Young America's Foundation

Young America's Foundation (YAF) describes itself as "the principal outreach organization of the Conservative Movement". YAF is an "associate" member of the State Policy Network. According to its website, "Young America’s Foundation is committed to ensuring that increasing numbers of young Americans understand and are inspired by the ideas of individual freedom, a strong national defense, free enterprise, and traditional values. As the principal outreach organization of the Conservative Movement, the Foundation introduces thousands of American youth to these principles. We accomplish our mission by providing essential conferences, seminars, educational materials, internships, and speakers to young people across the country."

News and Controversies

Penn State Controversial Speaker

In April 2023, the Penn State chapter of Young America's Foundation, which in the past has attempted to host hosted controversial speakers like Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes, attempted to host noted right-wing speakers James Lindsy and Alex Stein. The event was eventually canceled due to "Young America’s Foundation’s alleged issue with the location".

The speaker James Lindsay, according to The Southern Poverty Law Center, "is a leading voice in the reactionary anti-student inclusion, anti-LGBTQ, and conspiracy propaganda movements.”

DonorsTrust serves as a "dark money ATM" that distributes cash to right-leaning networks. According to DeSmog DonorsTrust "regularly distributes to conservative causes, many of which deny the science and impacts of human-caused climate change or the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions."

Bankrolling Controversial Lectures on Campus

In May 2017, the New York Times noted an uptick in the provocative nature of campus speakers sponsored by YAF, following a massive contribution from Robert Ruhe. "The speakers have gotten edgier, more-in-your face and sometime even meanspirited... The resulting clashes on university campuses, including protests and efforts to block speeches, have raised free speech questions." In 2016, YAF funded 111 speakers on 77 campuses, and according to its website, in April 2017 alone, it funded 31 campus lectures.

YAF Sponsors Anti-Muslim Extremists

In May 2017 YAF sponsored a lecture at University of Buffalo by Robert Spencer. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) described Spencer as "one of America’s most prolific and vociferous anti-Muslim propagandists." Spencer is director of the "muslim-bashing" Jihad Watch blog.

YAF sponsored lectures by David Horowitz, founder of the David Horowitz Freedom Center. SPLC describes Horowitz as "a driving force of the anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant and anti-black movements." In 2016, at the University of Michigan, Horowitz called Black Lives Matter the "most vicious racist movement this country has seen since the Klu Klux Klan at its heyday."

YAF President Scott Walker

In July 2019, Scott Walker, former Governor of Wisconsin, accepted the full-time position of being YAF's president. As a part of his focus, Walker's chief is to promote conservatism among young people.

Walker currently oversees YAF's "The Long Game," which is a project to spread conservative ideals and values to younger generations. They do this by creating chapters of YAF from middle school all the way through college in order to distribute educational materials in order to spread their message.

Ties to the State Policy Network

YAF is an associate member of the State Policy Network. SPN is a web of right-wing “think tanks” and tax-exempt organizations in 48 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom. As of June 2024, SPN's membership totals 167. 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. 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.

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.'"

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.

Sponsored Speakers

See the full list here.

• Zuby
• John Ashcroft
• Rachel Campos-Duffy
• Ward Connerly
• Kellyanne Conway
• Dinesh D’Souza
• Nonie Darwish
• Frank Donatelli
• Michelle Easton
• Larry Elder
• Vince Everett Ellison
• Alex Epstein
• Erick Erickson
• Nigel Farage
• Dan Flynn
• Burt Folsom
• Humberto Fontova
• Steve Forbes
• Newt Gingrich
• Jonah Goldberg
• Seth Gruber
• Greg Gutfeld
• Josh Hammer
• Daniel Hannan
• Kevin Hassett
• Kristan Hawkins
• Ian Haworth
• Trent Horn
• Chris Horner
• David Horowitz
• Jerome Hudson
• L. Brent Bozell III
• Jake Jacobs
• Sonnie Johnson
• Barry Goldwater Jr
• Dr. Paul Kengor
• Andrew Klavan
• Michael Knowles
• Elisha Krauss
• Dr. Arthur Laffer
• Rabbi Daniel Lapin
• David Limbaugh
• Dr. James Lindsay
• Dana Loesch
• Mia Love
• Rich Lowry
• Harvey Mansfield
• Daniel Di Martino
• Jason Mattera
• Phelim McAleer
• Ann McElhinney
• Jared Meyer
• Stephen Miller
• Steve Moore
• Deroy Murdock
• Oliver North
• Ted Nugent
• James O'Keefe
• Kate Obenshain
• Burgess Owens
• Yeonmi Park
• Star Parker
• Buzz Patterson
• Katie Pavlich
• Mike Pence
• Ryan T. Anderson, Ph.D.
• Joseph Phillips
• Dennis Prager
• Andrew F. Puzder
• Michael Reagan
• Lila Grace Rose
• Abby Roth
• Karl Rove
• Rick Santorm
• Jonathan Schanzer
• Larry Schweikart
• Peter Schweizer
• Jeff Sessions
• Ben Shapiro
• Marc Short
• Christina Sommers
• Robert Spencer
• Sean Spicer
• Jennifer Stefano
• Ben Stein
• Ken Stiles
• John Stossel
• Carol M. Swain
• Tom Tancredo
• Marc Thiessen
• Scott Walker
• Matt Walsh
• Jesse Watters
• Lt. Col. Allen West
• Liz Wheeler
• Kirby Wilbur
• Byron York

