Stand Together

Background

Stand Together, describing itself as a “philanthropic community,” is the new face of The Seminar Network/Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce.¹ The Seminar Network previously encompassed a group of entities funded by the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers that was formed roughly three years prior. The Washington Post reported on the Koch network’s reorganizing in May 2019.²

The Washington Post noted Stand Together is also the name of a nonprofit arm of the Kochs formed in 2016 that describes itself as supporting “community groups addressing maladies like poverty, addiction, recidivism, gang violence and homelessness.”³ That group will continue to operate as the Stand Together Foundation.⁴

“We live in a period of unprecedented progress — economic, social, technological — but not everyone has shared in that progress. While many people have gotten ahead, too many people are falling behind. Our charge is clear: we must stand together to help every person rise,” Koch wrote in a letter to supporters, shared first with The Washington Post. “In many ways, this new name already expresses who we are. … But this new name also marks a new chapter — and a new call to action.”

Other reported changes to the Koch network included shifting some of Freedom Partners’ activities to Americans for Prosperity (AFP) to oversee political and policy activities, stating that “Groups that cater to specific constituencies, like Libre for Latinos or Concerned Veterans for America, have moved under the AFP umbrella:”⁵

The website footer for Stand Together notes that the official title of the overarching group is entitled the Stand Together Chamber of Commerce:⁶

“Stand Together and the Stand Together logo are trademarks and service marks of Stand Together Chamber of Commerce. Terms like ‘we,’ ‘our,’ and ‘us,’ as well as ‘Stand Together,’ and ‘the Stand Together community,’ are used here for the sake of convenience. While the individuals and organizations to which those terms may refer share and work toward a common vision—including, but not limited to, Stand Together Foundation, Stand Together Chamber of Commerce, Charles Koch Foundation, Charles Koch Institute, and Americans for Prosperity—each engages only in those activities that are consistent with its nonprofit status.”

Stance on Climate Change

Stand Together does not appear to have released any official statements on climate change, although Charles and David Koch have made statements about climate change and have funded groups to obstruct efforts to try to mitigate the climate changes that are underway.

Funding

The following values are collected from publicly available 990 forms. These include prior iterations of Stand Together functioning as different entities within the Koch Network:

Recipient & Donors	2011	2012	2013	2016	2017	Grand Total
Stand Together				$225,000	$100,000	$325,000
DonorsTrust				$200,000	$100,000	$300,000
Einhorn Family Foundation				$25,000		$25,000
SG C4 TR (Public Notice)			$1,700,000			$1,700,000
Freedom Partners			$1,700,000			$1,700,000
Public Notice Research and Education Fund	$1,494,000	$2,475,000				$3,969,000
Chase Foundation of Virginia	$50,000	$100,000				$150,000
DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative		$500,000				$500,000
DonorsTrust	$1,244,000	$1,875,000				$3,119,000
National Christian Charitable Foundation	$200,000					$200,000
POFN LLC (Public Notice)	$5,466,250		$4,110,000			$9,576,250
Freedom Partners	$5,466,250		$4,110,000			$9,576,250
Grand Total	$6,960,250	$2,475,000	$5,810,000	$225,000	$100,000	$15,570,250

Public Notice

According to publicly available tax filings, Stand Together, Inc., (EIN 27-3197768) began doing business in 2016. Those filings also show that this EIN was originally attributed to Public Notice Research and Education Fund, another Koch group, which had an initial ruling of November 2010.⁷

Stand Together’s 2016 tax form notes that “the corporation changed its name from ‘Public Notice Research and Education Fund, Inc.’ to ‘Stand Together, Inc.’” in that year.

Public Notice Via ‘POFN LLC‘

Public Notice also appears to have received $4,466,250 through an obscure group named “POFN LLC” via Freedom Partners in 2011/2012 plus another grant of $4,110,000 via the same LLC in the next year.

Public Notice Via ‘SG C4 Trust’

Freedom Partners funneled an additional $1,700,000 to Public Notice via SG C4 Trust in 2013, according to 990 forms.

Yes Every Kid

Stand Together launched Yes Every Kid in June 2019. Stand Together CEO Brian Hooks claimed the group’s aim was to “move away from the ‘us versus them’ framing in K-12′.”⁸

Believe in People, FKA TSN Institute

Brian Menkes, General Counsel of the Charles Koch Foundation and Charles Koch Institute, is listed as the assistant secretary in Believe in People’s 2021 990 form. The 990 notes the group changed its name from the TNS Institute to Believe in People, Inc.⁹

KochDocs reported the The Seminar Network (TSN) Institute was formed in 2015 using the name “Stand Together, Inc,” and has also been previously known as “Freedom C4, Inc.” and “CKI Policy, Inc.”¹⁰

Seminar Network Funding

According to an archive of its website, the Seminar Network received the support of the powerful, privately held conglomerate Koch Industries:¹¹

“Koch Industries is committed to the long-term success of this Network. The board of Koch Industries continues to vote to provide substantial financial support to the Seminar Network. Koch Industries also has a number of officers, executives, and employees who spend significant amounts of their time working with the various Network organizations to help them be more effective.”

