Americans for Prosperity (AFP)

Background

Americans for Prosperity was founded by David Koch and Richard Fink in 2003 out of the remains of Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE). Like CSE, Americans for Prosperity has been accused by critics of “using the guise of nonprofit status to work, behind a screen of anonymity, on behalf of the Kochs’ corporate and political interests.” [41]

Americans for Prosperity is a 501(c)(4) “social welfare” group, which means it is able to participate in electoral politics so long as it was not its “primary” activity. Donations to Americans for Prosperity can be made anonymously, but are not tax deductible.  The other arm of AFP, the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, is a 501(c)(3) educational organization. This means donations to the AFP Foundation can be written off as tax-deductible, however it cannot participate in the same electoral politics as AFP. [41]

The initial team of AFP included Tim Phillips, who David Koch hired to run the political side of the operation. Phillips had previously worked with Ralph Reed, the former head of the Christian Coalition. The Washington Post describes AFP as a powerful part of the Koch network, “a centrally directed but federated organization with paid staffers in the states who can deploy resources and mobilize millions of activists on contact lists. […] the Koch network has more capabilities than ATR and the Club for Growth to combine lobbying with activist mobilization and electioneering.”[41], [48]

Conservative Transparency describes Americans for Prosperity as “the centerpiece of the Kochs’ political machine” and highlights its connection to the Tea Party movement.  As of 2015, AFP listed state chapters in thirty-four states. David Koch, who has been a key figure in funded think-tanks and organizations distorting climate change science, is still the chairman of the AFP Foundation.  [16], [39] [2]

AFP is also the sister organization to FreedomWorks, an organization that formed in 2004 when Citizens for a Sound Economy merged with the think tank Empower America. Both the Citizens for a Sound Economy and Citizens for a Sound Economy Foundation were created by the Koch brothers. [37], [13]

AFP Mission Statement

2016 – 2018 (current)

“Americans for Prosperity exists to recruit, educate, and mobilize citizens in support of the policies and goals of a free society at the local, state, and federal level, helping every American live their dream – especially the least fortunate. […]

[…] “Together, we’re persuading public officials to embrace an agenda of economic freedom, educating our friends and neighbors on the issues shaping our economy, and getting everyone involved in building a culture of freedom at the local, state and federal levels. ” (Emphasis added). [36]

2015 

Americans for Prosperity’s revised mission is to:

“[M]obilize citizens to advocate for policies that cut red tape and increase opportunity, put the brakes on government overspending, and get the economy working for hard workers– not special interests.” [14] 

2011

AFP originally described itself as a grassroots organization committed to engaging “citizens in the name of limited government and free markets on the local, state, and federal levels.” It educates citizens about economic policy and attempts to mobilize those citizens to become advocates in the public policy process. [1]

Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFPF)

The Americans for Prosperity Foundation is the 501(c)(3) sister organization to Americans for Prosperity, which itself operates as a 501(c)(4) organization. 

The AFP Foundation describes its mission as “educating and training citizens to be courageous advocates for the ideas, principles, and policies of a free society — knowing that leads to the greatest prosperity and wellbeing for all — especially the least fortunate.” [27]

Americans for Prosperity Action (AFPA)

Americans for Prosperity Action, a super PAC (political action committee), was launched on September 10, 2018. The Koch network had been planning the launch since a meeting in Palm Springs, California at the start of the year, when groups in the network announced they were planning to spend $400 million on the upcoming congressional elections. [73]

Less than a fortnite before, Americans for Prosperity had announced its support for eight Republican incumbents who it considered its “policy champions”: Peter Roskam, Dave Brat, Ted Budd, Steve Chabot, Will Hurd, Erik Paulsen, Rod Blum and David Young. [74]

The creation of the PAC was described by CNBC as an “indirect clapback against Trump and former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon” who reacted angrily after the Kochs raised the possibility of supporting Democratic Party candidates. [73]

The following month, Americans for Prosperity Action launched a “Seven-Figure Digital Ad Buy” to unseat Florida Senator Bill Nelson. [75]

Federal Election Commission records show AFPA raised over $12.5m worth of donations in 2018, including $5m from Koch Industries, $5m from the Freedom Partners Action Fund, which has been described as the “Koch brothers’ secret bank”, as well as $500,000 from Wayne Laufer, co-founder and retired CEO of Texas-based oil and natural gas company Bois d’Arc Energy. [77], [76]

Bill Riggs, a spokesman for the PAC, said: “Americans for Prosperity has been a difference-maker supporting policy champions in tight races, and AFP Action is a new tool that will allow us to expand those efforts and make an even larger impact.” [73]

A PAC is allowed to raise unlimited amounts of money from corporations and mega-donors but cannot contribute to or coordinate directly with a campaign.

