The Convention of States Foundation (COSF) is an organization that seeks to limit the power of the federal government. COSF supports calling an Article V convention of states to propose new Constitutional amendments restrict the jurisdiction and power of the federal government in order to return power to American citizens. ¹

The Convention of States Foundation is a project of Citizens for Self-Governance, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness, provides education and resources, and advocates for self-governance by the American people. ²

The Convention of States Foundation is the 501(c)(3) affiliate of Convention of States Action. ³

Activities

Convention of States Foundation claims that federal government spending is out of control and has effectively taken power from states and liberty from citizens. COSF further claims that the federal government has reached beyond established constitutional boundaries, and intends to combat this problem by convening an Article V convention of states to restore the checks and balances that were established by the federal Constitution. ⁴

COSF defines four major areas of concern with the federal government: spending and debt, regulations, state sovereignty, and federal overreach in the decision-making process. COSF proposes an Article V convention as a non-partisan means to intervene in the present and future workings of the federal government. ⁵ COSF’s plan is to call a convention on a specific subject, as opposed to a specific amendment, namely limiting the jurisdiction and power of the federal government. ⁶

In 2023, more than 100 activists representing 49 states participated in a Simulated Article V Convention at Williamsburg, Virginia. There were six amendment proposals passed, all centered around limiting the federal government’s power, creating term limits for federal officials, and fiscal restraints. COSF provided resources to this simulation, including minutes, details of the proposals, and an executive summary of the event. ⁷ COSF produced a nearly 3-hour video detailing the 2023 simulation. ⁸ COSF also produced a video for a Simulated Article V Convention held in 2016. ⁹

Funding

The Convention of States Foundation is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses. While the Convention of States Foundation does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from the National Christian Charitable Foundation ($287,035 in 2022), ¹⁰ the Armrod Charitable Foundation ($300,000 in 2018), ¹¹ and DonorsTrust ($100,000 in 2021). ¹²

People

Staff

Michael Ruthenberg is the Chief operating officer of both the Convention of States Foundation and Convention of States Action, and a private real estate investor. ¹³

Patricia Meckler is the vice president of external relations for both COSF and Convention of States Action. ¹⁴

Board of Directors

Eric O’Keefe is the chair of the board of Convention of States Foundation and sits on the board of Convention of States Action. O’Keefe is co-founder of the Campaign for Primary Accountability PAC, ¹⁵ the founder, former chair, and former chief executive officer of the now-defunct Sam Adams Alliance, ¹⁶ and a founding board member of the Center for Competitive Politics. ¹⁷ O’Keefe sits on the boards of the Wisconsin Alliance For Reform, the Wisconsin Club for Growth, Private Citizen, the Citizens In Charge Foundation, Health Care Compact, the Institute For Free Speech, and Capital Research Center. ¹⁸

Mark Meckler is the president of COSF and co-founder, president, and chief executive officer of Convention of States Action. Meckler was a co-founder and former national coordinator of Tea Party Patriots before founding Citizens for Self-Governance. ¹⁹ Meckler is also the chief executive officer of Defending Liberty and Health Care Compact. ²⁰

Tim Dunn is the chief executive officer of CrownQuest Operating, a former executive at Parker and Parsley Petroleum, and a former engineer at the Exxon Production Research Company. Dunn is the chair of the Christian Advisory Board of the Israel Allies Foundation, ²¹ the vice chair of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and the chair of both America First Works and Empower Texans. Dunn sits on the boards of Transparency Texas, the Lucy Burns Institute, the First Liberty Institute, the 1789 Alliance, CSG Action, Convention of States Action, and Health Care Compact. ²²

Robert Kelly is the chief financial officer and the general counsel for the Convention of States Foundation and the general counsel for Convention of States Action. ²³

1. “Home.” Convention of States Foundation. Accessed January 29, 2024. https://conventionofstates.nationbuilder.com/.
2. “Who is Citizens for Self-Governance and How Do They Relate to the COS Project?” Convention of States Foundation. Accessed January 29, 2024. https://conventionofstates.nationbuilder.com/who_is_citizens_for_self_governance_and_how_do_they_relate_to_the_cos_project.
3.  Convention of States Action, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Schedule R, Part II.
4. “Home.” Convention of States Foundation. Accessed January 29, 2024. https://conventionofstates.nationbuilder.com/.
5. “The Problem.” Convention of States Foundation. Accessed January 29, 2024. https://conventionofstates.nationbuilder.com/problem.
6. “About.” Convention of States Foundation. Accessed January 29, 2024. https://conventionofstates.nationbuilder.com/about.
7. “Resources.” Simulated Article V Convention 2023. Accessed January 29, 2024. https://www.cossimulation2023.org/resources.
8. “Home.” Simulated Article V Convention 2023. Accessed January 29, 2024. https://www.cossimulation2023.org/.
9. “2016 Simulation.” Simulated Article V Convention 2023. Accessed January 29, 2024. https://www.cossimulation2023.org/2016-simulation.
10. National Christian Charitable Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Schedule I, Part II.
11. Armrod Charitable Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2018, Part XV, Line 3.
12.  DonorsTrust, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2021, Schedule I, Part II.
13. “Michael Ruthernberg,” LinkedIn. Accessed January 25, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeruthenberg/.
14.  Convention of States Action, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Part VII, Section A, Line 1a.
15. “Campaign for Primary Accountability.” Ballotpedia. Accessed January 25, 2024. https://ballotpedia.org/Campaign_for_Primary_Accountability.
16. “About.” Sam Adams Alliance. Archived from the original February 16, 2013. Accessed January 25, 2024. http://web.archive.org/web/20130216105044/http://samadamsalliance.org/about.
17. “Leadership.” Citizens for Self-Governance. Accessed January 29, 2024. https://selfgovern.com/leadership/.
18. “Eric O’Keefe.” ProPublica. Accessed January 25, 2024. https://www.propublica.org/search?qss=%22Eric+O%E2%80%99Keefe%22.
19. “Who is Mark Meckler, President of Convention of States Action?” Convention of States Action, March 1, 2021. Accessed January 25, 2024. https://conventionofstates.com/news/who-is-mark-meckler-president-of-convention-of-states-action.
20. “Mark Meckler.” ProPublica. Accessed January 25, 2024. https://www.propublica.org/search?qss=%22Mark+Meckler%22.
21. “About Me.” Tim Dunn. Accessed January 25, 2024. https://timdunn.org/about-me-2/.
22. “Tim Dunn.” ProPublica. Accessed January 25, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/name_search?q=%22Tim+Dunn%22.
23.  Citizens for Self-Governance, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Part VII, Section A, Line 1a.