Donations or other funding provided by the for-profit Koch Industries to support the projects of Charles Koch and his family are not publicly disclosed, however.

Review of public 990 forms also reveals two non-profit donors for the Seminar Network in 2017.

Donor	Total (2017)
Charles G Koch Charitable Foundation	$250,000
DonorsTrust	$100,000
Grand Total	$350,000

Stand Together 990 Forms

Only two people were listed on the Stand Together website as of May 20, 2019:¹²

Charles Koch — Founder.
Brian Hooks — Chairman & Ceo.

Believe in People FKA TSN Institute FKA Freedom C4 990 Forms

Yes Every Kid 990 Forms

Yes Every Kid

Yes Every Kid Foundation

Seminar Network/Stand Together

The following people were listed on Stand Together’s LinkedIn page. Many previously held roles at The Seminar Network:¹³

Aaron Hall — Director of Workplace Solutions, Stand Together
Abby Skeans — Director, Strategic Partnerships, Stand Together
Abigail Narbe — Partnership Associate at Stand Together
Adriana McLamb — Regional Digital Strategist at Stand Together
Alex Guerreiro — Vice President, Human Resources, Stand Together
Alex Varban — Director, FP&A at Stand Together
Alexandra Sellazzo — Executive Assistant To Chief Executive Officer at Stand Together
Amy Breeding — P-Card and Expense Reporting Manager at Stand Together.
Amy Pelletier — Executive Vice President at Stand Together
Andrew Delmege — Director of Special Gifts at Stand Together
Andrew Gillette — Market-Based Management Consultant at Stand Together
Antonia Arcella — Post Production Coordinator, Stand Together
Barney Casino — Site Lead (Operations/Facilities Management), Stand Together
Brandon Champion — Partnership Advisor at Stand Together
Brennan Morris — Consultant, Stand Together
Brian Leggett — Benefits Analyst at Stand Together
Cameron Atkins — Senior Graphic Designer at Stand Together
Carolina Beltran — Executive Assistant at Stand Together
Cassandra Baker — Director at Stand Together
Cassie Wood — Talent Acquisition Manager at Stand Together
Catherine Fischer — Events Manager, Stand Together
Catherine Rodriguez — Senior Talent Acquisition Business Partner at Stand Together
Christopher Grozev — Development – Planned Giving at Stand Together
Christopher Medrano — Research Analyst at Stand Together
Dan King — Digital Coordinator, Stand Together
Daniel Sacks — Vice President, Partnerships, Stand Together
Dawson Frasier — Space Management Assistant at Stand Together
Derek Johnson — Senior Vice President, Stand Together
Devon Gessert — Director of Research and Prospect Management, Stand Together
Elliott Fox — Director of Health Care Initiatives at Stand Together
Erica L. Jedynak — Director of Employment Initiatives at Stand Together
Erica Shoe — Director, Member Relations at Stand Together
Erin Karriker — Communication, Brand, & Messaging Specialist, Stand Together
Gabriel Villanueva — Product Manager at Stand Together
Hannah Van Valkenburg — Corporate & Foundation Partnership Associate, Stand Together
Hayden Clay — Senior Administrative Assistant – Education at Stand Together
Hugh Cherry — Market-Based Management Consultant at Stand Together
Javi Brionez — Videographer/Editor at Stand Together
Jeff Ogar — General Counsel & Corporate Secretary – Stand Together
Jeff Proctor — Consultant, Market-Based Management, Stand Together
Jennifer Pluchinsky — Executive Coordinator at Stand Together
Jeremiah Mosteller — Policy Liaison, Criminal Justice Reform, Stand Together
Jesse Blumenthal — Vice President, Technology & Innovation, Stand Together
Joel Aaron Foster — Partnership Advisor, Major Gifts, Central U.S. at Stand Together
John P. Purcell — Associate Director, Partnerships & Strategic Development, Stand Together
Joseph Wood — Director Of Accounting Operations at Stand Together
Kara Mask — Assistant Art Director at Stand Together
Katey Roberts — Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Stand Together
Katherine Calcutt — Talent Acquisition at Stand Together
Kevin Curtis — Talent Acquisition Business Partner at Stand Together
Kevin Lavelle — Senior Vice President, Stand Together
Korbin Kiblinger — Senior Digital Manager, National Advocacy at Stand Together
Krista Carney — Manager, Event Communications at Stand Together
Lancee Kurcab — Manager, Talent Acquisition Operations at Stand Together
Lindsey Morrison — Human Resources Project Manager at Stand Together
Lindsey Podguski — Sr. Project Manager, Knowledge Systems, Stand Together
Lisa Snell — Director, K-12 Education Policy Partnerships, Stand Together
Logan A. Vaughan — Director, Partnership Advisor at Stand Together
Mackenzie Dickhudt — Strategic Research Analyst at Stand Together
Mark P. McConnell — Vice President, Planned Giving at Stand Together
Mary Miller — Senior Director, Foundation and Member Partnerships, Stand Together
Matt Couch — Photographer, Colorist at Stand Together
Matthew Patella — Director, Partnership Advisor at Stand Together
Michael Spicci — Senior Digital Manager, Stand Together
Montgomery Pace — “Barrier Breaker” at Stand Together
Quinn Gasaway — Regional Digital Coordinator at Stand Together
Rachel Janes — Partner Advisor at Stand Together
Robert Heaton — CFO at Stand Together
Ron Aksel — Salesforce Administrator at Stand Together
Sandeep Singh Josan — Digital Product Manager, Stand Together
Sarah Bedsole — Manager, Digital Marketing at Stand Together
Sarah Field — Vice President, Criminal Justice Reform at Stand Together
Sarah Ruger — Vice President, Free Expression at Stand Together
Scott Inderbitzen — Manager, DevOps at Stand Together
Shawn Bhatia — Partnership Associate at Stand Together
Stephen Stout — Internal Audit Manager at Stand Together
Susan Motiff — VP & FP&A, Stand Together
Tony Ciano — Director, Technology Solutions, Stand Together
Tyler Sain — Partner Advisor at Stand Together
William Moyer — Partnership Advisor at Stand Together
Yong Woo Stephano Kwon — End User Support Analyst – Lead at Stand Together

