The American Conservative Union (ACU) Foundation, or CPAC Foundation, is a nonprofit political organization that aims to educate citizens about conservative principles and advocate for conservative policies. ¹ The ACU Foundation hosts five policy centers ² and ranks politicians based on their level of conservatism. ³

The American Conservative Union Foundation is an associate member of the State Policy Network, a coalition of free-market state-level policy organizations. ⁴

The American Conservative Union (ACU) is the 501(c)(4) sister organization of the ACU Foundation. ⁵

Activities

To show that conservative policies are more effective than liberal alternatives, the American Conservative Union Foundation hosts five policy centers that produce research, publish editorials, and support conservative activism training. Currently, the five policy centers include “Criminal Justice Reform,” “Human Dignity,” “21st Century Property Rights,” “Statesmanship and Diplomacy,” and “Arts & Culture.” ⁶

The ACU Foundation’s Nolan Center for Justice supports conservative reforms of the American criminal justice system. ⁷ The Center advocates for reform policies that would keep the public safe within the confines of individual liberty and limited government, using tax dollars wisely while holding offenders accountable. ⁸

The American Conservative Union Foundation annually ranks politicians and awards those who are the most conservative, based on their voting records. ⁹ ACU Foundation’s Center for Legislative Accountability provides a searchable online database of its 50 years of ratings, which includes ratings of members of Congress, state legislators, and specific bills. Also included are the analysis of voting trends over time, enhanced lawmaker profiles, and side-by-side lawmaker comparisons. ¹⁰

Funding

The American Conservative Union Foundation is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. While the ACU Foundation does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from the Pew Charitable Trusts ($562,358 in 2018), ¹¹ the Everlasting Private Foundation ($495,000 in 2020), ¹² and the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation ($350,000 in 2017). ¹³

People

Daniel Schneider is the former executive director of the American Conservative Union (ACU) and the ACU Foundation, and formerly sat on the board of Americans United for Life. Schneider is currently vice president of the Free Speech America and Business Divisions at Media Research Center. ¹⁴

Matt Schlapp is the chair of the boards of the ACU Foundation and the Conservative Political Action Coalition (CPAC). Schlapp is a member of the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board and formerly worked as White House political director for former President George W. Bush. ¹⁵

1. American Conservative Union Foundation Inc, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019, Part I, Line 1.
2. “About Us.” American Conservative Union, 2022. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://www.conservative.org/about/.
3. “Home.” American Conservative Union Foundation, 2022. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://www.conservative.org/about/.
4. “The Network.” State Policy Network, 2022. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://spn.org/directory/.
5. American Conservative Union Inc, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019, Schedule R, Part II.
6.  ^[1] “About Us.” American Conservative Union, 2022. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://www.conservative.org/about/.
7. “Home.” Nolan Center for Justice, 2022. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://conservativejusticereform.org/.
8. “The Conservative Principles of Justice.” Nolan Center for Justice, 2022. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://conservativejusticereform.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/ACUFCCJR_ConservativePrinciples.pdf.
9. “Home.” American Conservative Union Foundation, 2022. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://www.conservative.org/about/.
10. “Home.” Center for Legislative Accountability, 2021. Accessed October 3, 2022. http://ratings.conservative.org/.
11. Pew Charitable Trusts, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2018, Schedule I, Part II.
12. Everlasting Private Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2020, Part XV, Line 3.
13. ^[1] Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2017, Part XV, Line 3.
14. “Dan Schneider.” LinkedIn, 2022. Accessed October 2, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-schneider-79b35b7/.
15. “Matt Schlapp.” American Conservative Union, 2022. Accessed September 30, 2022. https://www.conservative.org/staff/matt-schlapp/.