Freedom Partners

{{Infobox organization

| name = Freedom Partners

| image = Freedom Partners.png

| caption =Freedom Partners logo

| founder =

| type = Chamber of commerce 501(c)(6)

| tax_id = 45-3732750 (EIN)

| registration_id =

| founded_date = {{Start date|2011|11}}

| location = Arlington, Virginia

| coordinates =

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| revenue = $255,674,218 (FY 2011)

| endowment =

| num_volunteers =

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| num_members = 200

| subsid =

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| former name = Association for American Innovation

| homepage =

| dissolved = 2019

| footnotes =

}}

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." It was partially funded by the Koch brothers,{{cite news|author1=Chris Rufer|title=End This Corporate Welfare|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/23/opinion/end-this-corporate-welfare.html?ref=opinion&_r=0|access-date=4 April 2015|work=NY Times|date=23 March 2015|format=Opinion Pages}} and sponsored various Republican politicians and conservative groups. The group was dissolved in 2019 amidst a restructuring of the Koch family's giving.{{cite news |last1=Hohmann |first1=James |title=The Koch network is reorganizing under a new name and with new priorities |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2019/05/20/daily-202-the-koch-network-is-reorganizing-under-a-new-name-and-with-new-priorities/5ce1a94fa7a0a435cff8c0d3/ |access-date=20 May 2019 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=May 20, 2019}}

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.

The organization was partially funded by the Koch brothers, although it operated independently of Koch Industries. A majority of Freedom Partners board was made up of long-time employees of Koch entities.

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. Ahead of the 2012 presidential election, Freedom Partners donated $8.1 million to the Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee.{{cite web |last1=Fang |first1=Lee |title= "Libertarian" Koch brothers finance group protesting gay marriage at supreme Court |url= https://theintercept.com/2015/04/28/anti-gay-marriage-group-demonstrating-front-supreme-court-financed-libertarian-koch-brothers |website= The intercept |date=28 April 2015 |publisher= First Look Media |access-date=28 July 2018}}

It awarded grants to advocacy organizations with the goal of raising public awareness about "important societal and economic issues".

References

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite web | url=http://freedompartners.org/us/ | title=About Us | publisher=Freedom Partners | access-date=September 16, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113113714/http://freedompartners.org/us/ | archive-date=November 13, 2013 | url-status=dead }}

{{cite web |url=http://www.kochfacts.com/kf/koch-and-freedom-partners/ |title=Koch and Freedom Partners |website=kochfacts.com |publisher=Koch Industries | date=September 12, 2013 | access-date=September 16, 2013}}

{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/us/politics/tax-filings-hint-at-extent-of-koch-brothers-reach.html?_r=0 | title=Tax Filings Hint at Extent of Koch Brothers' Reach | work=New York Times | date=September 12, 2013 | access-date=September 17, 2013 | author=Confessore, Nicholas}}

{{cite web | url=http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/koch-brothers-break-new-ground-in-dark-money-20130913 | title=Koch Brothers Break New Ground in Dark Money | work=National Journal | date=September 13, 2013 | access-date=September 16, 2013 | author=Seitz-Wald, Alex}}

{{cite web | url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/12/koch-brothers-freedom-partners_n_3914157.html | title=Koch Brothers Respond To Report On Freedom Partners, Their New Political Organization | publisher=Huffington Post | date=September 12, 2013 | access-date=September 16, 2013 | author=Blumenthal, Paul}}

{{cite web | url=http://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/09/12244/revealed-extensive-koch-links-new-right-wing-250-million-mega-fund | title=Revealed: Extensive Koch Links to New Right-Wing $250 Million Mega Fund | publisher=PR Watch | date=September 16, 2013 | access-date=September 16, 2013 | author=Surgey, Nick}}

{{cite web | url=http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/behind-the-curtain-exclusive-the-koch-brothers-secret-bank-96669.html | title=The Koch brothers' secret bank | publisher=Politico | date=September 11, 2013 | access-date=September 16, 2013 |author1=Allen, Mike |author2=Vandehei, Jim}}

{{cite web | url=https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/797553-freedom-partners-2011-clear.html | title=Freedom Partners 2011 Form 990 Federal Tax Return | publisher=OpenSecrets | access-date=September 20, 2013}}

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