National Journalism Center

Formed in 1977, The NCJ sets out to help connect journalists to various conservative news outlets and publications. Since 2001 NJC has become a project of YAF and utilizes its resources and networks to help pipeline young conservatives to conservative organizations. In addition, the center offers 12-week journalism courses that teach young conservatives to incoepraterte traditional ideals into their reporting.

Noted Alumni Include:

• Malcolm Gladwell
• Steve F. Hayward
• Tim Carney
• John Fund
• Greg Gutfeld
• Jason Mattera
• Dan Joseph
• Nathaniel Ryun
• Andrew Ryun
• Surekha Vijh

A full list of alumni can be found here

Reagan Ranch

YAF bought Ronald Reagan's "Rancho del Cielo" in 1998 and preserves it as "a living monument to Reagan's ideas, values, and lasting accomplishments." YAF offers opportunities to visit the ranch to its members and supporters.

Alumni

See the full list on YAF's website here.

• Attorney General Jeff Sessions
• Ann Coulter
• Wynton Hall
• Ashley Reagan
• Kathryn Lopez
• Mike Catanzaro
• Michael Fry
• Daniel Erspamer
• Alex Marlow
• Dr. Ivan Pongracic
• Melissa Quinn
• Jim Graham
• Elizabeth Graham
• Marc Thiessen
• Peter Schweizer
• Todd Buchholz
• Andrew Wong
• Sarah Westwood
• Chuck Cunningham
• Ying Ma
• Alex Mooney
• J. Michael Waller
• Grant Strobl
• Frank Donatelli
• Trump Advisor Stephen Miller
• Lauren Scirocco
• Katie Pavlich
• Dan Flynn
• Ricardo Reyes
• Ryan Sawtelle
• Tim Carney

Funding

Young America's Foundation is not required to disclose its funders, but major foundation supporters can be found through their IRS filings. Here are some known contributors:

• Abbvie Foundation $100 (2019)
• Advisors Charitable Gift Fund: $30,250 (2018-2020)
• Albemarle Foundation: $100 (2018-2019)
• Allan And Patricia Boscacci Family Foundation: $25,000 (2019)
• American Endowment Foundation: $27,530 (2019-2020)
• American Online Giving Foundation Inc: $52,290 (2020-2021)
• Ayco Charitable Foundation: $22,900 (2020)
• Bank Of America Charitable Foundation Inc: $525 (2017-2018)
• Bedrock Foundation Corp: $42,000 (2021)
• Christian J And Eva W Trefz Family Foundation Inc: $5,500 (2017-2020)
• Coastal Community Foundation: $30,000 (2018-2020)
• Common Sense Educational Fund Inc: $250 (2018)
• D James Kennedy Foundation Inc C/O Thomas V Siciliano: $100 (2021)
• Daniel B & Carolyn G Heard Foundation: $18,905 (2019)
• Elsie P And Lucius B Mccowan Private Foundation: $300 (2021)
• Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund: $1,589,758 (2017-2021)
• Friesen Foundation Inc: $10,000 (2021-2022)
• Ge Foundation: $5,375 (2020)
• George T And Joan M Beck Foundation Inc: $15,000 (2020)
• Gods Gift: $100,000 (2017)
• Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund: $42,500 (2017-2020)
• Grace And Li Yu Family Foundation: $600 (2018-2021)
• Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation: $5,000 (2018)
• Greater Salina Community Foundation: $25,000 (2022)
• Hannah Foundation: $2,000 (2017-2019)
• Henry Safford Peacock Foundation: $14,000 (2017-2020)
• James Deering Danielson Foundation: $8,000 (2020-2021)
• James P And Margaret L Zehnder Foundation Inc: $451 (2018)
• John E & Sue M Jackson Irr: $15,000 (2020)
• John Garbaczewski Family Foundation: $10,000 (2021)
• Jpmorgan Chase Foundation: $1,870 (2017-2019)
• Katharine Audrey Webb Foundation: $20,000 (2019-2020)
• King Ranch Foundation Inc: $5,500 (2017-2018)
• Kirchner Family Foundation: $600 (2017-2019)
• Mehlig Family Foundation: $250 (2017)
• Minnesota Community Foundation: $182,920 (2017-2019)
• Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc: $195,000 (2018-2019)
• Morris Family Charitable Foundation Inc: $1,500 (2020)
• National Center For Housing Management: $10,000 (2018)
• Nehemiah Foundation: $4,000 (2020-2022)
• Nicholas And Kathleen Mayall Memorial Foundation: $1,000 (2018-2019)
• Peery Cauthen Foundation Colonial Trust Company: $1,500 (2017-2019)
• Ralph And Jeanne Jennings Family Foundation: $8,000 (2018-2020)
• Reinsch Pierce Family Foundation Inc: $2,000 (2020-2021)
• Ronald Reagan Home Preservation Foundation: $383,646 (2020)
• Rosenstiel Foundation: $2,500 (2020)
• Ruby Dooby Foundation: $25,000 (2019)
• Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation $215,500 (2020-2021)
• Sandra And Lawrence Post Family Foundation: $600 (2017-2019)
• Schiewetz Foundation Inc: $290,000 (2018)
• Shell Oil Company Foundation: $1,388 (2017-2020)
• Sid And Carol Verdoorn Family Foundation: $45,000 (2018-2019)
• Steusloff Lowell F Char Tr: $175773 (2017-2021)
• T Rowe Price Program For Charitable Giving Inc: $7,200 (2022)
• The Ayco Charitable Foundation: $11,200 (2020)
• The Santomero Family Foundation Inc Co Denise C R Santomero: $200 (2020-2021)
• The Tito And Sandra Tiberti Foundation: $5,000 (2021)
• Trudeau Family Foundation: $2,000 (2017-2018)
• The Rosenstiel Foundation: $2,000 (2021)
• Towering Pines Foundation: $7,500 (2021)
• Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program: $194,000 (2021)
• Wallace Walter F Jr Memorial Foundation: $15,000 (2018-2021)
• Warren And Katharine Schlinger Foundation: $10,000 (2017)
• Ww And Jj Choi Foundation Inc: $1,000 (2019)
• Xcel Energy Foundation: $50 (2019)
• Youth Freedom Foundation: $300 (2020)

