America First Policy Institute (AFPI)

America First Policy Institute (AFPI) is a right-of-center policy think-tank and advocacy organization founded in 2021 by Brooke Rollins and Larry Kudlow, former advisors to President Donald Trump. 1 The organization develops and promotes right-leaning policy on a broad range of topics.

Read More

At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3)
Issue Areas: Economic Policy, Foreign Policy
Website: americafirstpolicy.com
Formation:

2021

Location: Arlington, VA View on map
Tax ID: 85-4202763
Most Recent Filing: 2024
Budget (2024): Assets: $25,178,547 Revenue: $51,061,493 Expenses: $37,889,561

Contents

    Background

    The America First Policy Institute supports policies of the Trump administration such as prioritizing American interests in foreign policy, promoting free enterprise, and pushing American military superiority. 2

    The organization, which started in March 2021, was set to have 35 employees upon launch with a first year budget of $20 million. AFPI President Brooke Rollins has said she expects the budget will double to $40 million by 2022. 3

    Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, the 45th president’s daughter and son-in-law who served the Trump administration as advisors, are reportedly advisers to the organizations. 3

    The AFPI was opened in Arlington, Virginia, and reportedly plans to move to a location near Capitol Hill. 4

    Leadership

    Linda McMahon is the chairwoman of the board for AFPI. She served as Administrator of the Small Business Administration in the Trump administration. She was previously the president and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment. 2

    Larry Kudlow is the vice chairman of the board of AFPI. He is also the chairman of AFPI’s Center for American Prosperity. He worked in the Trump White House as the director of the National Economic Council. After serving in the White House, he became host of “Kudlow” on Fox Business Channel and “The Larry Kudlow Show” on WABC Talk Radio. Kudlow was the associate director of the Office of Management and Budget during the Reagan administration. 2

    Brooke Rollins is the president and CEO of AFPI. Formerly the director of the Domestic Policy Council in the Trump White House, she previously ran the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and was at one point the policy director for former Texas Governor Rick Perry (R). 2

    Doug Hoelscher is AFPI’s chief operating officer. He was previously the director of intergovernmental affairs at the Trump White House. Before that, he was the director of the Iowa Office of State-Federal Relations. He also previously worked in the George W. Bush White House and worked in the Department of Homeland Security. 2

    Other Trump administration and campaign alumni, such as former Energy Secretary Rick Perry; former Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf; former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe; retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, the former national security adviser for Vice President Mike Pence; former Trump White House spiritual adviser Paula White-Cain; and former NFL player and Trump campaign surrogate Jack Brewer have positions in the AFPI as well. 2

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2024 $25,178,547 $51,061,493 $37,889,561 View
    2023 $9,873,304 $27,319,085 $22,934,132 View
    2022 $6,068,756 $23,618,246 $22,348,233 View
    2021 $3,850,844 $14,195,522 $10,830,742 View

    Revenue Detail

    Expenses Detail

    Employee Compensation

    • Number of Employees: 105

    Highest Earning Employees

    EmployeeTitleTotal Compensation
    Brooke RollinsPRESIDENT & CEO$801,800
    Chad WolfEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/TREASUR$526,800
    Martin GillespieCHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER$451,800
    Hope HudsonCHIEF OF STAFF$326,800
    Heidi OvertonVICE CHAIR CTR HEALTHY AMERICA$301,200
    Stacey SchieffelinCHAIR WOMEN'S INITIATIVE$286,550
    Catharine CypherDEP CHIEF OF STAFF$281,800
    Richard LawsonSENIOR LITIGATOR$271,800
    Joseph Kellogg JRCO-CHAIR CTR AMER SECURITY$262,842
    Jessica SteinmannSECRETARY/GENERAL COUNSEL$214,350

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $21,881,609
    • Number of Grants: 87
    • Number of Funders: 59

    Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $3,000,0002021 America First Works IncISSUE SUPPORT
    $2,000,0002024 The Pentecost FoundationCOMMUNITY SUPPORT
    $1,434,0002024 Donors Trust Incfor general operations
    $1,400,0002024 Donors Trust Incfor Veterans Initiative
    $1,000,0002024 Donors Trust Incfor Election Integrity Project
    $1,000,0002024 Greater Washington Community Foundation
    $1,000,0002024 The Herche Family Foundation IncGENERAL SUPPORT
    $975,0002024 Senate Working Group IncTO FURTHER THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION
    $876,9012022 Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor grant recipient's exempt purposes
    $590,0002024 Donors Trust Incfor general operations
    $502,5002022 Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management IncPUBLIC SERVICE
    $425,0002024 Christian Community Foundation IncGENERAL SUPPORT
    $365,0002024 Jackson Howard FoundationNON-PARTISAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    $350,0002024 The Dunn FoundationGeneral & Unrestricted
    $325,0002023 Jackson Howard FoundationNON-PARTISAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    $300,0002022 The Searle Freedom TrustEDUCATION AND OUTREACH
    $300,0002021 The Searle Freedom TrustEDUCATION AND OUTREACH
    $285,0002022 Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust IncUNRESTRICTED GENERAL SUPPORT
    $265,2502023 The SignatryCOMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
    $250,0002024 William M Fuller FoundationTO FURTHER CHARITABLE PURPOSE.
    $250,0002024 The Leandro P Rizzuto FoundationASSIST IN NON-PARTISAN RESEARCH.
    $250,0002024 White Cake Family FoundationGENERAL SUPPORT
    $250,0002023 Community Foundation for Greater AtlantaEDUCATION
    $250,0002022 The Dunn FoundationGeneral & Unrestricted
    $250,0002022 National Philanthropic TrustPUBLIC, SOCIETAL BENEFIT

    All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $1,888,057
    • Number of Grants: 6
    • Number of Recipients: 6

    Selection of highest value grants given from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $1,000,0002021 Citizens United Foundation
    $337,0002024 Personnel Policy Operations IncTO FURTHER THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION
    $250,0002023 FOUNDATION FOR GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY INCTO FURTHER THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION
    $227,8572024 America First Policy Institute-PennsylvaniaTO FURTHER THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION
    $40,0002024 Immigration Reform Law Institute IncTO FURTHER THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION
    $33,2002024 Susan B Anthony List IncTO FURTHER THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION

    Contact InfluenceWatch to report errors, suggest edits, or provide tips for additional profiles.

    Contact Us

    Financials, employee compensation, and grant information provided by Candid.

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. Isenstadt, Alex. “Trump Attorney, Other Allies Launch Voter Fraud Organization.” POLITICO. POLITICO, May 6, 2021. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/05/trump-election-integrity-organization-485399.
    2. “About.” America First Policy Institute. Accessed June 11, 2021. https://americafirstpolicy.com/about/
    3. Allen, Mike. “Trump alumni launch largest post-administration group.” Axios. Apr 13, 2021. Accessed June 11, 2021. https://www.axios.com/trump-policy-institute-brooke-rollins-bac3f2f8-b41a-45a6-a962-aeb126a38d0e.html
    4. Allen, Mike. “Scoop: Trump alumni launch largest post-administration group.” Axios. Apr 13, 2021. Accessed June 11, 2021. https://www.axios.com/trump-policy-institute-brooke-rollins-bac3f2f8-b41a-45a6-a962-aeb126a38d0e.html?utm_campaign=organic&utm_medium=socialshare&utm_source=twitter