Americans for Prosperity Foundation

Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFP) is a section 501(c)(3) organization that operates as the counterpart of Americans for Prosperity, a section 501(c)(4) organization. On its website, Americans for Prosperity Foundation states its mission is to "empower and educate Americans on the proven and principled solutions to our country’s most challenging issues."

News and Controversies

AFPF Challenges SEC's Emissions Disclosure Requirements

The Americans for Prosperity Foundation, along with other conservative groups, recently filed an amicus brief urging the Eighth Circuit to reject the Securities and Exchange Commission's requirements for corporations to report their greenhouse gas emissions and other climate-related disclosures. In the brief, the AFPF argues that the "SEC’s climate regulation, disguised as an investor-protection rule, must not be allowed to stand."

AFPF Challenges California's Donor Disclosure Plan

In April 2021, the case AFPF v. Rodriguez reached the Supreme Court. The dispute involves the state of California, which is demanding nonprofit organizations submit lists of their major donors. The Americans for Prosperity Foundation, the Thomas More Law Center, and other non-profits have challenged whether California can demand copies of Schedule B forms. The state intends to maintain a donor database of Schedule B forms, arguing that using subpoenas or audit letters is burdensome and that the database would be secure. However, the AFPF contends that data leaks and hacks are a “predictable result of such indiscriminate collection” and argues that “California’s compulsory disclosure regime could not meet any conceivable standard of means-end fit.” Regarding the state’s claim that using subpoenas or audit letters isn’t practical, AFPF notes that “forty-seven other states rely exclusively on those case-specific mechanisms to obtain donor information for fraud investigations.”

David Koch Resigns

In June, 2018, the AFPF announced that David Koch would be stepping down from his board position due to deteriorating health. “Due to health reasons, David Koch will be resigning from the board of the AFP Foundation. We greatly appreciate his vital role on the board & all that he has done to help build a strong foundation for our future success. We wish him and his family well,” fellow board member, Mark Holden said.

Bridge to Wellbeing

In 2015, the Americans for Prosperity Foundation launched the Bridge to Wellbeing program, which according to a (now deleted) page on their website program imparts, "expert coaching on topics like practical financial habits, personal health, pursuing new opportunities, and community engagement and wellbeing, all with the aim of providing individuals with the tools and knowledge to improve their quality of life and strengthen their communities."

The Bridge to Wellbeing program helps the Americans for Prosperity Foundation to maintain its Internal Revenue Service status,

"Sometimes, we have not been as good at explaining the virtues of economic freedom and individual liberty to people who are struggling," said Americans for Prosperity's president Tim Phillips. He also conceded that AFP Foundation's Bridge to Wellbeing initiative helps satisfy an Internal Revenue Service requirement that the group focus its spending on educational or charitable purposes, not political or policy advocacy. "Part of it is we are a social welfare organization. And, so, yes, we do try to help folks live more prosperous lives. That's not related to direct policy."

John Marshall, editor and publisher of Talking Points Memo, describes Bridge to Wellbeing as,

"The Kochs’ ‘war on poverty’ includes classes teaching poor people – or at least people willing to show up for a free hot meal – how to prepare “dinner on a dime” and lessons on “couponing”, along with the free hot meals, Turkey giveaways and guides for “learning about freedom. In other words, a good bit of the outreach is not only laissez-faire propaganda but actually tips on how to be poor more effectively, making the most of coupons, cooking more economical meals and other tips which certainly may be helpful at some level but seem like ones poor people might be in a better position to teach GOP operatives rather than vice versa."

Partners

Concerned Veterans for America Foundation

Concerned Veterans for America Foundation is as a AFPF partner organization that describes its purpose as to empower "the military community with the tools to promote freedom at home; connect veterans in need with free market solutions to help them live a healthy and prosperous life."

The Libre Institute

The Libre Institute describes its role as "a trusted resource in helping Hispanics grow more prosperous, and lessen their dependency on government" by providing "the tools and information that empower the Latino community to build a successful future in the United States." The institute claims to build prosperous Hispanic communities through the following "Four Pillars":

• Economic Prosperity, which "provides resources and partners with local businesses, community organizations, and government entities to help Hispanic start-ups succeed and enhance the success of existing Hispanic businesses."
• Education, which "focuses on advancing the principles and values of economic freedom through the Institute Academy. The academic programs are designed to empower U.S. Hispanics to thrive and contribute to a more prosperous America."
• Faith, which "engages those who share the importance of religion and worship in their lives. With a strong work ethic and our God-given skills we can achieve economic prosperity and well-being, the corner stones of The American Dream."
• Family, which "empowers communities by strengthening the family unit through programs that provide mentoring, professional development, and other leadership initiatives so it may thrive and help others do the same."

Although the institute provides community services to uplift Hispanic communities, the executive director, Daniel Garza asserts that political messaging should always accompany community work: "Without question, with apologies to nobody, we want to influence the policy agenda", The New York Times reports.

Grassroots Leadership Academy

The Grassroots Leadership Academy is a training school for right-wing activists funded and run by the AFPF. GLA states its mission as helping activists to "create a nationwide community of leaders who can affect bottom-up change in their community, state, or nation." The Academy offers three activist certifications as part of its program: Grassroots Advocate, Community Mobilizer, and Grassroots Leader.

