CSG Action (formerly the Alliance for Self-Governance) is the 501(c)(4) nonprofit lobbying arm of Citizens for Self-Governance. CSG Action aims to empower citizens by providing information and training on civic engagement that will positively impact community life. CSG Action also engages in lobbying efforts to influence policies intended to benefit communities. ¹

While the organization’s leadership has ties to right-of-center organizations, in the 2020 United States Senate election in Montana it made contributions to a group that made independent expenditures in the Green Party primary. ^{2 3}

Activities

In the 2020 election cycle, CSG Action was the principal funder of the Go Green Montana PAC with a contribution of $45,500. ⁴ The Go Green Montana PAC supported Green Party candidate Wendie Fredrickson in Montana’s 2020 U.S. Senate race while opposing Green Party candidate Dennis Daneke. ⁵

In 2021, CSG Action made contributions to Priorities for Iowa ($20,000) and Wisconsin Alliance For Reform ($11,500), both of which are 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations. ⁶ In 2020, CSG Action contributed to the Travis Institute for Educational Policy, which is also a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization. ⁷

Funding

CSG Action is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses. While CSG Action does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from the Freedom and Opportunity Fund ($2 million in 2016) ⁸ and the Judicial Crisis Network ($110,000 in 2016). ⁹ CSG Action claimed $1.8 million in contributions in 2021. ¹⁰

Board of Directors

Mark Meckler is the chief executive officer of CSG Action, the president and CEO of Convention of States Action, and the president of Citizens for Self-Governance. Meckler was a co-founder and former national coordinator of the Tea Party Patriots. ¹¹ Meckler is also the CEO of both Defending Liberty and Health Care Compact. ¹²

Michael Ruthenberg is the secretary of the board of both CSG Action and Defending Liberty, ¹³  the COO of both Convention of States Action and Citizens for Self-Governance, and a private real estate investor. ¹⁴

Eric O’Keefe is the chair of the board of Citizens for Self-Governance  ¹⁵ and co-founder of the Campaign for Primary Accountability PAC. ¹⁶ 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 the Capital Research Center. ¹⁷ O’Keefe is the founder, former chair, and former chief executive officer of the now defunct Sam Adams Alliance ¹⁸ and a founding board member of the Center for Competitive Politics. ¹⁹

Tim Dunn is 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, ²⁰ 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, Citizens for Self-Governance, and Health Care Compact. ²¹

1. CSG Action, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2021, Part I, Line 1.
2. “Go Green Montana PAC PAC Donors.” OpenSecrets. Accessed February 1, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/go-green-montana-pac/C00745539/donors/2020.
3. “Go Green Montana PAC: Spending.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed February 1, 2024. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00745539/?tab=spending.
4. “Go Green Montana PAC PAC Donors.” OpenSecrets. Accessed February 1, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/go-green-montana-pac/C00745539/donors/2020.
5. “Go Green Montana PAC: Spending.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed February 1, 2024. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00745539/?tab=spending.
6. CSG Action, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2021, Schedule I, Part II.
7. CSG Action, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2020, Schedule I, Part II.
8. ^[1] Freedom and Opportunity Fund, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2016, Schedule I, Part II.
9. Judicial Crisis Network, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2016, Schedule I, Part II.
10. CSG Action, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2021, Part I, Line 12.
11. ^[1] “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.
12. “Mark Meckler.” ProPublica. Accessed January 25, 2024. https://www.propublica.org/search?qss=%22Mark+Meckler%22.
13. ^[1] Defending Liberty Inc, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2020, Part VII, Section A, Line 1a.
14. ^[1] “Michael Ruthernberg,” LinkedIn. Accessed January 25, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeruthenberg/.
15. The Lawfare Project Inc, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2020, Part VII, Section A, Line 1a.
16. “Campaign for Primary Accountability.” Ballotpedia. Accessed January 25, 2024. https://ballotpedia.org/Campaign_for_Primary_Accountability.
17. “Eric O’Keefe.” ProPublica. Accessed January 25, 2024. https://www.propublica.org/search?qss=%22Eric+O%E2%80%99Keefe%22.
18. ^[1] “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.
19. “Leadership.” Citizens for Self-Governance. Accessed January 29, 2024. https://selfgovern.com/leadership/.
20. “About Me.” Tim Dunn. Accessed January 25, 2024. https://timdunn.org/about-me-2/.
21. “Tim Dunn.” ProPublica. Accessed January 25, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/name_search?q=%22Tim+Dunn%22.