Edward A. & Catherine L. Lozick Foundation

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The Edward A. and Catherine L. Lozick Foundation -- formerly the Edward A. Lozick Foundation -- is a 501(c)(3) non-profit based out of Pepper Pike, Ohio. The foundation has made a number of contributions to organizations affiliated with the State Policy Network (SPN) as well as other right-wing organizations.

State Policy Network

SPN is a web of right-wing “think tanks” and tax-exempt organizations in 50 states, Washington, D.C., Canada, and the United Kingdom. As of April 2023, SPN's membership totals 163. Today's SPN is the tip of the spear of far-right, nationally funded policy agenda in the states that undergirds extremists in the Republican Party. SPN Executive Director Tracie Sharp told the Wall Street Journal in 2017 that the revenue of the combined groups was some $80 million, but a 2022 analysis of SPN's main members IRS filings by the Center for Media and Democracy shows that the combined revenue is over $152 million.[1] Although SPN's member organizations claim to be nonpartisan and independent, the Center for Media and Democracy's in-depth investigation, "EXPOSED: The State Policy Network -- The Powerful Right-Wing Network Helping to Hijack State Politics and Government," reveals that SPN and its member think tanks are major drivers of the right-wing, American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)-backed corporate agenda in state houses nationwide, with deep ties to the Koch brothers and the national right-wing network of funders.[2]

In response to CMD's report, SPN Executive Director Tracie Sharp told national and statehouse reporters that SPN affiliates are "fiercely independent." Later the same week, however, The New Yorker's Jane Mayer caught Sharp in a contradiction. In her article, "Is IKEA the New Model for the Conservative Movement?," the Pulitzer-nominated reporter revealed that, in a recent meeting behind closed doors with the heads of SPN affiliates around the country, Sharp "compared the organization’s model to that of the giant global chain IKEA." She reportedly said that SPN "would provide 'the raw materials,' along with the 'services' needed to assemble the products. Rather than acting like passive customers who buy finished products, she wanted each state group to show the enterprise and creativity needed to assemble the parts in their home states. 'Pick what you need,' she said, 'and customize it for what works best for you.'" Not only that, but Sharp "also acknowledged privately to the members that the organization's often anonymous donors frequently shape the agenda. 'The grants are driven by donor intent,' she told the gathered think-tank heads. She added that, often, 'the donors have a very specific idea of what they want to happen.'"[3]

A set of coordinated fundraising proposals obtained and released by The Guardian in early December 2013 confirm many of these SPN members' intent to change state laws and policies, referring to "advancing model legislation" and "candidate briefings." These activities "arguably cross the line into lobbying," The Guardian notes.[4]

Contributions to State Policy Network Organizations and Right-Wing Groups

The Edward A. and Catherine L. Lozick Foundation funded a number of SPN organizations in 2014, including a $5,000 contribution directly to the State Policy Network. Information accessed via the organization's 2014 IRS tax filing:[5]

Funding Other Right-Wing Groups

In 2014, the Edward and Cathrine Lozick foundation made contributions to the following right-wing organizations:[5]

The Edward A. & Catherine L. Lozick Foundation donated $5,000 directly to the State Policy Network in 2013 and $7,500 in 2012.[6][7]

Ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council

In 2014, the foundation contributed $1,500 to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), $1,000 in 2013, and $1,000 in 2012.[5][6][7]

About ALEC
ALEC is a corporate bill mill. It is not just a lobby or a front group; it is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, corporations hand state legislators their wishlists to benefit their bottom line. Corporations fund almost all of ALEC's operations. They pay for a seat on ALEC task forces where corporate lobbyists and special interest reps vote with elected officials to approve “model” bills. Learn more at the Center for Media and Democracy's ALECexposed.org, and check out breaking news on our ExposedbyCMD.org site.

Core Financials

2014[5]

  • Total Revenue: $4,834,952
  • Total Expenses: $2,133,280
  • Contributions, gifts, grants paid: $2,101,625
  • Net Assets: $26,466,770

2013[6]

  • Total Revenue: $4,006,717
  • Total Expenses: $2,194,884
  • Contributions, gifts, grants paid: $2,158,270
  • Net Assets: $19,001,163

2012[7]

  • Total Revenue: $3,676,722
  • Total Expenses: $1,356,134
  • Contributions, gifts, grants paid: $1,316,283
  • Net Assets: $16,680,575

Personnel

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors was accessed via the organization's 2014 IRS tax filing:[5]

  • Edward A. Lozick, President and Trustee
  • Catherine L. Lozick, Secretary and Trustee
  • Thomas Janoch, Treasurer and Trustee

Contact

Employer Identification Number (EIN): 34-1386776

Edward A.& Catherine L. Lozick Foundation
29425 Chagrin Boulevard, Suite 201
Pepper Pike, Ohio 44122
Phone: (216) 839-0400

References

  1. David Armiak, State Policy Network and Affiliates Raises $152 Million Annually to Push Right-Wing Policies, ExposedbyCMD, September 30, 2022.
  2. Rebekah Wilce, Center for Media and Democracy, EXPOSED: The State Policy Network -- The Powerful Right-Wing Network Helping to Hijack State Politics and Government, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
  3. Jane Mayer, Is IKEA the New Model for the Conservative Movement?, The New Yorker, November 15, 2013.
  4. Ed Pilkington and Suzanne Goldenberg, State conservative groups plan US-wide assault on education, health and tax, The Guardian, December 5, 2013.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Edward A. & Catherine L. Lozick Foundation, 2014 IRS Form 990, Internal Revenue Service, April 27, 2014.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Edward A. & Catherine L. Lozick Foundation, 2013 IRS Form 990, Internal Revenue Service, May 9, 2014.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Edward A. & Catherine L. Lozick Foundation, 2012 IRS Form 990, Internal Revenue Service, May 6, 2013.