Ties to the State Policy Network

Americans for Prosperity is a "partner" member of the State Policy Network, a web of right-wing “think tanks.”

Ties to the Koch Network

An August 2010 article in The New Yorker by Jane Mayer tied New York philanthropist and Koch Industries co-owner, David Koch, to the creation and funding of the AFP. Ira Stoll of FutureOfCapitalism.com criticized the article for implying that, "left-wing think tanks are nonpartisan watchdogs, but the free-market ones are part of some covert stealth nefarious plot", and referred to the open data already available about Koch-connected think tanks. Matt Welch of Reason magazine labelled the New Yorker article a "hit-piece".

Kate Zernike, of The New York Times also attributed the founding of the AFP to the Koch Brothers.

The Charles G. Koch Foundation contributed $338,568 to the AFPF from 2014-2020 and the David H. Koch Foundation contributed $1,000,000 in 2008.

Koch Wiki

Charles Koch is the right-wing billionaire owner of Koch Industries. As one of the richest people in the world, he is a key funder of the right-wing infrastructure, including the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the State Policy Network (SPN). In SourceWatch, key articles on Charles Koch and his late brother David include: Koch Brothers, Americans for Prosperity, Stand Together Chamber of Commerce, Stand Together, Koch Family Foundations, Koch Universities, and I360.

Ties to the Bradley Foundation

From 2004 to 2016 the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation granted the Americans for Prosperity Foundation $1,655,000, whilst the Bradley Impact Fund Inc gave the foundation $180,100 from 2017 to 2021.

Bradley detailed the most recent grants in internal documents examined by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD). Below is a description of the grants prepared by CMD. The quoted text was written by Bradley staff.

2015: $275,000 to support two projects. The grant was used to support the Bridge to Wellbeing project and the Grassroots Leadership Academy (GLA). As of this grant, AFP received $1,305,000 from the Bradley Foundation, including $100,000 to open AFP’s first Wisconsin field office in 2005. The Bridge to Wellbeing spun off from AFP’s “Value Added Initiative” (see below).

2014: $100,000 to support the “Value Added Events Initiative.” “The Initiative is designed to contact people who have disengaged in terms of exercise of their citizenship. The project consists of putting on a series of community events in which one way or another emphasize the democratic principles and value with a special emphasis on the value of economic freedom. Target audiences include mothers, millennials individuals preparing to enter the workforce, small business owners and senior citizens. Programs and activities for each of those audiences will be tailored in such a fashion so as to equip members of those audiences with the tools they need to become more self sufficient, self reliant and free of government support programs.”

The Initiative began in 2013. According to Bradley, AFP refined its target audience and goals based on focus group testing, polling and follow up surveys. In 2015 the Initiative primarily targeted women aged 33-55, a key voting demographic in the 2016 election. “Essentially, AFPF has gleaned from last year’s programs that women in this age group were most aligned with economic values most closely associated with its understanding of economic freedom… It is expected that the events for women, as well as millennials and seniors, will be held in Arizona, Michigan, Ohio, Texas and Virginia…One year ago, AFPF initiated a project to reach outside the already engaged base of active citizens by trying to identify and involve the ‘disengaged middle’ in the policy process. The first year’s work helped AFP refine both the formula it established to accomplish its purpose and the audiences it hoped to reach. Last year’s work told them what type of events worked and provided a clear outline of need for the next twelve months – women ages 33-55 and millennials.”

Bradley Files

In 2017, the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD), publishers of SourceWatch, launched a series of articles on the Milwaukee-based Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, exposing the inner-workings of one of America's largest right-wing foundations. 56,000 previously undisclosed documents laid bare the Bradley Foundation's highly politicized agenda. CMD detailed Bradley's efforts to map and measure right wing infrastructure nationwide, including by dismantling and defunding unions to impact state elections; bankrolling discredited spin doctor Richard Berman and his many front groups; and more. Find the series here at ExposedbyCMD.org.

Ties to the Trump Administration

Former AFPF Employees in Trump Administration

As of April 2018:

• Eli Henry Miller (former Senior Development Officer), Department of the Treasury
• Patrick Burke Shaheen (former Field Staffer), Department of Education

Funding

The Americans for Prosperity Foundation does not disclose its donors, but some of its funding sources are known through other tax filings. AFPF's known funders include:

• Adolph Coors Foundation: $120,000 (2015)
• American Endowment Foundation: $225,000 (2021-2022)
• The Bessemer Giving Fund: $200,000 (2021-2022)
• Bradley Impact Fund Inc: $180,100 (2017-2019, 2021)
• Buntrock Foundation For Leadership: $500,000 (2022)
• Capital Leaders: $14,000,000 (2015-2017)
• Charles G. Koch Foundation: $338,568 (2014-2020)
• Claude R. Lambe Foundation: $4,647,000 (2005-2010)
• David H. Koch Foundation: $1,000,000 (2008)
• DonorsTrust: $794,150 (2020-2022)
• Ed Uihlein Family Foundation: $325,000 (2015-2017)
• Jlh Foundation: $40,000 (2022)
• Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation: $1,655,000 (2004-2016)
• Searle Freedom Trust: $125,000 (2016)
• Stand Together Fellowships: $151,061 (2015-2020)
• Stand Together Trust: $30,275,968 (2017-2021)
• Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program: $145,000 (2021-2022)

