Citizens United Foundation
The Citizens United Foundation is the education and research arm of the Citizens United, a right-of-center advocacy organization. The Citizens United Foundation includes a traditional American values program, a legal and judicial action program, and a documentary film production division. 1
Contents
David Bossie is the president of both Citizens United and the Citizens United Foundation; he took leave of absence from these roles to work for the 2016 Donald Trump campaign and the Trump transition team after the election. 2
The Mercer family, which has donated nearly $4 million, and the Trump Foundation, which gave $100,000, are among the largest donors to the Citizens United Foundation. 3 4
Background
The Citizens United Foundation is the education and research arm of Citizens United, a conservative political organization. The foundation arm, established in 1992, focuses on national and international public policy issues. 1 5
Citizens United, a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization founded in 1988, is best known for being the winning side of a landmark 2010 Supreme Court ruling on political spending and free speech. 6
The Citizens United Foundation has a traditional values program that conducts research and publishes materials in defense of what it considers traditional American values. 1 5
The foundation also has a legal and judicial action program that distributes educational materials relating to the American court system, conducts legal research and litigation support in defense of human and civil rights. 1
The foundation has filed briefs in major cases involving issues such as Obamacare, free speech, the U.S. Census, religious freedom, and abortion. 7 The organization also issues policy papers on matters such as the Middle East, the campus left, and the global war on terror. 8
Citizens United Foundation Productions produces, distributes, and markets documentary films focusing on contemporary national and international policy issues from a right-leaning perspective. 1 Citizens United Foundation Productions has worked with former Breitbart executive and one-time Trump White House advisor Steve Bannon on documentary productions. 9
Financial Backers
The Trump Foundation, a grantmaking organization associated with then-Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump, made a $100,000 donation in 2016 to the Citizens United Foundation. It drew scrutiny since it came at a time when Citizens United President David Bossie was working for the Trump campaign. According to news accounts, it was the largest single donation from the Trump Foundation. 3
The Mercer family has also been a top donor to the Citizens United Foundation. 10 The family of hedge fund executive Robert Mercer, and his daughter Rebekah, who has been the family’s public voice on political matters, gave $3.8 million to the Citizens United Foundation from 2011 through 2015, according to McClatchy. 4
The Citizens United Foundation and Citizens United lost a court challenge in 2018 over a New York law that requires nonprofits to disclose their largest donor when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that free speech and prior restraint concerns are not applicable in the case. 11
Leadership
David Bossie is the president of both Citizens United and Citizens United Foundation, roles he took in 2001. He is also a member of the foundation’s board of directors. Bossie is compensated at $194,786 from the foundation according to the 2019 990-form. 12 13
Bossie took a five-month leave in August 2016 to be deputy campaign manager of the Donald Trump presidential campaign. After the election, he was named executive director of the Trump presidential transition team. He was also elected as a Republican National Committeeman from Maryland in 2016. In the 1990s, Bossie was the chief investigator for the U.S. House Government Reform and Oversight Committee and was involved in investigating the controversial Whitewater land deal and links between the transfer of technology to China with the 1996 Bill Clinton re-election campaign. 2
Michael Boose is the secretary of the Citizens United Foundation board of directors and the general counsel of the foundation. He is compensated $108,025. 12 13
Richard Kimble is the vice president of development at the Citizens United Foundation. He is compensated $103,055 from the foundation. 12 13
Lauren Catts is the chief financial officer at the Citizens United Foundation and was compensated $46,049 by the foundation. 12 13
J.T. Mastranadi is the vice president of government relations at the Citizens United Foundation. Mastranadi is compensated $67,982. 12 13
Financial Statistics
Total Assets
Total Revenue
Total Expenses
| Year | Total Assets | Total Revenue | Total Expenses | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,456,792 | $3,574,030 | $3,266,160 | View |
| 2023 | $4,417,846 | $2,661,527 | $4,023,615 | View |
| 2022 | $6,691,701 | $2,511,734 | $4,826,439 | View |
| 2021 | $9,367,238 | $10,892,091 | $6,042,003 | View |
| 2020 | $4,399,598 | $3,695,082 | $4,038,109 | View |
Prior year filings: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010
Revenue Detail
Expenses Detail
Employee Compensation
- Number of Employees: 10
Highest Earning Employees
Grant Activity
All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:
- Total Grant Value: $5,204,766
- Number of Grants: 312
- Number of Funders: 140
Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:
All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:
- Total Grant Value: $300,000
- Number of Grants: 1
- Number of Recipients: 1
Selection of highest value grants given from the last seven years:
| Amount | Year | Funder | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|
| $300,000 | 2021 | Conservative Partnership Institute | ELECTION INTEGRITY PROGRAMS. |