Stand Together, Inc.

The following names were present on public 990 forms for Stand Together, Inc. which was in operation prior to the 2019 rebranding of The Seminar Network:

Name	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	Description
Marc Short				Y	Y	Y		Executive Director
Brian Hooks						Y	Y	Board Member
Brian Menkes						Y	Y	Secretary
Declan Lynch						Y	Y	Vice President
Evan Feinberg						Y	Y	Executive Director
Kristy Kendall						Y	Y	Board Member
Lauren McCann						Y	Y	Vice President
Richard Fink						Y	Y	Board Member
Robert Heaton						Y	Y	Treasurer
Romanus Berg						Y	Y	Vice President
Gretchen Hamel	Y	Y	Y					President/Director
Chris Perrin		Y						Chief Operating Officer
Dale Gibbens							Y	Board Member
Erin Keating							Y	Vice President
Nicholas D’Antonio							Y	Director of Strategic Partners

Stand Together Foundation

The Stand Together Foundation appears to be a separate entity from Stand Together and will continue to operate independently. The below people have been listed on the Stand Together Foundation’s website:

Stand Together Foundation Leadership

Name	2016	2017	2018	2019	Description
Declan Lynch		Y			Vice President, Organization Development
Erin Keating		Y	Y		Vice President, Marketing & Communications
Evan Feinberg	Y	Y	Y	Y	Executive Director
Lauren McCann	Y	Y	Y	Y	Executive Vice President
Romanus Berg		Y			Vice President, Strategy
Sam Leyvas			Y		Vice President, Strategic Partnerships