Grassroots Leadership Academy (GLA)

The Grassroots Leadership Academy (GLA) is a project launched by Americans for Prosperity Foundation in February 2015 and based in their in Arlington, Virginia. According to its website, the group focuses on “providing educational programs and partnering with local organizations to educate the public about some of the biggest challenges facing our communities, like K-12 Education, Free Speech and Toleration, and Criminal Justice Reform.” [78], [79]

A now-deleted mission statement was more explicit about the GLA‘s support of right-wing political causes, stating its intention to create leaders who can “fight for freedom and against the progressive policies and false narratives of the left.” [80]

A September 2016 New York Times article described the group as “grooming the next generation of conservative activists to shape the future of the Republican Party”, with the Kochs spending an initial $3 million on the training programme. The report stated that the training effort had taken on greater urgency amid fears of then presidential candidate Donald Trump’s turn away from “free market” economics. Training sessions had already taken place in “roughly three dozen states, and about 10,000 people have attended an academy program.” [79]

Courses have included one entitled “The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels” which teaches participants to argue that “a turn away from fossil fuel use would ultimately be disastrous to humanity — especially the poorest of the poor.” [79]

Bold TV, a news site founded by Carrie Sheffield, former executive director of another youth-focused Koch-funded group, Generation Opportunity, published an article by Slade O’Brien, Vice President of the Grassroots Leadership Academy, who has called climate change the “lie of the century.” In the article, O’Brien notes that the group has trained leaders who have gone on to manage “well-connected and well-funded interest groups and won all over the country.” The article gives an example of someone who successfully campaigned to have speed bumps removed from their local area after graduating from the programme. [81], [82]

The Grassroots Leadership Academy has no connection to the prison reform campaign group, Grassroots Leadership, as this article from the organization makes clear. [83]

Stance on Climate Change

While AFP consistently opposes government regulation over power generation:

February 2016

“Environmentalists are frustrated. They’ve worked so hard, for so long, to get the United States on board with a binding international climate treaty. So far every attempt has failed, in large part because the American public is just not convinced. The main problem with alarmist propaganda of the last two decades is that they can only cry wolf so many times before the public begins to doubt the story,” AFP wrote in an introduction to their video, “Climate Change Gets the Cold Shoulder.” Note that the video, uploaded on December 11, 2015, no longer appears available online. [67], [68]

2016

“Abundant, affordable energy is a key driver of prosperity. We must unleash resources by removing regulatory barriers and eliminating corporate welfare that favors certain energy sources over others. When energy prices increase or government distorts the market, it disproportionately affects low and middle income families.” [40]

2015

“Abundant, affordable energy is a key driver of prosperity. We must unleash resources by removing regulatory barriers and keeping taxes low.  The environment improves with economic growth and prosperity, so an overriding goal of environmental policy should be to avoid burdening employers and entrepreneurs.” [15]

On the Keystone XL Pipeline Act which would force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline:

“We applaud Representatives Ryan, Sensenbrenner, Grothman, Duffy and Ribble on their votes to provide much needed relief for middle class families. With 8.7 million Americans still out of work, we simply cannot afford to deny access to 42,000 good-paying jobs. American families need secure jobs and the American economy needs secure energy. The Keystone Pipeline provides both. The President and Senate should act quickly to sign this bill into law and get Americans back to work.” [49]

Funding

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) & AFP Foundation

Americans for Prosperity is a non-profit organization that does not have to disclose its donors. It works closely with its 501(c)(3) sister organization, the Americans for Prosperity Foundation. The Conservative Transparency project reports the group boasts 90,000 individual donors, but a significant portion of its funding is tied to the Koch brothers. [16], [17], [18]

Conservative Transparency highlights two organizations associated with the Kochs, Freedom Partners and the Center to Protect Patient Rights, which had combined contributions of over $80 million to Americans for Prosperity since 2009. [16],  [17],  [18]

Below is a summary of data the Conservative Transparency project collected from publicly available 990 tax forms. Note that not all individual transactions have been verified by DeSmog. [17], [18]

• See the attached spreadsheet for additional details on Americans for Prosperity & AFP Foundation funding (.xlsx). 

