Americans for Prosperity

Americans for Prosperity
PredecessorCitizens for a Sound Economy
FormationMarch 10, 2004; 20 years ago (2004-03-10)[1]
TypeNonprofit political advocacy group
75-3148958[2]
Legal status501(c)(4)[2]
HeadquartersArlington, Virginia[2]
Membership
2.3 million (2013)[3]
Emily Seidel[4]
Board chair
Mark Holden
AffiliationsAmericans for Prosperity Foundation,
PDIST LLC[2]
Revenue (2018)
$96.5 million[4]
Websiteamericansforprosperity.org
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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.[6] As the Koch family's primary political advocacy group, it has been viewed as one of the most influential American conservative organizations.[7][8]

After the 2009 inauguration of President Barack Obama, AFP helped transform the Tea Party movement into a political force. It organized significant opposition to Obama administration initiatives such as global warming regulation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the expansion of Medicaid, and economic stimulus. It helped turn back cap and trade, the major environmental proposal of Obama's first term. AFP advocated for limits on the collective bargaining rights of public-sector trade unions and for right-to-work laws and opposed raising the federal minimum wage. AFP played an active role in achieving the Republican majority in the House of Representatives in 2010 and in the Senate in 2014.

In the 2014 midterm election cycle, AFP led all groups other than political action committees (PACs) in spending on political television advertising. AFP's scope of operations has drawn comparisons to political parties. AFP, an educational social welfare organization, and the associated Americans for Prosperity Foundation, a public charity, are tax-exempt nonprofits. As a tax-exempt nonprofit, AFP is not legally required to disclose its donors to the general public;[9] the extent of its political activities while operating as a tax-exempt entity has raised concerns among some campaign finance watchdogs as to the transparency of its funding.

  1. ^ "Americans for Prosperity[permanent dead link‍]". District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. Government of the District of Columbia. Accessed on June 20, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax". Americans for Prosperity. Guidestar. December 31, 2014.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference huffingtonpost20131114 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Stanley-Becker, Isaac (December 1, 2021). "Longtime president of Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity is forced out". Washington Post. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  5. ^ "About Americans for Prosperity: Our Mission". Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  6. ^ "How the Koch brothers built the most powerful rightwing group you've never heard of". The Guardian. 2018-09-26. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  7. ^ Pilkington, Ed (September 18, 2009). "Republicans steal Barack Obama's internet campaigning tricks". The Guardian. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference politico20140509 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference factcheck was invoked but never defined (see the help page).