Stand Together Foundation Staff

Name	2017	2018	2019	Description
Abby Helms		Y	Y	Coordinator, Stakeholder Relations
Alexa Satterlee		Y	Y	Program Assistant, Catalyst Program
Alexandra Graham			Y	Manager, Stakeholder Relations
Alexandra Stevens	Y	Y		Manager, Stakeholder Relations
Andrew Kristofik		Y	Y	Project Manager
Anna Rivers	Y	Y	Y	Director, Strategic Partnerships
Arif Nassery		Y	Y	Office Assistant
Cassandra Burckhalter	Y	Y		Executive Assistant
Dana Sanford	Y			Engagement Manager, Organization Development
Elizabeth Moyer	Y	Y		Content Manager, Marketing and Communications
Erica Haines		Y	Y	Program Manager, Catalyst Program
Erika Loomer		Y	Y	Events Manager
Esther Jentzen	Y			Program Assistant, Stakeholder Relations
Irene Smith	Y	Y	Y	Program Manager, Catalyst Program Content Development & Evaluations
Jamie D. Elder	Y			Director, Strategic Partnerships
Jocelyn Lybrand		Y	Y	Program Assistant, Stakeholder Relations
Kelly McDonough		Y	Y	Engagement Specialist, Organization Development
Korey Mauer	Y	Y		Engagement Associate, Organization Development
Kyle Smith	Y	Y	Y	Senior Project Manager, Organization Development
Laura Defrancesco Ross	Y	Y	Y	Managing Director, Programs
Laura Whitefield	Y	Y		Project Manager, Organization Development
Lisa Vogt	Y	Y	Y	Executive Assistant
Mollie Dougherty		Y	Y	Engagement Manager, Organization Development
Nick D’Antonio	Y			Director, Strategic Partnerships
Noel Augustine		Y	Y	Catalyst Marketing Manager, Marketing and Communications
Noel Rizzuti	Y			Project Manager, Marketing and Communications
Parita Patel	Y	Y	Y	Social Investment Officer
Rachel Reese	Y	Y	Y	Research Analyst
Rebecca Stewart		Y	Y	Program Assistant, Marketing & Communications
Stacey Jones		Y	Y	Engagement Manager, Organization Development
Tommy Fijacko	Y	Y	Y	Engagement Manager, Organization Development
Wilson Paine		Y	Y	Director, Strategic Partnerships

Actions

January 8, 2020

According to The New Yorker, Stand Together research director Kyle McKenzie participated in a conference call with billionaire political donor Charles Koch and Steve Donaldson, policy advisor to Senator Mitch McConnell. The call discussed strategies for blocking the ratification of the For the People Act, an electoral reform bill intended to expand voting rights and limit the influence of money in politics, and included Heather Lauer, executive director of People United for Privacy (a project of the State Policy Network) and Grover Norquist, the founder and President of Americans for Tax Reform, in addition to representatives from the State Policy Network.¹⁴

McKenzie reportedly acknowledged that when presented with a neutral version of the bill, “people were generally supportive,” of efforts intended to minimize the influence of money in politics.¹⁵

“The most worrisome part … is that conservatives were actually as supportive as the general public was when they read the neutral description,” he added.¹⁶

The New Yorker noted: “In private, they [Republicans] concede their own polling shows that no message they can devise effectively counters the argument that billionaires should be prevented from buying elections.”¹⁷

May 20, 2019

The Washington Post reported the Koch network was undergoing a major reorganization, including a rebranding of The Seminar Network as Stand Together.¹⁸

Brian Hooks, who would chair the network and run the new Stand Together organization said in an interview that it a was “not a branding exercise” but rather a “natural evolution.”¹⁹

The group would describe itself as a “philanthropic community” rather than a “network” while investors would now be called “partners.”²⁰

Hooks said the group would still be involved in politics: “We’re not going to continue to do the same thing that we’ve done, and we’re not going to walk away. What we’re committed to doing is offering people a different way to stay engaged in policy and in politics but to do it in a way that unites people to actually get things done.”²¹

One of the group’s key focuses would be criminal justice reform.²²

January 29, 2016

USA Today reported on the launch of an earlier iteration of Stand Together, originally working as a “venture philanthropy” organization aimed at “strengthening the fabric of American society.”²³

“The sole purpose of Stand Together is to make a real difference in real people’s lives by actually solving the problems they have,” then-executive director Evan Feinberg, said.²⁴

The Kochs had reportedly worked internally on the Stand Together group for about a year prior.²⁵

The Seminar Network — Rebranded as Stand Together in 2019.
Concerned Veterans for America — According to public 990 forms, Concerned Veterans for America changed its name to The Seminar Network, Inc. on January 9, 2017.
Charles Koch Institute — According to the Charles Koch Institute’s 2017 990 tax form, CHI was the “direct controlling entity” of Stand Together, Inc. (EIN 27-3197768).

Public Notice

As noted above, according to publicly available tax filings, Stand Together, Inc., (EIN 27-3197768) began doing business in 2016. Those filings also show that that EIN was originally attributed to Public Notice Research and Education Fund, another Koch group, which had an initial ruling of November 2010. [4]

Stand Together’s 2016 tax form notes that “the corporation changed its name from ‘Public Notice Research and Education Fund, Inc.’ to ‘Stand Together, Inc.’” in that year.

Network Organizations

The following were listed as “Network Organizations” to The Seminar Network:²⁶

Contact & Address

Stand Together, Inc.