AFP as Recipient

AFP as Donor

Koch Funding

The AFP is the third largest recipient of funding from the Koch Family Foundations, behind the Cato Institute and the George Mason University Foundation.

Before 2003, when the AFP was still named the Citizens for a Sound Economy Foundation, it received $18,460,912 in funding. 84% of that funding came from the Koch Family Foundations ($12,906,712) and the Scaife Family Foundations ($2,510,000). [28]

Koch Family Foundations are connected to Koch Industries, the second-largest privately-held company according to Forbes and the largest privately owned energy company in the United States. [29]

According to Greenpeace, AFP received a grand total of combined $6,324,834  from combined Koch foundations between 2005 and 2017. Note that if you include values prior to 2005, some of which no longer have original 990 forms available for verification, that number increases to $13,012,059 in Koch funding from 1986 to 2017:  [3]

Exxon Funding

According to ExxonSecrets, between the years 1998-2001, Citizens for A Sound Economy and Citizens for a Sound Economy Foundation received $380,250 from ExxonMobil. [4]

Americans for Prosperity as Donor

Conservative Transparency data shows that AFP has also donated funds to a number of groups including the following:  [16], [17], [18]

AFP Political Spending

OpenSecrets reports the Americans for Prosperity FEC-reported spending from Jan 2004-Dec 2014 at $40,871,480, and lists it at #8 for its long-term political activity ranking. [42]

Americans for Prosperity 990 Forms

Americans for Prosperity Foundation 990 Forms

Key People

Board of Directors

Leadership & Staff

Board of Directors (AFP Foundation) [2]

• David Koch — Chairman. Executive vice president and member of the board of directors for Koch Industries, Inc.
• Richard Fink — Director. Executive vice president and member of the board of directors of Koch Industries, Inc.
• Debra Humphreys — Director.
• Walter Williams — Director. Professor of Economics at George Mason University.
• Nancy Pfotenhauer — Director
• Cy Nobles — Director

A past director for the AFP Foundation was Art Pope, The President and Vice-Chairman of the board of directors for Variety Wholesalers Inc.

Actions

July 18, 2018

Americans for Prosperity, represented by Brent Wm. Gardner, was among signatories of a letter supporting an anti-carbon tax resolution from House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va. [70]

“We oppose any carbon tax. We oppose a carbon tax because it would lead to less income and fewer jobs for American families,” the letter read. “We support the House Concurrent Resolution in opposition to a job-killing carbon tax and urge members to co-sponsor and support this effort.”  [70]

The resolution would call a carbon tax “detrimental to the United States economy.”E&E News reported it was similar to a measure that passed the House in 2016. Rep. Carlos Curbelo of Florida, co-chairman of the Climate Solutions Caucus, said he would not vote for the resolution. [71]

“Protecting our environment and economic growth are not mutually exclusive,” he said in a statement. “The resolution presents a false choice.” [71]

The Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) issued a point-by-point rebuttal of the measure when it was first introduced. [72]

February 12, 2018

AFP announced it was leading a coalition opposing a federal gas tax increase. Groups joining AFP were groups including the National Taxpayers Union, Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, Americans for Tax Reform, Club for Growth, Heritage Action, and numerous others. [65]

“Raising the gas tax is a bad idea. It will make the burden of government on families and businesses heavier,” the coalition open letter read. While the Trump administration’s infrastructure proposal did not include a gas tax increase, AFP noted that several increases had been proposed. [65]

Signatories include: [66]

2017

Americans for Prosperity‘s “Grassroots Leadership Academy” hosted Alex Epstein on a speaking tour at a number of AFP chapters across America on the “Moral Case for Fossil Fuels – Insight to Action.” Venues and listed dates include the following:

