American Future Fund

Last updated
American Future Fund
Founded2007 (2007) [1]
Type 501(c)(4) Nonprofit
26-0620554 (EIN)
Location
Coordinates 41°32′47″N93°38′42″W / 41.5463°N 93.6449°W / 41.5463; -93.6449
Area served
United States
Members
3
Key people
Sandra Greiner, President [1]
Revenue
$23,304,826 (2010) [2]
Employees
0
Volunteers
32,340 [1]
Website americanfuturefund.com

The American Future Fund is a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization based in Iowa. [3]

Contents

Organization

Nick Ryan, an adviser to U.S. Representative Jim Nussle, founded the organization in 2007. [4] Its current president is another Iowa state Senator Sandra Greiner. [5] All are Republicans who served on Mitt Romney's campaign for the Republican U.S. Presidential nomination in 2008. [6]

The fund describes itself as providing Americans with "a conservative and free market viewpoint" with the means to communicate and advocate on behalf of those beliefs. [7] In 2010, the fund reported over 9 million dollars of independent campaign expenditures to the Federal Election Commission, and all of its expenditures benefited Republicans. [8] According to OpenSecrets, the American Future Fundranked fourth in spending by nonprofits during the 2012 federal elections. [9]

The organization does not disclose the names of those who provide its funding. [10] The Koch brothers have acknowledged funding the American Freedom Fund in some years. Others identified as providing funding include Iowa businessman Bruce Rastetter, a founder of US ethanol-producer Hawkeye Energy Holdings, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a lobbying group. [9]

It is affiliated with the Center to Protect Patient Rights. [11] [12]

Activities

The Fund's first communications effort was a positive ad in support of a candidate. Much of its communications work since then have involved negative advertising against Democrats, [13] but also includes advocacy for a Libertarian candidate designed to hurt a Democrat's chance of winning an election and television ads against Donald Trump during his campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

See also

Related Research Articles

In the United States, a political action committee (PAC) is a tax-exempt 527 organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaigns for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation. The legal term PAC was created in pursuit of campaign finance reform in the United States. Democracies of other countries use different terms for the units of campaign spending or spending on political competition. At the U.S. federal level, an organization becomes a PAC when it receives or spends more than $1,000 for the purpose of influencing a federal election, and registers with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), according to the Federal Election Campaign Act as amended by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. At the state level, an organization becomes a PAC according to the state's election laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Weld</span> 68th Governor of Massachusetts

William Floyd Weld is an American attorney, businessman, author, and politician who served as the 68th Governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997. A Harvard and Oxford graduate, Weld began his career as legal counsel to the United States House Committee on the Judiciary before becoming the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts and later, the United States Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division. He worked on a series of high-profile public corruption cases and later resigned in protest of an ethics scandal and associated investigations into Attorney General Edwin Meese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Kasich</span> American politician and former television host (born 1952)

John Richard Kasich Jr. is an American politician and author who was the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001, and a Republican candidate for the presidential nomination in 2000 and 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial election</span> Election

The 2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican acting governor Jane Swift chose not to seek a full term in office. Republican businessman Mitt Romney defeated Democratic Treasurer Shannon O'Brien.

Americans for Prosperity (AFP), founded in 2004, is a libertarian conservative political advocacy group in the United States affiliated with brothers Charles Koch and the late David Koch. As the Koch family's primary political advocacy group, it is one of the most influential American conservative organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 United States presidential election</span> 57th quadrennial U.S. presidential election

The 2012 United States presidential election was the 57th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. Incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, incumbent Vice President Joe Biden, were re-elected to a second term. They defeated the Republican ticket of former Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.

Tony Hwang is an American real estate agent and politician. A Republican, he is a member of the Connecticut State Senate, for the 28th District, which covers parts of Fairfield County. Previously, Hwang as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives for the 134th District in the Connecticut General Assembly. Hwang became a state representative in 2008 and won re-election in 2010 and 2012. He was elected to the state Senate in 2014 and subsequently reelected. He is the assistant Senate Minority Leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Political activities of the Koch brothers</span> Charles G. and David H. Koch and their activities in US politics

Charles G. and David H. Koch (1940–2019), sometimes referred to as the Koch brothers, have become famous for their financial and political influence in United States politics with a libertarian, more so, right-libertarian or American-style libertarian political stance. From around 2004 to 2019, with "foresight and perseverance", the brothers organized like-minded wealthy libertarian-oriented conservatives, spent hundreds of millions of dollars of their own money to build an "integrated" and "stealth" network of think tanks, foundations, "grassroots" movements, academic programs, advocacy and legal groups to "destroy the prevalent statist paradigm" reshape public opinion to favor minimal government. As of mid 2018, the media has been encouraged to refer to the "Koch network" rather than the "Koch brothers".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dark money</span> Undisclosed American political contributions

In politics, particularly the politics of the United States, dark money refers to spending to influence elections, public policy, and political discourse, where the source of the money is not disclosed to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Republican Party presidential primaries</span> Selection of Republican US presidential candidate

Presidential primaries and caucuses of the Republican Party took place within all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories between February 1 and June 7, 2016. These elections selected the 2,472 delegates that were sent to the Republican National Convention. Businessman and reality television star Donald Trump won the Republican nomination for president of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Haugh</span> American politician

Sean Newton Haugh is an American politician and pizza delivery man who has run for Senate in North Carolina under the Libertarian Party nomination in 2002, 2014 and 2016. He currently resides in Durham, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Johnson 2016 presidential campaign</span> Political campaign

