How the Koch Network Funnels Anonymous Millions to Fight Feminism - Inside Philanthropy: Fundraising Intelligence - Inside Phila
Politico once referred to Freedom Partners, a group that makes tens of millions of dollars in grants a year to conservative causes, as the “Koch Brothers’ Secret Bank.” By pooling the resources of wealthy investors, Freedom Partners acts as a pass-through between anonymous, big money donors and nonprofit groups with right-wing leanings.
For example, since 2012 Freedom Partners has donated more than $8.4 million to Concerned Women for America, a public policy-focused women’s group whose stated mission is “to protect and promote Biblical values among all citizens.”
CWA goes to the mat for issues like fighting same-sex marriage, outlawing abortion, allowing prayer in schools, and criminalizing pornography. These are not policy initiatives I typically associate with nonprofits with the word “women” in their names. But then, most charitable endeavors focused on women and girls aren’t funded by Koch affiliates, either.
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Concerned Women for America has received some press lately for leading the charge against the National Women’s History Museum. CWA’s president and CEO, Penny Nance, penned an op-ed about her opposition to the proposed institution, to be partially funded with public support and situated on the National Mall. In Breitbart News last month, Nance warned that the NWHM “baldly favors a liberal jaundiced view of history,” and would disproportionately feature and elevate the histories of women who embrace such policies as the “whiny ‘#banbossy’ campaign and other phony feminist ‘battles’ of the American left.”
From the embedded link:
Freedom Partners is organized under the same section of the Tax Code as a trade association, a 501(c)6, which allows the group to conceal its donors from public release, although the amounts and recipients of its major grants are public.
The filing offers a rare tour of the conservative movement and how it gets its funds:
• Center to Protect Patient Rights, a group that vehemently opposes Obamacare: a total of $115 million, from three grants.
• Americans for Prosperity, an organizing and advocacy group that is courted by Republican presidential candidates: $32.3 million.
• The 60 Plus Association, a free-market seniors group that also opposes Obamacare: $15.7 million.
• American Future Fund, an Iowa group that spent a lot of money on ads in 2012, many for Mitt Romney: $13.6 million.
• Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, which gets involved in a number of social policy debates: $8.2 million.
• Themis Trust, a Koch-based voter database that is made available to other conservative organizations: $5.8 million.
• Public Notice, a fiscal policy think tank: $5.5 million.
• Generation Opportunity, a group for “liberty-loving” young people: $5 million.
• The LIBRE Initiative, which targets a free-market message to Hispanic immigrants: $3.1 million.
• The National Rifle Association: $3.5 million.
• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce: $2 million.
• American Energy Alliance: $1.5 million.
• And several groups — including the State Tea Party Express, the Tea Party Patriots and Heritage Action for America — got less than $1 million each.
Read more: politico.com