• June 15, 2017 — Dover, NH
• June 14, 2017 — Manchester, NH
• June 1, 2017 — Kenai, AK
• May 31, 2017 — Palmer, AK
• May 24, 2017 — Bountiful, UT
• May 18, 2017 — Americans for Prosperity Headquarters
• April 27, 2017 — Carmel, IN
• April 13, 2017 — Emory, VA
• February 9, 2017 — Billings, MT
• February 9, 2017 — Yellowstone, MT

The Alaska event description reads: [62]

“In this presentation, we consider the reasons for the left’s alarmist statements on energy production, and we examine Epstein’s key arguments and explain how a turn away from fossil fuel use would ultimately be disastrous to humanity — especially the poorest of the poor.”

August 2017

According to documents released in 2018 via an open records request, AFP invited Vincent DeVito, a senior energy advisor to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, to one of its events. The invitation was forwarded to DeVito by Jason Funes, a special assistant at the Interior Department’s Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs. DeVito was invited to speak on a panel titled “Give Me Liberty in Energy” focusing on “deregulation in the energy sector.” The panel also featured former AFP vice president for external affairs Chrissy Harbin, who had joined the Department of Energy. Another speaker, Grant Kidwell, was a former AFP policy analyst who went on to work at the American Legislative Exchange Council. DeVito accepted the invitation. [69]

May 8, 2017

Americans for Prosperity, represented by Chrissy Harbin (Vice President of External Affairs), is listed on an open letter to President Donald J. Trump urging him “to withdraw fully from the Paris Climate Treaty and to stop all taxpayer funding of UN global warming programs.” [59]

DeSmog reported that the 40 groups represented in the letter, including the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), The Heartland Institute, and the Heritage Foundation, have received a combined total of millions of dollars from the Koch Brothers, ExxonMobil, and other industry groups. [60]

Analysis also showed that the groups accepted about $80 million through Donors Capital Fund and Donors Trust, two groups that have been confirmed is a key financial source for key U.S-based climate change denial groups. [61]

June 13, 2016

According to documents obtained by The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD/PRWatch), Americans for Prosperity’s Oklahoma chapter was named as a creditor in Peabody Energy’s bankruptcy filings. [53]

While the available bankruptcy documents do not list the scale or dates of funding, they outline Peabody Energy’s financial ties to a large network of groups promoting climate change denial. [54]

Prominent individuals appearing in the documents include climate deniers Willie Soon, Richard Lindzen, Roy Spencer and Richard Berman. The long list of organizations also includes groups such as Americans for Prosperity, American Legislative Exchange Council, CFACT, Institute for Energy Research, State Policy Network, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and dozens more. [55]

The Guardian also analysed and reported on the Peabody bankruptcy findings: [56]

“These groups collectively are the heart and soul of climate denial,” said Kert Davies, founder of the Climate Investigation Center, who has spent 20 years tracking funding for climate denial. “It’s the broadest list I have seen of one company funding so many nodes in the denial machine.”

The company’s filings reveal funding for a range of organisations which have fought Barack Obama’s plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and denied the very existence of climate change. […]

Among Peabody’s beneficiaries, the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change has insisted – wrongly – that carbon emissions are not a threat but “the elixir of life” while the American Legislative Exchange Council is trying to overturn Environmental Protection Agency rules cutting emissions from power plants. Meanwhile, Americans for Prosperity campaigns against carbon pricing. The Oklahoma chapter was on the list. […]

“The breadth of the groups with financial ties to Peabody is extraordinary. Thinktanks, litigation groups, climate scientists, political organisations, dozens of organisations blocking action on climate all receiving funding from the coal industry,” said Nick Surgey, director of research for the Center for Media and Democracy.

“We expected to see some denial money, but it looks like Peabody is the treasury for a very substantial part of the climate denial movement.”

