Want to know who’s behind Project 2025? Follow the money through the swamp

In the 1976 film All the President’s Men, the character Deep Throat tells Robert Redford, playing Bob Woodward, to “follow the money” to get to the bottom of the Watergate scandal. The line is a classic. It’s also pretty good advice for anyone interested in knowing more about some of the funders behind the Heritage Foundation’s now-infamous Project 2025.

In the United States, both nonprofit organizations and the entities that fund them must report those contributions to the IRS via Form 990 tax filings. Those 990s are available to the public. While donations on an individual’s tax filing are not available to the public, the uber-wealthy in our country generally make their charitable giving through an assortment of funding entities.

I’ve spent more than 100 hours poring over the 990s of each of the organizations listed on Project 2025’s Advisory Board and the entities that fund them. In doing so, I’ve learned a great deal about the foundations behind the publication including their ideologies and their alliances.

The swampy conditions: The morally repugnant kind of evangelism

There are reasons why those who have historically identified as “evangelical” are like pariahs in the broader community. While some who identify as evangelical share their faith by the way they live their daily lives, too many in the evangelical sphere embrace a form of evangelism that is dominating, colonialist and culturally offensive.

Today this kind of evangelical is heavily influenced by both a fundamentalist strain of Christianity and the movement known as the New Apostolic Reformation.

The fundamentalist Christian worldview takes every aspect of the Bible literally — from the creation of the world in seven 24-hour periods to the firm belief that wives are to submit to their husbands. They read the Bible as both a history book and a science textbook.

In the same vein, these fundamentalist evangelicals take Mathew 28:19-20 literally when it says to “make disciples of all nations … teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Their literal interpretation of this passage compels them to make converts both at home and abroad. They will attempt to do so by invitation or by force.

Equally alarming, these evangelicals have embraced many of the tenets of the New Apostolic Reformation. Launched by C. Peter Wagner in 1996, those who adhere to NAR’s neo-charismatic teachings believe in the literal presence of demonic forces in the world and the need to wage spiritual warfare against them.

This belief led to nationwide prayer networks like Intercessors for America focusing on the physical presence of demons in the world acting upon society and our government. Because they are waging spiritual warfare, they also believe it necessary to take dominion over what they call the Seven Mountains of society — the seven spheres of influence including education, government, media, etc. NAR adherents also believe God is speaking to present-day prophets and apostles and delivering messages such as that Donald Trump really won the 2020 election and will be restored to power soon.

NAR has existed on the fringes of the political arena since its founding. In fact, 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was “anointed” by an NAR prophet and many saw her rise in politics as God-ordained. But it wasn’t until Trump appointed Paula White as his spiritual adviser that NAR really broke into the mainstream.

“Their money passes from the hands of anonymous donors at donor-advised entities to nonprofits and, in some cases, smaller funding entities who then, in turn, regrant the money to even more fringe nonprofits.”

White’s rhetoric and prayers exemplify the ways in which these kinds of fundamentalist, neo-charismatic evangelicals see their politics through the lens of apocalyptic spiritual warfare. More than once, White prayed publicly that “every demonic network who has aligned itself against the purpose, against the calling of President Trump” be destroyed.

Leaders of NAR were present at the Capitol on January 6. And since that day, they have doubled down on their belief that Trump is anointed by God to help them gain dominion over the United States, even going so far as to join him at his reelection rallies.

There is a whole network of funders and funding entities fueling this strain of evangelicalism dominated by fundamentalist and NAR ideologies. Their money passes from the hands of anonymous donors at donor-advised entities to nonprofits and, in some cases, smaller funding entities who then, in turn, regrant the money to even more fringe nonprofits.

The groups behind Project 2025 are flora and fauna of this particular swamp, but there is so much more to this ecosystem.

The subterranean rivers: The shadow funders feeding the swamp

In the natural world, swamps are fed by rivers. Some of those rivers flow overground while others flow beneath the earth.

Historically, the uber-wealthy in this country have formed foundations to distribute their money — foundations they controlled and managed. While there are still a number of transparent foundations like this, over the last 10 years, the uber-wealthy have begun transferring their assets to donor-advised funds.

Donor-advised funds are managed by various entities like community foundations, investment houses and the like. The donor tells the managing entity where they want their money to go, and the entity then makes the donations to the nonprofit on behalf of the donor. This allows the donor to give money under a cloak of darkness since the gift is listed on all 990s as being from the donor-advised managing entity rather than the individual donor. Nevertheless, one can learn a lot from reading over 990s.

