American Culture Project
The American Culture Project (ACP) is a 501(c)(4) right-wing nonprofit officially registered as the Americans for Government Accountability.
According to a fundraising proposal obtained by The Washington Post, ACP was created "to address the right's gap of cultural influence" and plans on "building a permanent, growing community focused infrastructure to take back the commanding heights of culture that determines electoral outcomes."[1]
ACP's president is John Tillman, who is also the chairman and CEO of the Illinois Policy Institute and the chairman of the Franklin News Foundation.
Contents
News and Controversies
Targeted Billionaire Warren Stephens for Funding
In March 2021, the American Culture Project sent a fundraising proposal to Warren Stephens, an Arkansas-based billionaire. The proposal describes ACP's mission to compete for cultural control with "the left" to "shape and frame the political field in advance of the 2022 election and beyond, significantly improving the probability of electoral wins for conservatives running election campaigns."[1]
In 2022, ACP plans to focus its efforts in eleven states: Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, Arizona, Iowa, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin.[1]
The proposal offered Stephens three tiers of suggested donations:
- "A $300,000 gift will ensure we get to nearly half of our threshold penetration in all 11 of our target states;
- A $1 million gift will ensure we reach 64% of the goal, enabling launches in our six target states for 2021 while growing audiences in our current active states;
- A $2.5 million gift would be transformational, and help us to maximize the impact for 2022 by reaching that tipping point threshold in all 11 target states and 45 of the 91 districts that determine control."[1]
Social Media Efforts
In addition to other methods, ACP uses Facebook pages to "cultivate new ways of engaging with voters by sharing practical information about everything from education to voting while also seeking to gin up anger over claims of government malfeasance."[2] Pages sponsored by the organization include Arise Ohio, Mighty Michigan and Stand Up Florida.[2]
Ties to the Franklin News Foundation
ACP's president John Tillman is also the chairman of the Franklin News Foundation. Additionally, ACP's executive director Kristina Rasmussen is the former director of the news organization. As reported by the Washington Post, ACP's "Arise Ohio and other pages in Tillman’s network often post stories produced by the Center Square", a project of the Franklin News Foundation.[2]
Core Financials
2018[3]
- Total Revenue: $66,862
- Total Expenses: $13,838
- Net Assets: $13,838
Personnel
Board of Directors
As of 2021:[2]
- John Tillman, President
- Kristina Rasmussen, Executive Director
As of 2018:[3]
- Todd Franks
- Chaz Cirame
Contact Information
American Culture Project
190 South LaSalle Street
Chicago, IL 60603
EIN: 83-1575590
Website: https://amculture.org/
Phone: 312-346-5700
Articles and Resources
IRS Form 990 Filings
Related SourceWatch
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 American Culture Project, "'Reclaiming the Public Narrative': A fundraising proposal from the American Culture Project", Washington Post, April 3, 2021, accessed June 3, 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Isaac Stanley-Becker, "Inside a stealth ‘persuasion machine’ promising Republican victories in 2022", Washington Post, April 3, 2021, accessed June 7, 2021.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 American Culture Project, 2018 IRS Form 990, organizational tax filing, February 4, 2019.