Notable organizations listed in the initial documents include:

• 60 Plus Association
• The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity
• American Energy Alliance
• Alliance For Energy And Economic Growth
• American Energy Alliance
• American Legislative Exchange Council
• Americans For Prosperity Oklahoma
• Atlas Economic Research Foundation
• Berman And Company, Inc
• Consumer Energy Alliance
• Center For Clean Air Policy
• Center for Energy and Economic Development
• Center For The Study Of Carbon Dioxide And Global Change
• Coalition for Responsible Regulation
• Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow
• Council on State Taxation
• DCI Group AZ, LLC
• Ducks Unlimited
• Energy & Environment Legal Institute
• Edison Electric Institute
• Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity
• Free Market Environmental Law Clinic
• Frontiers Of Freedom Institute
• George C. Marshall Institute
• Hill Knowlton Strategies
• Hill Knowlton, Inc
• Hudson Institute
• Hunton & Williams
• Independence Institute
• Institute For Energy Research
• Institute for Liberty
• National Association of Manufacturers
• National Black Chamber of Commerce
• National Conference of State Legislatures
• National Mining Association
• National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
• National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
• NextGen Energy Council
• PACE (May refer to Partnership for Affordable Clean Energy)
• Science & Public Policy Institute
• Sidley Austin LLP
• State Policy Network
• Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute
• Texas Public Policy Foundation
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• Western Business Roundtable

Notable individuals named in the initial documents include the following:

• Kelly Forbes Mader
• Roy W. Spencer
• Willie Soon
• Richard Lindzen

June, 2016

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) was among organizations named in a Massachusetts subpoena looking for communications between ExxonMobil and organizations denying climate change, reports The Washington Times. [57]

Organizations named in the Massachusetts subpoena include the following: [57]

• The Centre for Industrial Progress
• The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty
• The American Enterprise Institute
• Americans for Prosperity
• The American Legislative Exchange Council
• The American Petroleum Institute
• The Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University
• The George C. Marshall Institute
• The Heartland Institute 
• Mercatus Center at George Mason University

This latest inquiry by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is one in a series of investigations into what ExxonMobil knew about climate change and when, started by a coalition of attorneys general in the US. [58] 

February/March 2016

Americans for Prosperity released an internet ad thanking Governor Pence for rejecting the federal government’s rule to restrict greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.

IndyStar reports this was not the first time Americans for Prosperity supported Pence’s position. In their analysis, they also write the ad “ignores the fact that if Indiana does not submit a plan to comply with the federal rule, the Environmental Protection Agency will impose one on the state. So any of the negative effects the group says will result from the Clean Power Plan would come regardless. And the utility industry has told the Indiana Department of Environmental Management it’s better to have the state figure out how to comply.” [50]

The ad ran soon after Pence said that he would not comply with the federal rule, even if it survived legal challenges. [51]

View the video below:

“When you’re at the crossroads, you have a choice to make. Thank you Governor Pence for making the right choice for Indiana. Thank you for choosing to protect our jobs, keep our power plants open, and ensure our energy is always abundant, affordable, and there when we need it.

You had the courage to say ‘no’ to president Obama’s flawed and expensive energy regulations. Visit FightForIndiana.com and thank Governor Pence for steering Indiana in the right direction.” 

October, 2015

Americans for Prosperity said it would spend $750 million in the election—having already spent over $400 million as of February, 2016—and that any efforts to address climate change would put candidates in “political peril” and at a “severe disadvantage.” [44], [45]

July, 2015

As reported at the Huffington Post, there is speculation the Koch Brothers have influenced New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s decision to withdraw Jersey from the regional carbon reduction program, known as RGGI. [24]

In a New York Times profile of Christie’s refusal to participate in RGGI, an AFP representative said, “We were exceedingly pleased that the governor got New Jersey out of the R.G.G.I. boondoggle. … It’s something that A.F.P. in New Jersey worked hard on.” According to the Times, the AFP representative “said the move would be sure to help Mr. Christie’s efforts in the Republican primaries, should he run.” [25]

June 4, 2015

The Americans for Prosperity Foundation’s Grassroots Leadership Academy hosted Alex Epstein to discuss “The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels.” [63], [64]

“There’s actually no such thing, on a large scale, as solar power and wind power. There’s just solar-coal, solar-gas, and solar-oil because they are dependent sources of energy,” Epstein said. [63]

July, 2011

Americans for Prosperity filed a lawsuit in New York’s Supreme Court seeking to reverse a key piece of state action on climate change. 