Robert Ruhe is YAF's largest donor with his estate gift of $16 million. According to the New York Times, "armed with a $16 million infusion... the organization has doubled its programming, including campus speeches."

Dick and Betsy DeVos gave $10 million to endow the Reagan Ranch.

Between 2002 and 2015, YAF received $561,500 from the right-wing Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. YAF has received $20,000 from the Charles G. Koch Foundation and $12,500 from the Claude R. Lambe Foundation.

Between 2010 and 2015 YAF received $913,986 from DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund, two funds with ties to the Koch brothers that shield the identity of their donors. See a full list of DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund grant recipients here.

Core Financials

2021

• Total Revenue: $39,445,693
• Total Expenses: $27,867,656
• Net Assets: $103,780,586

2020

• Total Revenue: $27,991,196
• Total Expenses: $20,769,739
• Net Assets: $87,285,772

2019

• Total Revenue: $33,050,410
• Total Expenses: $26,250,582
• Net Assets: $76,156,484

2018

• Total Revenue: $27,687,804
• Total Expenses: $23,723,028
• Net Assets: $70,014,126

2017

• Total Revenue: $24,919,352
• Total Expenses: $23,732,722
• Net Assets: $69,486,929

2016

• Total Revenue: $22,679,889
• Total Expenses: $22,503,585
• Net Assets: $67,460,399

2015

• Total Revenue: $36,193,437
• Total Expenses: $21,482,145
• Net Assets: $65,466,174

2014

• Total Revenue: $23,148,860
• Total Expenses: $19,434,635
• Net Assets: $53,308,275

2013

• Total Revenue: $20,252,842
• Total Expenses: $16,380,309
• Net Assets: $50,340,142

2012

• Total Revenue: $22,155,329
• Total Expenses: $16,580,857
• Net Assets: $47,127,448

Personnel

Board of Directors

As of May 17, 2023:

• Scott Walker, Board President/YAF President
• Ronald Pearson, Vice President
• Frank Donatelli, Secretary and Treasurer
• Kimberly Begg
• T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr.
• Wynton C. Hall
• Nicole Hoplin
• Kate Obenshain Keeler
• Peter Schweizer
• Thomas L. Phillips, Director Emeritus

Staff

See YAF's listed staff here.

Related SourceWatch articles

• National Journalism Center
• Young Britons Foundation

Contact Information

Employer Identification Number (EIN): 23-7042029

YAF National Headquarters
11480 Commerce Park Dr, Suite 600
Reston, Virginia 20191-1556
Phone: (703).318.9608
Phone: (800).USA.1776
Website: http://www.yaf.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/youngamericasfoundation/
Twitter: @yaf

Reagan Ranch Center
217 State Street
Santa Barbara, California 93101
Phone: (805).957.1980
Website: http://www.reaganranch.yaf.org/

Articles and Resources

IRS Form 990 Filings

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016