Citizens for Sanity is a right-of-center nonprofit organization that advocates against left-of-center policies including the concept of “wokeism” and similar ideologies through messaging campaigns. ¹

Activities

Established in 2022, Citizens for Sanity is a right-of-center organization that advocates against certain left-of-center policy issues on “wokeism” through messaging campaigns involving billboards, social media campaigns, and television, radio, and newspaper ads. ¹

According to tax filings, Citizens for Sanity spent over $90 million on advertising and promotion in 2022. ² Several pieces of media released have used satirical and sarcastic humor including “Thank you, Senator Hassan, for voting to keep our borders open. Drug cartels need all the help they can get;” “To the radical left – thank you for showing violent criminals the respect and tolerance they deserve;” and “Biology is bigotry. No one is born a woman.” ¹

Citizens for Sanity has also run campaigns focused on transgender-related politics, including a television ad about transgender individuals competing in girls’ sports, claiming that “Woke left-wing politicians are destroying girls’ sports” and radio ads that warn “so-called health organizations are promoting experimental, dangerous and irreversible drugs and surgeries.” ³

Funding

Citizens for Sanity is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses. While Citizens for Sanity does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from Building America’s Future ($43 million in 2022), ⁴ the Freedom’s Future Fund ($28.7 million in 2022), ⁵ American Commitment ($13.4 million in 2022), ⁶ and Interstate Priorities ($1.55 million in 2023). ⁷

Leadership

Gene Hamilton is the president of Citizens for Sanity and a founder of the America First Legal Foundation. During the first Trump administration, Hamilton worked as a counselor to the Attorney General and as senior counselor to the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, and also worked as general counsel on the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. ⁸

Ian Prior is the secretary of the board of Citizens for Sanity and a senior advisor at America First Legal. Prior formerly worked as the executive director of Fight for Schools, as principal deputy director of public affairs at the U.S. Department of Justice during the first Trump administration, and as national press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee. ⁹

John Zadrozny is the treasurer of the board of Citizens for Sanity. Zadrozny formerly worked as director of the Center for Homeland Security and Immigration at the America First Policy Institute, deputy assistant to the president in the Office of the Senior Advisor during the first Trump administration, ¹⁰ and as legislative counsel at the Federation for American Immigration Reform. ¹¹

1.  “Home.” Citizens for Sanity. Accessed March 17, 2025. https://forsanity.org/.
2. Citizens for Sanity, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Part VII, Section B, Line 1.
3. Bender, Michael C. “Inflammatory Radio Ads From 2 Trump-Aligned Groups Are Airing in Battleground States.” The New York Times, November 1, 2022. Accessed March 17, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/01/us/politics/radio-ads-trump-allies.html.
4. Building America’s Future, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Schedule I, Part II.
5. Freedom’s Future Fund, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Schedule I, Part II.
6. American Commitment, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Schedule I, Part II.
7. Interstate Priorities, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2023, Schedule I, Part II.
8. “About.” America First Legal. Accessed March 17, 2025. https://aflegal.org/about/.
9. “Ian Prior.” LinkedIn. Accessed March 17, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-prior-1a7851133/.
10. “America First Policy Institute Announces Additions to Center Leadership.” America First Policy Institute. Accessed March 17, 2025. https://americafirstpolicy.com/issues/america-first-policy-institute-announces-additions-to-center-leadership.
11. “John Zadrozny.” LinkedIn. Accessed March 17, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-zadrozny-abb38b12/.