute, where significant financial gaps exist,” it adds. “We believe the board should examine whether this allocation of fundraising effort serves his own future political ambitions in California, potentially allowing him influence over California-based races through Victory’s own PAC, rather than addressing the core financial needs of the organizations he was hired to lead, and whether this represents a conflict of interest requiring board attention.”
The letter further notes the Victory Fund under Low’s tenure “has lost several hundred individual donors.”
“We believe this loss is especially alarming in context: election years are historically when the organization is best positioned to fundraise successfully, given the heightened public urgency around elections,” it reads. “Instead, by our understanding, the organization’s individual donor base and overall financial position are weaker now than they have been in years.”
“New development staff onboarding at the Victory Fund have reported hearing one consistent message from lapsed major donors, including former board members and a former board chair: that they have not heard from Mr. Low in 18 months — no calls, no relationship building, no courtship,” adds the letter. “We are informed that long-term donors of more than a decade report the same absence of engagement. We are further informed that in meetings he did attend with donors, he was unable or unwilling to directly ask for financial contributions, and that multiple major donors have since asked staff what the point of meeting with him was if he was not going to make an ask — representing missed fundraising opportunities directly attributable to this failure.”
The letter also reiterates “concerns regarding” Low’s “personal conduct” at official events. The signatories conclude they are “deeply concerned that if these issues are not addressed immediately, the few remaining staff will leave, and the organization will become financially insolvent — leaving it in worse condition than the already strained state in which he found it last March.”
Pavan Ishwar Koobchandani, a lawyer with Koobchandani Law in D.C. in an Aug. 12 email to the email address from which the letter was sent acknowledged the board “retained” their firm “to investigate the allegations made.”
“The board takes all allegations of wrongdoing seriously and has directed me to conduct an independent investigation,” wrote Koobchandani.
The board met in New York on Sept. 26 — Low five days earlier introduced Jetten when he visited the Stonewall Inn during the U.N. General Assembly. Equality New York, a statewide LGBTQ advocacy group, on Sept. 26 honored Low at an event that featured gay New York State Sen. Erik Bottcher and other elected officials and activists.
VanSusteren in a statement to the Blade said “all allegations were investigated, and no legal or policy violations were substantiated.”
Her full statement is below:
“The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund and Institute board members take their responsibility for strong governance and appropriate oversight seriously. When concerns were brought to their attention, the board acted swiftly to retain experienced legal counsel and authorize a thorough, independent investigation to follow the facts wherever they led. With that investigation now complete, the full board was briefed on its findings, with ample opportunity to review the facts and discuss the results of the investigation. All allegations were investigated, and no legal or policy violations were substantiated. Members unanimously voted to accept the counsel’s report, and agreed on steps forward for the organization. The board is committed to working with staff and stakeholders to strengthen the organization and ensure Victory continues to live its values while carrying out its urgent mission.
“The board continues to have confidence in Evan Low’s leadership and remains focused on ensuring Victory is strong, accountable, and positioned to train, endorse, and support LGBTQ+ candidates and build LGBTQ+ representation at every level of government.”
The Blade also received a statement from a board member who did not identify themselves.
“While the investigation has concluded, the board recognizes there is always more we can do to strengthen the organization and how we work together,” it reads. “This is a moment for the board members to strengthen support between staff at every level, and with the board as a whole, as we fortify the mission and critical work ahead. We have full confidence in the organization’s CEO, COO, and all leadership, and the team’s ability to continue to foster and build an inclusive, respectful and supportive environment at Victory where everyone thrives and continues to make a meaningful difference.”
Low in his own statement said he takes “seriously the responsibility of leading the Victory Fund and Institute, and am committed to working with the board and our team to continue strengthening our workplace and moving forward together.”
“My focus is on our staff, our candidates, supporters, and the work ahead,” he said. “I look forward to working with the board as we collectively strengthen our mission and ensure our values are reflected at every intersection of Victory Fund. With Election Day just weeks away, we have an important job to do — helping LGBTQ+ candidates win races across the country and continuing to build the political representation and power our community deserves.”
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