Emergent Order Foundation (EO Foundation) is a nonprofit creative studio that produces stories that promote individual dignity, thriving families and communities, civil discourse, and a culture of freedom. ¹ Based in Austin, Texas, EO Foundation has produced dozens of films and series in the last ten years and distributed them across major platforms for more than 100 million viewers. ²

The Emergent Order Foundation’s recent projects include To My Father, “Dad Saves America,” “Radical Discourse,” The Pursuit, and At the Fork. ³

Activities

Emergent Order Foundation produces documentaries, features, and series. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the EO Foundation seeks to create aspirational stories that promote a culture of freedom and inspire audiences to participate in purposeful action. ¹

The Emergent Order Foundation launched “Dad Saves America” in 2022 in response to its claim that American kids are in crisis. The EO Foundation argues that Generation Z is fragile, immature, and unstable, which may threaten the future of liberty in the U.S. Pointing to high rates of teen suicide and mental illness along with low rates of patriotism, the EO Foundation claims that fatherhood and father figures are essential and impactful for raising healthy adults who are independent minded, resilient, and want to preserve freedom. “Dad Saves America” features stories, interviews, in-depth analyses, and mini-documentaries with influencers and celebrities, focused on their roles as father figures. ⁴

The EO Foundation launched “Radical Discourse” in 2024, a series of educational rap battles that intend to raise awareness of sound economics and advance civil discourse and a culture of freedom. “Radical Discourse” is meant to counteract the EO Foundation’s claim that civil discourse and real debate are in decline due to cancel culture, activist education, and identity politics. The EO Foundation points to a rise in antisemitism, self-censoring among college students, and a favorable opinion of the idea of communism. To date, “Radical Discourse” videos have received over 41 million views. ⁵

Funding

The Emergent Order Foundation is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses. While the Emergent Order Foundation does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from DonorsTrust ($1.15 million in 2022), ⁶ the Bradley Impact Fund ($430,000 in 2022), ⁷ and Taliesin Nexus ($805,500 in 2021). ⁸

Board of Advisors

John Allison is an executive in residence at the Wake Forest School of Business, sits on the board of the Cato Institute, and is the chair of the executive advisory council of the Cato Institute’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives. Allison is a former president and chief executive officer of the Cato Institute and a former chair and CEO of the BB&T Corporation. ⁹

Warren Farrell is an advocate for a “Gender Liberation Movement.” Farrell is a former three-time elected member of the board of the National Organization for Women. ¹⁰

Kristina Kendall is the president of Kristi Kendall and Co and sits on the board of the Property and Environment Research Center. ¹¹

John Mackey is a co-founder and former CEO of Whole Foods Market and a co-founder of the Conscious Capitalism Movement. ¹²

Jeff Sandefer is a co-founder of both the Acton School of Business and Acton Academy, president of Ed Foundation, and a trustee of the Lovett and Ruth Peters Foundation. Sandefer formerly sat on the boards of National Review, Philanthropy Roundtable, the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and the Citizens News Guild. ¹³

Board of Directors

John Papola is the co-founder, president, and CEO of the Emergent Order Foundation. Papola formerly worked as a creative executive at MTV, Nickelodeon, and Spike TV. ¹⁴

Carlos Carvalho is the executive director of the Salem Center for Policy. ¹⁵

Michael Gibson is a managing partner at the 1517 Fund. ¹⁵

William Hurley is the founder and CEO of Strangeworks and the co-founder and CEO of Honest Dollar. Hurley is a former managing director at Goldman Sachs. ¹⁶

Peter Lipsett is vice president of DonorsTrust. Lipsett sits on the boards of America’s Future and the Thomas Jefferson Institute. ¹⁷

Elizabeth Tara Losinski is a program officer at the Adolph Coors Foundation. ¹⁸

Tony Woodlief is the senior executive vice president of the State Policy Network (SPN) and senior fellow for SPN’s Center for Practical Federalism. Woodlief is a former president of the Bill of Rights Institute, the Market-Based Management Institute, and the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. ¹⁹

1. “Mission.” Emergent Order Foundation. Accessed August 3, 2024. https://www.eo.foundation/mission.
2. “Impact.” Emergent Order Foundation. Accessed August 3, 2024. https://www.eo.foundation/impact.
3. “Home.” Emergent Order Foundation. Accessed August 3, 2024. https://www.eo.foundation/.
4. “Dad Saves America.” Emergent Order Foundation. Accessed August 3, 2024. https://www.eo.foundation/dadsavesamerica.
5. “Radical Discourse.” Emergent Order Foundation. Accessed August 3, 2024. https://www.eo.foundation/radicaldiscourse.
6. DonorsTrust, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Schedule I, Part II.
7. Bradley Impact Fund, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Schedule I, Part II.
8. Taliesin Nexus, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2021, Schedule I, Part II.
9.  “John A. Allison.” The Cato Institute. Accessed August 3, 2024. https://www.cato.org/people/john-allison.
10. “Bio.” Dr. Warren Farrell. Accessed August 3, 2024. https://warrenfarrell.com/bio/.
11. “Kristina Kendall.” Property and Environment Research Center. Accessed August 3, 2024. https://perc.org/people/kristina-kendall/.
12. “John Mackey.” Conscious Capitalism. Accessed August 3, 2024. https://www.consciouscapitalism.org/people/john-mackey.
13. “Jeff Sandefer.” ProPublica. Accessed August 3, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/name_search/index?q=Jeff+Sandefer.
14. “John Papola.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 3, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnpapola/.
15. “Team.” Emergent Order Foundation. Accessed August 3, 2024. https://www.eo.foundation/team.
16. “William Hurley.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 3, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/whurley/.
17. “Peter Lipsett.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 3, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-lipsett/.
18. “Meet Our Team.” Adolph Coors Foundation. Accessed August 3, 2024. https://www.coorsfoundation.org/about-us/meet-our-team/.
19. “Tony Woodlief.” State Policy Network. Accessed August 3, 2024. https://spn.org/staffer/tony-woodlief/.