According to their 2016 990 form (EIN 27-3197768):

1320 N Courthouse Rd, Ste 220
Arlington, VA 22201

As of 2017, The Seminar Network had a listed address of 1320 N. Courthouse Road, Suite 500, Arlington, VA 22201. That address appears to be shared with several other affiliated groups including Concerned Veterans for America, Americans for Prosperity, and The Libre Initiative.

Stand Together Foundation, Inc.

According to nonprofit records at ProPublica and GuideStar, Stand Together Foundation, Inc. gained tax-exempt status in April 2019, and had the following address:

320 N Broadway Ste 260
Green Bay, WI
54303-2705

Public Notice Research and Education Fund, Inc.

According to 990 forms prior to 2016, Public Notice operated out of this address:

1220 North Fillmore Street, Suite 300
Arlington, VA
22201-6501

@JoinStandTogether on Facebook.
@stand_together/@_STFoundation on Twitter.
Stand Together on LinkedIn.

Other Resources

“Stand Together,” SourceWatch.

Resources

1
“Greater your good.” Stand Together. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/Zb3Vm
2
James Hohmann. “The Daily 202: The Koch network is reorganizing under a new name and with new priorities,” The Washington Post, May 20, 2019. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/3a2Ma
3
James Hohmann. “The Daily 202: The Koch network is reorganizing under a new name and with new priorities,” The Washington Post, May 20, 2019. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/3a2Ma
4
“About Stand Together Foundation,” Stand Together Foundation. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/qrJ01
5
James Hohmann. “The Daily 202: The Koch network is reorganizing under a new name and with new priorities,” The Washington Post, May 20, 2019. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/3a2Ma
6
“Greater your good.” Stand Together. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/Zb3Vm
7
“Stand Together Inc,” Economic Research Institute. Accessed June 12, 2019.
8
Andrew Ujifusa. “Koch Network Announces New Education Lobbying Group, Walton Funding Pact,” EducationWeek, June 29, 2019. Archived December 15, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/HL0Xe
9
“Brian Menkes” LinkedIn. Accessed December 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
10
“2018 Seminar Network Institute IRS Form 990,” KochDocs. Accessed December 2022.
11
“SUPPORT OUR MISSION,” The Seminar Network. Archived May 17, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/uIBtn
12
“A letter from our founder Charles Koch and CEO Brian Hooks,” Stand Together, May 20, 2019. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/NXDn2
13
“Stand Together,” LinkedIn. Accessed June 12, 2019. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
14
Jane Mayer. “Inside the Koch-Backed Effort to Block the Largest Election-Reform Bill in Half a Century,” The New Yorker, March 29, 2021. Archived April 27, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/XINLq
15
Jane Mayer. “Inside the Koch-Backed Effort to Block the Largest Election-Reform Bill in Half a Century,” The New Yorker, March 29, 2021. Archived April 27, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/XINLq
16
Jane Mayer. “Inside the Koch-Backed Effort to Block the Largest Election-Reform Bill in Half a Century,” The New Yorker, March 29, 2021. Archived April 27, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/XINLq
17
Jane Mayer. “Inside the Koch-Backed Effort to Block the Largest Election-Reform Bill in Half a Century,” The New Yorker, March 29, 2021. Archived April 27, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/XINLq
18
James Hohmann. “The Daily 202: The Koch network is reorganizing under a new name and with new priorities,” The Washington Post, May 20, 2019. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/3a2Ma
19
James Hohmann. “The Daily 202: The Koch network is reorganizing under a new name and with new priorities,” The Washington Post, May 20, 2019. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/3a2Ma
20
James Hohmann. “The Daily 202: The Koch network is reorganizing under a new name and with new priorities,” The Washington Post, May 20, 2019. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/3a2Ma
21
James Hohmann. “The Daily 202: The Koch network is reorganizing under a new name and with new priorities,” The Washington Post, May 20, 2019. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/3a2Ma
22
James Hohmann. “The Daily 202: The Koch network is reorganizing under a new name and with new priorities,” The Washington Post, May 20, 2019. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/3a2Ma
23
Fredreka Schouten. “Koch brothers’ new group will take on poverty, educational quality,” USA Today, January 29, 2016. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/0bUPo
24
Fredreka Schouten. “Koch brothers’ new group will take on poverty, educational quality,” USA Today, January 29, 2016. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/0bUPo
25
Fredreka Schouten. “Koch brothers’ new group will take on poverty, educational quality,” USA Today, January 29, 2016. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/0bUPo
26
“A SAMPLING OF THE NETWORK ORGANIZATIONS WE SERVE,” The Seminar Network. Archived May 16, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/955xv

DeSmog

DeSmog

Stand Together

Stand Together

Background

Stance on Climate Change

Funding