National Christian Foundation

Founded in 1982, National Christian Foundation is a donor-advised entity with the vision of “every person reached and restored through the love of Christ.” The entity has drawn criticism both for the lack of transparency inherent in donor-advised funds (uber-wealthy giving anonymously) and for the amount of funds directed toward hate groups in the United States. Sample giving includes:

• Alliance Defending Freedom is one of the organizations that wrote Project 2025. They also are designated an extremist hate group by Southern Poverty Law Center. ADF was founded in 1994 by Alan Sears, Bill Bright, James Dobson, Larry Burkett and D. James Kennedy. The organization is responsible for some of the most virulent attacks on the LGBTQ community and remains at the forefront of legal fights attempting to deny them constitutional rights. National Christian Foundation has given Alliance Defending Freedom more than $76.5 million since 2016.
• American Family Association was founded 1977 by pastor Donald E. Wildmon, who was known for his “Campaign for Decency” that protested television shows like M*A*S*H for “promoting immoral lifestyles.” The group also is designated an extremist hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. AFA’s core values state: “Evangelism and discipleship — AFA aims to evangelize the lost and disciple the believer. Marriage and family — AFA aims to strengthen biblical marriages and equip parents to raise godly children. Morality — AFA believes true morality flows from biblical principles and directs people to the manner in which God intends them to live.” National Christian Foundation has donated just under $2 million since 2016.
• Museum of the Bible was established in 2010 by David Green, the billionaire founder of Hobby Lobby, which notoriously won a Supreme Court case allowing it to exclude medical coverage for contraception based on the Green family’s religious aversion to “ abortion-causing drugs and devices.” The museum has been criticized for, among other things, its fundamentalist evangelical representation of the Bible as the one true interpretation of the Christian faith. National Christian Foundation has given more than $614 million to the museum.
• OneHope Inc. was founded by New Apostolic Reformation prophet Bob Hoskins in 1987 after he had a vision “showing him how Satan was targeting children” around the world because they did not know Christianity. OneHope’s answer is radical, colonialist evangelism. Since 2016, National Christian Foundation has given more than $84.6 million to OneHope Inc.
• Turning Point USA was founded by Charlie Kirk and Bill Montgomery in 2012 as a college student organization. It has since expanded and adopted the language and theology of Christian nationalism — specifically that of the New Apostolic Reformation. The organization is labeled an extremist, racist group by the Anti-Defamation League. Since 2016, National Christian Foundation has given more than $5.8 million to the organization.

“From 2016 to 2023 the foundation gave nearly $134 million to 32 of the organizations responsible for writing Project 2025.”

The organizations listed above are a sampling of the kinds of causes National Christian Foundation supports. Additionally, from 2016 to 2023 the foundation gave nearly $134 million to 32 of the organizations responsible for writing Project 2025.

Christian Community Foundation a.k.a. WaterStone

Originally founded in Colorado Springs as Christian Community Foundation, this donor-advised entity sometimes goes by WaterStone. Its mission states, “We are grateful to be part of a larger community of organizations dedicated to promoting kingdom values in stewardship, financial management and corporate leadership. The members of our community value personal spiritual growth and the glorification of God in each of our financial and business arenas.”

• America First Legal Foundation was founded in 2021 by Stephen Miller, who Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled a right-wing anti-immigrant extremist. America First Legal Foundation is one of the organizations involved in writing Project 2025. Christian Community Foundation/WaterStone gave the organization more than $4.7 million in 2023.
• Family Research Council was founded in 1981 by James Dobson and, like the Alliance Defending Freedom which Dobson also co-founded, is designated an extremist hate group by Southern Poverty Law Center. It promotes falsehoods about homosexuality and opposes the separation of church and state. Christian Community Foundation/WaterStone has given FRC more than $2.67 million since 2015.
• Frontiers USA was founded in 1982 by Greg Livingstone and is focused on converting Muslims to Christianity. Its mission states: “Frontiers is working to fulfill the Great Commission by making disciples among Muslim peoples who don’t know the saving message of Jesus Christ. Our global priorities focus on the peoples and places with the least access to the gospel. To this end, we work to recruit, train and send teams of workers to live in Muslim communities and bring Christ’s message to those who have yet to hear it.” Christian Community Foundation/WaterStone has given them $1.7 million since 2015.
• Intercessors for America was founded in 1973 by Derek Prince and John Beckett, who emphasized the importance of spiritual warfare to combat demons in the world. Since Paula White’s role as Donald Trump’s spiritual adviser, the group has become more influential in right-wing politics. These politicians join people like White on “prayer calls” advocating for spiritual warfare within politics. Since 2020, Christian Community Foundation/WaterStone has donated more than $110,000 to the organization.
• John MacArthur Charitable Trust serves as the funding arm for all ministries associated with John MacArthur, a right-wing extremist pastor known for coercing women to stay in abusive marriages. MacArthur opposes female pastors and supports complementarianism. He also is a young earth creationist who fought COVID restrictions and says mental illness is not real. Between 2021 and 2023, Christian Community Foundation/WaterStone donated more than $8.87 million to the John MacArthur Charitable Trust.