New York joined the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in 2005 when former governor George Pataki (R) approved the state’s participation in the program. The Competitive Enterprise Institute also supported the lawsuit, reported the Times Union. [21]

The suit alleged that New York is illegally (coercively) taxing residents by taking part in the market-based 10 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states’ Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The AFP complaint also asserts that carbon emissions trading is unconstitutional because it infringes on federal authority to set rules on air pollution and electrical power transmission across states. [22], [23]

June, 2011

AFP took their “Running on Empty” campaign tour to Virginia, Michigan, and Ohio with the purpose to “teach” Americans about how AFP believes President Obama is making them pay higher prices at the pump.

AFP claims that Obama is intentionally keeping gas prices high because he refuses to allow oil companies to drill for oil in protected areas of the United States.

March, 2011

Americans for Prosperity sent memos to U.S. senators to support an attack on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s lawful regulation of greenhouse gasses under the Clean Air Act. [6]

2011

Americans for Prosperity is behind the “No Climate Tax Pledge” where congress members promised not to spend any federal money to fight climate change without equal tax cuts. According to a 2013 investigative Report on Koch Industries, most pledge signers had also received campaign contributions from Koch Industries. [26]

March 22, 2010

AFP’s 2010 Regulation Reality Tour, featuring Smart cars and “carbon cops” at stops across the country, was launched to obstruct U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulation of major greenhouse gas emitters and undermine the seriousness of climate change. [12]

Citizens observing the tour were given fake citations for mowing their lawns or filling gas tanks, falsely alleging that the EPA would regulate individual consumers. [7]

December 28, 2010

Republican Congressman Fred Upton, described as a “moderate who took global warming seriously until, in 2010, he wanted to be chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee,” co-authored a highly publicized Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal alongside the head of Americans for Prosperity, Tim Phillips. [46]

The WSJ Op-Ed, titled “How Congress Can Stop the EPA‘s Power Grab,” describes the EPA‘s move to regulate carbon dioxide emissions as “an unconstitutional power grab that will kill millions of jobs—unless Congress steps in.” [47]

December 2, 2010

At the 2010 international climate negotiations in Cancun, Mexico, AFP had a live broadcast of its Hot Air Tour featuring Senate climate denier James Inhofe (R-OK) and conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart. Video below:

September, 2010

AFP California supported Proposition 23, the ballot attack on state climate legislation that was heavily financed by Koch Industries and other oil companies.

AFP‘s California director has said that the Prop 23 is the group’s “top priority.” [8]

April, 2009

AFP led attacks on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a climate pollution reduction program by pressuring state lawmakers to repeal from the program despite its economic successes. [9]

February 2009

Americans for Prosperity started a nation-wide campaign to stop the senate and congress from passing President Obama’s $827 Million Stimulus Plan. The key to AFP’s campaign was a petition which stated:

“Congress should not enact an expensive spending bill under the pretense of stimulus or recovery. We cannot spend our way to prosperity, and such an expansion of the federal government will put a crushing burden on taxpayers in the long-term.”

The “No Stimulus” campaign did not prevent the bill from passing, although the campaign were lauded by Senator James Inhofe for bringing awareness to the public. [10]

April 2008

AFP embarked on a nation wide campaign against global warming titled the “Hot Air Tour.” AFP traveled in a hot air balloon to forty cities in the United States and held events in those cities. 

The tour carried the slogan, “Global Warming Alarmism: Lost Jobs, Higher Taxes, Less Freedom.”

During the Hot Air Tour, AFP president Tim Phillips said that AFP‘s purpose was to prevent cap-and-trade and other climate change legislation from being passed in government. He declared if any cap and trade legislation were passed it would create a massive tax burden on American citizens, kill the economy, and harmfully infringe on personal freedoms. 

In a public address, Tim Phillips stated there would be a $1.2 Trillion tax increase if a cap-and-trade bill was passed and that 1.2-1.8 million jobs would be lost with cap-and-trade legislation. He cited the “American Capital Formation Foundation” as his source. While the American Capital Formation Foundation does not in fact exist, the American Council for Capital Formation (ACCF) does, and it has consistently lobbied in Washington against green initiatives, especially the Kyoto protocol, claiming these actions would have severe effects on the national economy.

