Non-profit

Every Texan

Location:

AUSTIN, TX

Tax ID:

74-2898197

Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2016):

Revenue: $2,477,087
Expenses: $2,484,207
Assets: $2,039,502

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Every Texan (formerly Center for Public Policy Priorities or CPPP) is an advocacy group based in Texas which promotes left-of-center healthcare, education, and economic policies.  Every Texan says that the policies it promotes will lead to “an exciting, demographically changing state” with more government involvement in health care, education, and the economy and emphasizes the racial diversity of its staff. 1 CPPP changed its name to Every Texan in 2020.2

Every Texan cites numerous achievements in passing or preserving left-of-center policies and programs. The Center claims that it “prevented large drops in health care coverage” and “reduced the number of uninsured Texans”; it also opposed budget cuts to healthcare programs such as Medicaid and supports increasing public school budgets. 3 Philanthropist Luci Baines Johnson, the daughter of President Lyndon Johnson, has described CPPP as “Texas’ most effective public policy instrument” for advancing left-of-center legislation. 4 The Center has engaged in significant political and legal activism in support of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as Obamacare. 5

History

Center for Public Policy Priorities was founded in 1985 by the Benedictine Sisters of Boerne, Texas, a group of Catholic nuns, in order to advocate for policies intended to help the poor. In 1999, the Center became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and in 2020, it rebranded to Every Texan to emphasize promoting a broader range of left-of-center policies affecting more people. 67

Impact

In 2018, CPPP filed an amicus curiae brief alongside several other left-of-center healthcare advocacy groups in Texas v. United States, a lawsuit over whether the Affordable Care Act is constitutional. The brief claimed that repealing the ACA and the Medicaid expansion it includes would negatively affect low-income people. 8 In a 7-2 decision in June 2021, the Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit.9

CPPP claims an extensive list of achievements in helping pass left-of-center policies and preventing budget cuts to government programs. The Center takes credit for helping expand the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a federal healthcare policy, to the state of Texas. 10 CPPP also claims to have stopped proposed cuts to CHIP and Medicaid, which, according to the Center, would have resulted in many Texans losing health care coverage. 11 The Center supports expanding Medicaid, with associate director Anne Dunkelberg arguing that the COVID-19 pandemic “may help” create a “change in the political pressure” to expand the program. 12

CPPP was involved in maximizing turn-out among left-of-center demographics for the 2020 Census. The Center also successfully pushed for legislation granting paid sick days for employees in the city of Austin.13

Leadership

Marisa Bono is the executive director of Every Texan. Bono is an immigration and education attorney who was previously the southwest regional counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), a legal activist organization which also advocates for increased immigration. At MALDEF, Bono was involved in a wide range of litigation on behalf of legal and illegal immigrants. Bono received her law degree and master’s degree in public policy, from the University of Michigan, and also holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Rice University. 14 Bono replaced Ann Beeson, a lawyer and activist who oversaw the initiative to rebrand CPPP as Every Texan.15

Luis Figueroa is the legislative and policy director of Every Texan. Like Bono, Figueroa also worked for MALDEF, and received an award from the organization for promoting the interests of the Hispanic community. He previously worked for the general counsel for Texas State Senator Jose Rodriguez and was the executive director of the Texas Senate Hispanic Caucus. Figueroa received his law degree from the University of Texas and his bachelor’s degree in political science and speech communications from Trinity University.16

James Aldrete is the board chair of Every Texan. He runs a political communications firm, and has provided consulting services to leading left-of-center organizations including the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Service Employees International Union. He also worked for the 2008 and 2012 campaigns of President Barack Obama as a member of the media team. 17

Financials

Between 2011 and 2017, CPPP has generated an annual revenue of $2 to $3 million per year, with almost all revenue coming from grants and donations. 18 In 2018, the Center’s revenue increased to more than $3.5 million, but dropped back to just below $3 million in 2019. 19

Between 2002 and 2011, CPPP received more than $300,000 from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, a leading philanthropic organization that funds left-of-center social, educational, and environmental causes. 20 In 2018, CPPP received a $75,000 grant from the Harold Simmons Foundation for “health advocacy and research,” and in 2020, the Center received $227,810 from the Episcopal Health Foundation, a Texas-based grantmaking organization.2122