“Between 2015 and 2023, the foundation gave nearly $14 million to 13 of the organizations responsible for writing Project 2025, the vast majority given in 2022 and 2023.”

The organizations listed above are a sampling of the kinds of causes Christian Community Foundation/WaterStone supports. Between 2015 and 2023, the foundation gave nearly $14 million to 13 of the organizations responsible for writing Project 2025, the vast majority given in 2022 and 2023.

The Signatry

Launched in 2000, The Signatry describes itself as “a donor advised fund sponsor, but we are more importantly a Christian ministry seeking to build the kingdom of God by inspiring world-changing generosity.” And, since the 2020 election, donors with The Signatry have dramatically increased funding to organizations that align with their fundamentalist evangelical ideology. A sampling of the organizations they fund include:

• Answers in Genesis Inc. was founded by Ken Ham in 1994 to promote a literal reading of Genesis, particularly young earth creationism. Since the last election, The Signatry has given Answers in Genesis more than $25 million.
• Concerned Women for America is one of the organizations that wrote Project 2025. It was founded by Beverly LaHaye (wife of Tim LaHaye who authored the “Left Behind” series of books) in 1979 to oppose the Equal Rights Amendment. Today, CWA continues to advocate for its fundamentalist Christian worldview and claims to “protect and promote biblical values and Constitutional principles through prayer, education and advocacy” and help “our members across the country bring biblical principles into all levels of public policy.” The Signatry gave CWA $270,600 in 2022.
• World Literature Crusade/Every Home for Christ was founded by Jack McAlister in 1953 and expanded by NAR adherent Dick Eastman, who is listed as the organization’s “chief prayer officer.” Since its inception, the organization has delivered more than 2 billion Christian tracts to countries around the world in a colonialist effort to convert the local populations to Christianity. Since 2020, The Signatry has given more than $146.57 million to World Literature Crusade/Every Home for Christ.

“From 2020-2023, The Signatry gave more than $62.56 million to 26 of the organizations behind Project 2025.”

From 2020-2023, The Signatry gave more than $62.56 million to 26 of the organizations behind Project 2025. The majority of this giving ($43.5 million) occurred in 2022 and 2023 when this group was at work creating the document — and for 20 of the 26 organizations, it was their first time being funded by The Signatry.

The overland rivers: The family foundations feeding the swamp

Some of the board members of the Heritage Foundation have family foundations from which they distribute their inherited wealth. These board members and their foundations have had an out-sized influence on Project 2025 by funding the many organizations that helped create the document. Much can be gleaned about their ideologies by looking at who else they fund. Here is a quick snapshot of the family foundations run by various board members of the Heritage Foundation:

Diana Davis Spencer Foundation

The Heritage Foundation’s board member Abby Spencer Moffat serves as CEO of the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, which has more than $1.4 billion in assets. Between 2020 and 2022, the foundation donated $15 million to 16 organizations behind Project 2025 (including $2 million to Hillsdale College, one of the institutions at the center of the culture wars over public education in America).

The foundation supports a number of schools, colleges and internship opportunities that adhere to a “classical” curriculum (no gender or ethnic studies courses). It also supports organizations like Parents Defending Education, which fights “indoctrination” in the classroom ($150,000 in 2022) and the Media Research Center, which exists to promote “conservative values, culture and politics … (by) countering left-wing bias” in media ($4 million between 2020-2022).

Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and Bradley Impact Fund

The Heritage Foundation’s board member Robert P. George serves on the board of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. The foundation is connected to a second entity called the Bradley Impact Fund. Together, the two have combined assets of more than $1.1 billion. In recent years, the two entities have donated $61.4 million to 17 of the nonprofits behind Project 2025 (including $27.1 million to Stephen Miller’s America First Legal Foundation and just under $2 million to Young America’s Foundation).

The foundations transferred more than $5 million to Christian Community Foundation to be distributed anonymously. They support a number of right-wing media and conspiracy organizations like Project Veritas ($3.9 million) and extremist organizations like Turning Point USA ($15.7 million). They also support CO2 Coalition (a climate-science-denying organization).

