George Washington Armstrong Foundation is a right-of-center private foundation that makes grants in support of free-market education initiatives and to promote conservative principles. ¹ The George Washington Armstrong foundation was founded in 1949 by Texas politician and businessman George Washington Armstrong. ²

History

Armstrong Foundation was founded in 1949 by Texas politician and businessman George Washington Armstrong. Armstrong, who had served as Tarrant County Judge (equivalent to most other states’ office of County Executive) in the 1890s, expressed segregationist and anti-Jewish views, touting support from the Ku Klux Klan. ^{2 3}

In 1949, Armstrong founded the Judge Armstrong Foundation. The Foundation had its tax exempt status revoked by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) after Armstrong offered to make a large donation to Jefferson Military College with a stipulation that school would deny admissions to Asian, Black, and Jewish applicants, which prompted complaints from the Non-Sectarian Anti-Nazi League and B’nai B’rith. ²

In response to the Judge Armstrong Foundation having its tax-exempt status revoked, George Armstrong founded the Texas Educational Association (TEA) in 1949 which later changed its name to Armstrong Foundation. ¹ TEA is reported by Texas Archival Resources Online (TARO) to have “essentially the same” officers as the Judge Armstrong Foundation and its director, George Van Horne Moseley, became TEA’s president. TARO also reports that TEA did not have a political agenda and “focused” on funding free-market education initiatives. ²

Grantmaking

In 2023, Armstrong Foundation made $1.2 million in grants. In 2023, its largest grant amount was $45,000, which it awarded to the following groups: the Bill of Rights Institute, the Leadership Institute, and the Heritage Foundation. Armstrong Foundation’s next biggest grant amount was $40,000, which was awarded to the Foundation for Economic Education. It also $37,500 grants to the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, Intercollegiate Studies Institute, and the State Policy Network. Other notable grantees included the Cato Institute, Hillsdale College, Philanthropy Roundtable, Daily Caller News Foundation, Prager University Foundation, and Young America’s Foundation. ⁴

People

George Armstrong

George Armstrong is the founder of Armstrong Foundation. He was elected as an alderman in Fort Worth, Texas in 1890 and Tarrant County Judge (equivalent to most other states’ office of County Executive) in 1894, serving until 1898. In 1903, it is reported he ended his law career to pursue banking and oil business ventures, becoming a prominent oil producer and bank investor. Armstrong was the founding president of the Texas Chamber of Commerce and had failed Congressional and Texas gubernatorial campaigns as a Democrat. ⁵

Armstrong became known for his political views, which according to the Texas State Historical Association included opposition to the Federal Reserve System, support for repealing the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendment, “anti-Zionism,” “anti-Communism,” and segregationism. ⁵  Armstrong is also reported to have promoted ideas that Western banks were controlled by Jewish people to advance Zionist plans and that there was a larger conspiracy by Jewish people to create a communist world empire. ⁶

Tom Armstrong

Tom Armstrong has worked as president of Armstrong Foundation since 2014. He has also worked as the president and COO of the mining equipment manufacturer Bradken, also known as Americast Technologies, since 1998. From 1983 to 1999, Armstrong was president of the Texas Steel Company. ⁷

Financials

In 2023, Armstrong Foundation reported having $1.9 million in total revenue. ⁸ It also reported having $1.7 million in total expenses and $28.0 million in total assets. ^{9 10}

1. “Private Funding Sources.” University of Illinois at Springfield. Accessed December 30, 2024. https://www.uis.edu/sites/default/files/inline-images/GuidePrivateFundingforCommunities.pdf.
2. “George W. Armstrong Papers: A Guide.” Texas Archival Resources Online. Accessed December 30, 2024. https://txarchives.org/utarl/finding_aids/02416.xml.
3. Texas State Historical Association. “Armstrong, George Washington.” Texas State Historical Association. Accessed January 6, 2025. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/armstrong-george-washington.
4. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990PF). Armstrong Foundation. 2023. Part XIV.
5. “Armstrong, George Washington.” Texas State Historical Association. Accessed December 30, 2024. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/armstrong-george-washington
6. Hendrickson, Kenneth E. Jr (2002) “The Last Populist- George Washington Armstrong and the Texas Gubernatorial Election of 1932, and the ‘Zionist’ Threat to Liberty and Constitutional Government,” East Texas Historical Journal: Vol. 40: Iss. 1, Article 6. https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ethj/vol40/iss1/6
7. “Tom Armstrong.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 30, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-armstrong-55138816.
8. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990PF). Armstrong Foundation. 2023. Part I, Line 12.
9. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990PF). Armstrong Foundation. 2023. Part I, Line 26.
10. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990PF). Armstrong Foundation. 2023. Part II, Line 16.