References

  1.   About Us. Every Texan. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://everytexan.org/about/
  2.  Robert T. Garrett. “Texas policy group changes name to reflect ‘social justice mission.’” The Dallas Morning News. May 27, 2020. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2020/05/27/texas-policy-group-changes-name-to-reflect-social-justice-mission/
  3.     About Us. Every Texan. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://everytexan.org/about/
  4. Robert T. Garrett. “Texas policy group changes name to reflect ‘social justice mission.’” The Dallas Morning News. May 27, 2020. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2020/05/27/texas-policy-group-changes-name-to-reflect-social-justice-mission/
  5. “Health Care Advocates Amicus Brief in Texas v. United States.” National Health Law Program. June 19, 2018. Accessed June 24, 2021.https://healthlaw.org/resource/health-care-advocates-amicus-brief-in-texas-v-united-states/
  6.  Center for Public Policy Priorities. ProPublica. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/742898197
  7. Robert T. Garrett. “Texas policy group changes name to reflect ‘social justice mission.’” The Dallas Morning News. May 27, 2020. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2020/05/27/texas-policy-group-changes-name-to-reflect-social-justice-mission/
  8. “Health Care Advocates Amicus Brief in Texas v. United States.” National Health Law Program. June 19, 2018. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://healthlaw.org/resource/health-care-advocates-amicus-brief-in-texas-v-united-states/
  9.  Texas v. United States. Constitutional Accountability Center. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://www.theusconstitution.org/litigation/texas-v-united-states/
  10. Robert T. Garrett. “Texas policy group changes name to reflect ‘social justice mission.’” The Dallas Morning News. May 27, 2020. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2020/05/27/texas-policy-group-changes-name-to-reflect-social-justice-mission/
  11. About Us. Every Texan. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://everytexan.org/about/
  12. Anna Lotz. “State sees renewed calls to expand Medicaid eligibility, increase coverage as Texas leads nation in percent uninsured.” Community Impact. May 19, 2020. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://communityimpact.com/houston/tomball-magnolia/health-care/2020/05/19/state-sees-renewed-calls-to-expand-medicaid-eligibility-increase-coverage-as-texas-leads-nation-in-percent-uninsured/
  13.  About Us. Every Texan. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://everytexan.org/about/
  14. Our Staff. Every Texan. Accessed June 24, 2021.https://everytexan.org/about/staff/
  15. Robert T. Garrett. “Texas policy group changes name to reflect ‘social justice mission.’” The Dallas Morning News. May 27, 2020. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2020/05/27/texas-policy-group-changes-name-to-reflect-social-justice-mission/
  16. Our Staff. Every Texan. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://everytexan.org/about/staff/
  17.  Board of Directors. Every Texan. Accessed June 24, 2021.https://everytexan.org/about/board-of-directors/
  18. Center for Public Policy Priorities. ProPublica. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/742898197
  19. Center for Public Policy Priorities. 2019 Internal Revenue Service Form 990. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/742898197/02_2021_prefixes_74-77%2F742898197_201912_990_2021022417747345
  20.  Grants Database. Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://www.mott.org/grants/#t=center%20for%20public%20policy%20priorities,s=post_date|desc
  21. 2018 Grant Awards. The Simmons Foundation. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://www.thesimmonsfoundation.org/grant-awards/2018-grant-awards
  22. Grant Partners. Episcopal Health Foundation. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://www.episcopalhealth.org/grantmaking/grant-partners/
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: May 1, 1999

  • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2016 Oct Form 990 $2,477,087 $2,484,207 $2,039,502 $142,589 N $2,159,714 $285,094 $256 $278,185
    2015 Oct Form 990 $2,791,375 $2,708,855 $2,305,143 $346,110 N $2,806,014 $0 $187 $163,622 PDF
    2014 Oct Form 990 $2,519,395 $2,472,278 $2,032,571 $156,058 N $2,486,933 $0 $152 $145,200 PDF
    2013 Oct Form 990 $2,924,856 $2,602,450 $2,303,851 $474,455 N $2,934,400 $0 $177 $141,200 PDF
    2012 Oct Form 990 $2,172,541 $2,127,622 $1,659,808 $288,948 N $2,009,744 $0 $259 $118,220 PDF
    2011 Oct Form 990 $2,180,214 $2,054,355 $1,568,294 $242,353 N $2,219,425 $0 $232 $114,399 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Every Texan

    7020 EASY WIND DR STE 200
    AUSTIN, TX 78752-2373