The Lloyd and Vivian Noble Foundation and the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation

The Heritage Foundation’s board member Virginia Heckman continues her family’s long legacy of support for the Heritage Foundation. She also serves as the president of the Lloyd and Vivian Noble Foundation and is a trustee of the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. The combined assets of the foundations totals more than $1.73 billion — most of which is derived from their involvement in the oil and gas industries.

As a result, their primary focus in giving is the institute they founded, Noble Research Institute, the country’s largest agricultural research organization (separated from the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in 2017). Historically, the foundations have been opposed to climate science, which was why they supported the Heritage Foundation. It remains to be seen if, in separating the foundation from the institute, that stance has changed. The institute states its mission is “to guide farmers and ranchers in applying regenerative principles that yield healthier soil, more productive grazing land, and business success.”

Between 2021 and 2022, the foundations gave a combined $1.6 million to the organizations behind the creation of Project 2025: The Heritage Foundation, Family Research Council, FreedomWorks (the libertarian think tank that recently closed its doors), Intercollegiate Studies Institute and Hillsdale College.

Mercer Family Foundation

The Heritage Foundation’s board member Rebekah Mercer is director of the Mercer Family Foundation. She is one of the daughters of hedge fund oligarch Robert Mercer and shares his interest in political domination. The pair were infamously big investors in Cambridge Analytica, the data mining and voter manipulation outfit involved in swaying the 2016 election and depicted in the documentary films The Great Hack and The Social Dilemma.

The foundation has been a longtime supporter of Media Research Center and the Government Accountability Institute, the conservative think tank founded by the now-imprisoned Steve Bannon; Peter Schweizer, senior editor of right-wing Breitbart News; and Robert Mercer and his family (including Rebekah). Since 2016, the foundation has transferred more than $60 million in assets to DonorsTrust, a Libertarian donor-advised entity, ensuring future philanthropic donations from the Mercer family will be untraceable.

Richard and Barbara Gaby Foundation and the Gaby Family Foundation

These two family foundations are managed, in part, by the Heritage Foundation’s chairman, Barbara Van Andel-Gaby. Together, the foundations have more than $163 million in assets. In recent years, the foundations have given just under $16 million to 11 of the organizations behind Project 2025 ($11 million of which went to the Heritage Foundation).

The foundations transferred just under $9 million to the donor-advised entity National Christian Foundation to be distributed anonymously. They also support a number of New Apostolic Reformation-adjacent organizations like Renovation Church in Atlanta and a number of fundamentalist evangelical organizations like Pine Cove Camps in Texas (which emphasizes purity culture).

Roe Foundation

The Heritage Foundation’s founder and former president, Edwin J. Feuler, has served on the Roe Foundation for more than 25 years. The foundation has assets totaling just over $14 million. Its primary giving focus has been in supporting the Heritage Foundation and the State Policy Network, a Libertarian organization that props up activist organizations within individual states.

Sarah Scaife Foundation

The Heritage Foundation’s vice chairman, Michael Gleba, and founder and former president, Edwin J. Feulner, are longtime trustees of the Sarah Scaife Foundation where Gleba is now chairman. The foundation has assets of nearly $850 million.

In recent years, the Sarah Scaife Foundation has given more than $64 million to 16 of the organizations behind Project 2025 (including $16.3 million to the Heritage Foundation, $12.3 million to Intercollegiate Studies Institute, and $2.75 million to Center for Immigration Studies which is designated a hate group by Southern Poverty Law Center).

The foundation supports a number of right-wing media organizations including Daily Caller News Foundation ($1.08 million). The foundation also supports climate-change-denier CO2 Coalition and Federation for American Immigration Reform (an anti-immigrant organization also designated as an extremist hate group by Southern Poverty Law Center).

Next steps: Digging deeper into the swamp

The organizations behind Project 2025 are fed by a network of funders — many of whom are highlighted above. But much like a swamp, there is a never-ending stream of subterranean rivers and a bottomless pit of smaller organizations that accept philanthropic dollars to regrant to even more extreme organizations.

Project 2025 is just one product of this swamp — a product that’s got everyone’s attention at this moment. It’s important, then, to seize this moment and excavate even further into the swamp. Who knows what we will find.

 

Mara Richards Bim is serving as a Clemons Fellow with BNG. She is a recent master of divinity degree graduate from Perkins School of Theology at SMU. She also is an award-winning theater practitioner, playwright and director and founder of Cry Havoc Theater Company that operated in Dallas from 2014 to 2023.

 

Related articles:

You’ve heard of Project 2025? Now meet Agenda 47 | Analysis by Steve Rabey

Du Mez, Bass and Tisby warn: Project 2025 is a Christian nationalist blueprint

Heritage Foundation: Reagan’s favorite think tank reborn for Trump 2.0