The American Culture Project (ACP) is a nonprofit advocacy organization that seeks to engage, educate, and mobilize independent American voters. ACP focuses its efforts on critical election states and promotes the ideas of freedom and opportunity. ¹

The American Culture Foundation (ACF) is the 501(c)(3) sister organization of the American Culture Project. ²

Activities

The American Culture Project seeks to engage with the millions of Americans it calls the “persuadable middle,” namely independent voters. ACP focuses on swing states, as of May 2024 supporting efforts in Michigan, Ohio, Florida, and Virginia and sponsors the groups Mighty Michigan, Arise Ohio, Stand Up Florida, and Virginia Works, respectively. ³

In a March 2021 fundraising proposal, the American Culture Project stated it was creating a “persuasion machine” that would allow conservatives to engage and mobilize Americans in advance of the 2022 elections. The goal of the persuasion machine was to engage with the political middle by reframing and taking control of the cultural narrative. In the proposal, ACP claimed that progressives have built successful infrastructures to deliver content, giving them cultural control and a large influence over elections and public policy. ACP intends to reclaim the public narrative, protect those who support the ideals of free markets and limited government, and win elections through its long-term outreach strategies. ⁴

Funding

The American Culture Project is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses. While ACP does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm a donation from the Government Accountability Alliance ($125,000 in 2020). ⁵

Board of Directors

John Tillman is the chair and CEO of the American Culture Project and the American Culture Foundation, the chair and former CEO of the Illinois Policy Institute, and the chair of the Franklin News Network. Tillman is a cofounder and former chair of the Liberty Justice Center. ⁶

Mark Miller is the secretary and treasurer of the board of ACP and ACF. Miller is the president of Bearing Tree, whose clients include the Illinois Policy Institute, the Franklin News Network, and Iron Light, and a former partner at Ernst & Young. Miler sits on the boards of the Illinois Policy Institute, Iron Light, and the American Culture Foundation. ⁷

Paul Jacob is president of the Liberty Initiative Fund and sits on the boards of ACF, U.S. Term Limits, Citizens in Charge, the Citizens in Charge Foundation, the Great Communicators Foundation, and Taxpayers United of America. Jacob is the host of Common Sense, an online and print opinion program sponsored by the Great Communicators Foundation. ⁸ Jacob is a former member of the Libertarian Party National Committee, a former president of the Citizens in Charge Foundation, and formerly sat on the board of the Center for Independent Thought. ⁹

Craig Manske is a co-managing principal of Development Solutions and sits on the boards of ACF, the Illinois Policy Institute and the Neighborhood Capital Institute. Manske is a former president of the Wisconsin Real Estate Alumni Association. ¹⁰

Dick Weiss is a founding member of the Club for Growth and sits on the board of ACF. ¹¹

1. “About.” American Culture Project. Accessed June 10, 2024. https://amculture.org/#about.
2. American Culture Project, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Schedule R, Part II.
3. “Communities.” American Culture Project. Accessed June 10, 2024. https://amculture.org/#communities.
4. “’Reclaiming the Public Narrative’: A fundraising proposal from the American Culture Project.” The Washington Post, April 3, 2021. Accessed June 10, 2024. https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/reclaiming-the-public-narrative-a-fundraising-proposal-from-the-culture-project/773e152e-8f1a-4ef2-bab9-1adc5e7c17d2/?itid=lk_interstitial_manual_17
5. Government Accountability Alliance, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2020, Schedule I, Part II.
6. “John Tillman.” Illinois Policy. Accessed June 6, 2024. https://www.illinoispolicy.org/author/john-tillman/
7. “Mark Miller.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 6, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/markpetermiller/.
8. “About Paul Jacob.” ThisIsCommonSense.org. Accessed June 6, 2024. https://thisiscommonsense.org/about-paul-jacob-2/.
9. “Board of Directors.” U.S. Term Limits. Accessed June 6, 2024. https://www.termlimits.com/about/board-of-directors/.
10. “Craig S. Manske.” Illinois Policy. Accessed June 6, 2024. https://www.illinoispolicy.org/author/cmanske/.
11. “Mary Beth Weiss.” Network of enlightened Women. Accessed June 6, 2024. https://enlightenedwomen.org/about/mary-beth-weiss/.