On its website, the ACCF calls itself “one of the most influential organizations operating behind the scenes in the Washington policymaking arena.” According to ExxonSecrets, between 1998-2006, the American Council for Capital Formation received $1,674,523 from ExxonMobil. The group has also received funding from Koch foundations. [11], [20]

Americans for Prosperity Contact & Location

As of May 2016 the listed contact address and phone number for Americans for Prosperity was as follows:  [52]

1310 N. COURTHOUSE RD. SUITE 700 
ARLINGTON, VA 22201 
703-224-3200

Related Organizations

• The AFP Foundation — 501(c)(3) arm of AFP.
• Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE) — CSE split into AFP and Freedomworks. [16]
• FreedomWorks — Merger of Citizens for a Sound Economy and Empower America [37]
• NoClimateTax.com —  Project of Americans for Prosperity. [38]
• Internet Freedom Coalition — Member. [30]
• AegisPAC (Aegis Strategic) — Headed by several former leaders of AFP. [43]

Independent Women’s Forum

Americans for Prosperity once maintained an official affiliation with the Independent Women’s Forum (IWF).  

A 2003 IWF press release said that “while the two organizations will share leadership and senior staff and be co-located in IWF’s new suite of offices in Washington, D.C., each will be a separate organization with its own board of directors.” [32], [33]

The former president of the Independent Women’s Forum, Nancy Pfotenhauer, also acted as the president of Americans for Prosperity, but that arrangement ended in July 2005. She is currently (as of 2016) a director on the AFP board. [34]

According to Pfotenhauer’s profile at Americans for Prosperity, “She is the former President and C.E.O. of the Independent Women’s Forum (IWF), serving in that position from 2000-05. She was Vice Chairman of IWF’s Board of Directors from 2005-07. Ms. Pfotenhauer joined IWF after leaving Koch Industries, the largest privately held company in the country with more than $80 billion in assets, where she was Director of the Washington, D.C. office.” [35]

Featured Partners

AFP listed the following “featured partners” as late as 2012: [31]

• The Heartland Institute’s International Conference on Climate Change
• Internet Freedom Coalition
• Townhall.com

Internet Freedom Coalition

Internet Freedom Coalition members also include Americans for Tax Reform, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, Frontiers of Freedom, the Independent Women’s Forum, the Reason Foundation, among others. [30]

Social Media

• @AFPhq on Twitter.
• “Americans for Prosperity” on Facebook.
• “Americans for Prosperity” on LinkedIn.

Resources

1. “About Americans for Prosperity,” AFP. Archived March , 2011.

2. “Board of Directors,” Americans for Prosperity Foundation. Archived March 11, 2016. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6fw3BkqnW

3. “Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFP): Koch Industries Climate Denial Front Group,” Greenpeace USA. Archived March 13, 2017. Most recent data on file at DeSmogBlog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/c7gWL

4. ExxonSecrets Factsheet: Citizens for A Sound Economy and CSE Educational Foundation.

5. “Our Board of Directors,” Americans for Prosperity. Archived July 10, 2015.

6. Ben Geman. “Coal group presses senators on looming vote to kill EPA climate rules,” E2 Wire, March 25, 2011. Archived July 10, 2015.

7. “Carbon Cops,” Regulation Reality Tour. Archived January 2, 2011.

8. “The Koch brothers’ dirty money in California,” Polluterwatch, September 23, 2010.

9. David Anderson. “Koch-funded group mounts cut-and-paste attack on regional climate initiatives,” Grist, March 16, 2011.

10. “Senator James Inhofe speaks at AFP NoStimulus Rally,” YouTube Video. Uploaded by AforP, February 6, 2009.

11. ExxonSecrets Factsheet: American Council for Capital Formation Center for Policy Research, ACCF.

12. “‘Regulation Reality Tour’ Peddles Polluter Lies, Endangering American Prosperity,” Thinkprogress, March 20, 2010. Archived July 10, 2015.

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47. Fred Upton and Tim Phillips. “How Congress Can Stop the EPA‘s Power Grab,” The Wall Street Journal (Sub. Required), December 28, 2010.

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Other Resources

• “Koch Industries: Stil Fuelling Climate Denial 2011 Update,” Greenpeace report.

• “Degrading the American Dream: inside Koch’s Americans for Prosperity convention,” Greenpeace, November 10, 2011.

• “Americans for Prosperity,” FactCheck.org, August 9, 2010.