Core Financials

2022

• Total Revenue: $18,766,045
• Total Expenses: $8,087,796
• Net Assets: $25,182,576

Grants Distributed

• Cause of Action Institute: $200,000

2021

• Total Revenue: $11,877,459
• Total Expenses: $8,656,688
• Net Assets: $14,509,049

Grants Distributed

• National Able Network: $10,000
• Second Look Alliance: $7,000
• Young Voices: $50,000

2020

• Total Revenue: $12,068,022
• Total Expenses: $7,252,643
• Net Assets: $11,288,219

2019

• Total Revenue: $19,116,648
• Total Expenses: $16,069,008
• Net Assets: $6,405,004

Grants Distributed

• Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget: $300,000

2018

• Total Revenue: $17,280,403
• Total Expenses: $18,836,165
• Net Assets: $3,357,364

Grants Distributed

• John K MacIver Institute for Public Policy: $25,000
• SM Wright Foundation: $16,000

2017

• Total Revenue: $17,949,115
• Total Expenses: $20,292,795
• Net Assets: $4,913,126

Grants Distributed

• SM Wright Foundation: $32,000
• Young Americans for Liberty: $40,000

2016

• Total Revenue: $27,147,503
• Total Expenses: $23,028,942
• Net Assets: $7,256,806

Grants Distributed

• SM Wright Foundation: $32,000

2015

• Total Revenue: $22,192,958
• Total Expenses: $27,815,002
• Net Assets: $2,894,482

Grants Distributed

• Franklin Center: $30,000
• Kentucky Education Restoration Alliance: $7,000
• SM Wright Foundation: $24,000
• South Carolina Policy Council Education Foundation: $35,000
• Edgar County Watchdogs: $10,000

2014

• Total Revenue: $23,284,137
• Total Expenses: $21,006,809
• Net Assets: $8,516,526

Grants Distributed

• Nevada Policy Research Institute: $29,500

2013

• Total Revenue: $13,310,464
• Total Expenses: $17,700,992
• Net Assets: $6,239,198

Grants Distributed

• Georgia Public Policy Foundation: $9,250 for "Program Support"
• United Sportsmen of Wisconsin Foundation: $30,000 for "Program Support"

2012

• Total Revenue: $24,029,062
• Total Expenses: $26,587,053
• Net Assets: $10,629,726

Grants Distributed

• State Policy Network: $15,000
• Talent Market: $10,000
• Junior League of Raleigh, NC: $10,000

Personnel

As of December 2022:

Staff

• Emily Seidel, Chief Executive Officer
• Chase Downham, Senior VP of Grassroots
• Lee Steven, Senior Policy Counsel
• Cynthia Crawford, Senior Policy Counsel
• James Valvo, Chief Policy Counsel
• Eric Bolinder, Managing Policy Counsel
• Ryan Mulvey, Policy Counsel

Former Staff

• Alex Varban, Treasurer/VP of Finance
• Michael Pepson, Regulatory Counsel
• Victor Bernson, VP and General Counsel
• Robert Heaton, Former Treasurer
• Jorge Lima, Senior VP of Policy
• Daniel Garza, Executive Director
• Slade O'Brien, Vice President, Grassroots Leadership Academy
• David Johnson, Senior Director of Training/Cir.Dev.
• Lindsey Matlock, VP, Strategy and Innovation
• Gary Castellaw, Treasurer and VP of Finance (part year)
• Brent Gardner, VP/Government Affairs
• Timothy Carnahan, Treasurer, CFO
• Luke Hilgemann, Chief Executive Officer (part year)
• Sean Lansing Former COO (part year)
• Teresa Oelke, Senior VP of State Operations (part year)
• Josh Fisher, Treasurer (part year)
• Christopher Fink, President
• Lindsay Matlock, Director of Operations
• Tim Phillips, President
• Robert Heaton, Treasurer, CFO (part year)
• John Pike, VP of Technology
• Jennifer Stafano, VP-Bridge to Well Being (part year)
• Alex Guerreiro, VP of HR

Board of Directors

• Mark Holden, chair
• Jeff Ogar, Secretary
• Rob Jentgens, Treasurer
• Kim Penner
• Emily Seidel

Former Board Members

• Nancy Pfotenhauer
• Cy Nobles
• Walter Williams
• David H. Koch, Chairman
• Debra Gail Humphreys
• Richard Fink, Director
• Art Pope, Director
• Dr. Wayne E. Gable, Director
• Debra Humphreys, Director

Contact Information

Email: info@afphq.org
Phone: 703-224-3200
X: @AFPfoundation
Facebook: @Americans for Prosperity Foundation

Address

Americans for Prosperity Foundation
4201 Wilson Blvd 1000
Arlington, VA 22203

Articles and resources

IRS Form 990 Filings

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