The 2016 presidential campaign of Gary Johnson, the 29th Governor of New Mexico, was announced on January 6, 2016, for the nomination of the Libertarian Party for President of the United States. He officially won the nomination on May 29, 2016, at the Libertarian National Convention in Orlando, Florida, receiving 56% of the vote on the second ballot. Former Massachusetts Governor William Weld was endorsed by Johnson for the Libertarian vice-presidential nomination, which he also received on May 29, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Kasich 2016 presidential campaign</span>

The 2016 presidential campaign of John Kasich, the 69th governor of Ohio, was announced on July 21, 2015. He was a candidate for the 2016 Republican Party presidential nomination. He earned 154 delegates and won only one contest, his home state, Ohio. Kasich suspended his campaign on May 4, 2016, one day after becoming the last major challenger to Donald Trump for the nomination. Kasich vied to become the first Pennsylvania native to hold the office since James Buchanan in 1856, as well as the first from the city of Pittsburgh to do so.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States presidential election in North Carolina</span>

The 2016 United States presidential election in North Carolina held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, as part of the 2016 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. North Carolina voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote, pitting the Republican Party's nominee, businessman Donald Trump, and running mate Indiana Governor Mike Pence against Democratic Party nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and her running mate Virginia Senator Tim Kaine. North Carolina had 15 electoral votes in the Electoral College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries</span> Selection of Libertarian Party US presidential candidate

The 2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries and caucuses allowed electors to indicate non-binding preferences for the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate. These differed from the Republican or Democratic presidential primaries and caucuses in that they did not appoint delegates to represent a candidate at the party's convention to select the party's nominee for the United States presidential election. The party's nominee for the 2016 presidential election was chosen directly by registered delegates at the 2016 Libertarian National Convention, which ran from May 26 to 30, 2016. The delegates nominated former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson for President and former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld for Vice President.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States presidential election in Utah</span> Election in Utah

The 2016 United States presidential election in Utah was held on November 8, 2016, as part of the 2016 United States presidential election which was also held in the other 49 states and in the District of Columbia. Voters were asked to pick 6 electors to be pledged for a candidate in the Electoral College. The two main tickets of the election were the Republican one, consisting of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana Governor Mike Pence, and the Democratic one, consisting of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitt Romney's 2016 anti-Trump speech</span> Political speech

On March 3, 2016, U.S. Republican politician Mitt Romney delivered a major speech for the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the Libby Gardner Hall in the University of Utah. In that speech, he denounced Donald Trump, who was then the front-runner in the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries. He urged citizens to use tactical voting in the remaining primaries and caucuses to maximize the chance of denying Trump a delegate majority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States Senate election in Arizona</span>

The 2022 United States Senate election in Arizona was held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Arizona.

The Sixteen Thirty Fund is a hub of undisclosed political spending on the American Left. The group serves as a fiscal sponsor for other organizations, incubating and financing various progressive projects. According to The New York Times, "The Sixteen Thirty is part of a broader network of progressive nonprofits that donors use to fill specific spaces on the political chessboard." The Sixteen Thirty Fund is administered by Arabella Advisors, a for-profit consulting firm.

Randy Kendrick is an American conservative political activist and donor. She is married to billionaire Ken Kendrick, the owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "2010 IRS Form 990 Federal Tax Return" (PDF). Foundation Center. Retrieved October 4, 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. "Nonprofit Report for American Future Fund". GuideStar. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  3. "A New GOP Player in the Soft Money World". The Washington Post. March 24, 2008.
  4. Jacobs, Jennifer (May 27, 2011). "Power fundraiser Nicole Schlinger signs on with Pawlenty". Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  5. Robertson, Laurie (September 18, 2011). "American Future Fund". Annenberg Public Policy Center . Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  6. Evans, Will (August 20, 2008). "Profile: American Future Fund". National Public Radio. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  7. "About Us". American Freedom Fund. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  8. Farnam, T.W. "American Future Fund". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Zuvich, Cady (January 28, 2016). "Koch-linked group blasts John Kasich in ad buy". Al Jazeera. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  10. Yamamura, Kevin (November 6, 2012). "Political contributions more difficult to trace after key U.S. Supreme Court decisions". Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on January 6, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
  11. Stone, Peter H. (May 31, 2012). "Fine line between politics and issues spending by secretive 501(c)(4) groups". Center for Public Integrity. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  12. "Center's activities provide glimpse into network of conservative advocacy groups". Boston Herald. May 29, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  13. 1 2 Evans, Will (August 20, 2008). "Profile: American Future Fund". NPR. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  14. "Outside groups making play to help Romney with ads". CBS News . Associated Press. September 27, 2012. Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  15. "Who's the "Imposter"? Chris Koster or Nonprofit Behind Attack Ad?". The Riverfront Times. September 25, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-11-01. Retrieved 2012-09-29.
  16. "$4 million added to support Prop. 32". The Sacramento Bee. September 15, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-09-18. Retrieved 2012-09-29.
  17. Jacobson, Louis (August 14, 2012). "Did New Mexico rep spend 1 trillion tax dollars on a stimulus for 'failed companies here and jobs overseas'?". Politifact. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  18. Daté, S.V. (October 23, 2014). "Outside Group Sends Blunt Message In N.C. Senate Race". NPR. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  19. Bice, Daniel (November 2, 2014). "Pro-weed ads prompt blunt exchange between Walker and Burke campaigns". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  20. Kessler, Glenn (February 29, 2016). "A trio of truthful attack ads about Trump University". Washington Post. Retrieved June 3, 2016.