Freedom Partners
Freedom Partners was a nonprofit 501(c)(6) organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. The organization, which was founded in 2011 under the name Association for American Innovation, was purposed to promote "the benefits of free markets and a free society."[3] It was partially funded by the Koch brothers,[4] and sponsored various Republican politicians and conservative groups. The group was dissolved in 2019 amidst a restructuring of the Koch family's giving.[5]
 Freedom Partners Logo | |
| Founded | November 2011 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 2019 |
| Type | Chamber of commerce 501(c)(6) |
| 45-3732750 (EIN) | |
| Location |
|
Members | 200 |
Key people |
|
Revenue | $255,674,218 (FY 2011) |
| Website | freedompartners |
Formerly called | Association for American Innovation |
| [1][2] | |
Membership
Freedom Partners was structured as a chamber of commerce and was composed of around 200 members who each paid a minimum US$100,000 in annual dues. In 2012, the organization raised $256 million.[6]
The organization was partially funded by the Koch brothers,[4] although it operated independently of Koch Industries.[7] A majority of Freedom Partners board was made up of long-time employees of Koch entities.[8][9][10]
Activities
Freedom Partners gave grants worth a total of $236 million to conservative organizations including Tea Party groups like the Tea Party Patriots and organizations which opposed the Affordable Care Act prior to the 2012 election. In 2012, Freedom Partners made a grant of $115 million to the Center to Protect Patient Rights.[1] Ahead of the 2012 presidential election, Freedom Partners donated $8.1 million to the Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee.[11]
During the first weekend of August 2015, it held an audition featuring Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Scott Walker, and Carly Fiorina to see who would gets the organization's support in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign.[12]
It also awarded grants to advocacy organizations with the goal of raising public awareness about "important societal and economic issues".[3]
See also
References
- Surgey, Nick (September 16, 2013). "Revealed: Extensive Koch Links to New Right-Wing $250 Million Mega Fund". PR Watch. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
- "Freedom Partners 2011 Form 990 Federal Tax Return". Center for Responsive Politics. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
- "About Us". Freedom Partners. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
- Chris Rufer (23 March 2015). "End This Corporate Welfare" (Opinion Pages). NY Times. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
- Hohmann, James (May 20, 2019). "The Koch network is reorganizing under a new name and with new priorities". Washington Post. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- Allen, Mike; Vandehei, Jim (September 11, 2013). "The Koch brothers' secret bank". Politico. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
- "Koch and Freedom Partners". kochfacts.com. Koch Industries. September 12, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
- Confessore, Nicholas (September 12, 2013). "Tax Filings Hint at Extent of Koch Brothers' Reach". New York Times. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
- Seitz-Wald, Alex (September 13, 2013). "Koch Brothers Break New Ground in Dark Money". National Journal. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
- Blumenthal, Paul (September 12, 2013). "Koch Brothers Respond To Report On Freedom Partners, Their New Political Organization". Huffington Post. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
- Fang, Lee. ""Libertarian" Koch brothers finance group protesting gay marriage at supreme Court". The intercept. First Look Media. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- Parton, Heather (July 31, 2015). "The Koch Brothers' twisted beauty pageant: The disturbing way they're choosing which GOP candidate to buy". Salon.
