The Dirty Hand of the National Endowment for Democracy in Venezuela Agents of Destabilization Resource Type: Article Published: 2014 Anti-government protests in Venezuela that seek regime change have been led by several individuals and organizations with close ties to the US government. The National Endowment for Democracy “NED” and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have channeled multi-million dollar funding to Lopez’s political parties Primero Justicia and Voluntad Popular, and Machado’s NGO Sumate and her electoral campaigns.