Midwest Growth Inc.

Midwest Growth Inc. is a related organization to Americans 4 Security Inc. ³

Funding

Midwest Growth is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses. While Midwest Growth does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from the Jobs First Coalition ($450,000 in 2022), ⁴ Wisconsin Infrastructure Investment Now ($420,000 in 2022), ⁵ and Badger Advocates ($20,000 in 2018). ⁶

Spending

In 2022, Midwest Growth contributed $680,000 to the Sunrise in America Political Fund, an independent expenditure committee; $433,503 to the Wisconsinites for Liberty Fund, a political committee registered in Wisconsin; and $150,000 to Citizens for a Better Northeast Wisconsin, an independent expenditure committee. ⁷

Controversy

On December 18, 2024, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a left-of-center legal advocacy group, filed a complaint against Midwest Growth Inc. and Americans 4 Security Inc. with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The complaint requested an investigation into whether the organizations, both of which are 501(c)(4) nonprofits, violated tax law by not properly disclosing political contributions. CREW claimed that both organizations, while organized as nonprofits to promote social welfare, exist primarily to influence political campaigns. ⁸

The complaint claimed that the majority of Midwest Growth’s spending went to political activity (56.7 percent in 2016, 56.2 percent in 2019, and 83.8 percent in 2022) and that Midwest Growth has failed to disclose political expenditures on its tax returns. CREW stated in the complaint that despite the requirement for an organization that engages in any kind of political campaign activities, either directly or indirectly, to file a tax form known as Schedule C of the nonprofit tax return, Midwest Growth has failed to do so. Instead, Midwest Growth reported its contributions on Schedule I of the nonprofit tax return, on which outside grants are disclosed. CREW claims that this “misplaced reporting” was flawed, incorrect, and incomplete. ⁸

Board of Directors

Brandon Rosner is the secretary of the board of Midwest Growth, president of the board of Americans 4 Security, secretary of the board of Forward Brown County, ⁹ and a director of product and business development at Humana. Rosner formerly worked as a health IT business and policy consultant for the State of Wisconsin. ¹⁰ In 2014, Rosner ran as a Republican candidate for the Wisconsin State Assembly. ¹¹

Luke Thompson is the treasurer of the board of Midwest Growth and was the treasurer of the defunct Seniors for Affordable Healthcare PAC. ¹²

Cathy Zeuske is the president of the board of Midwest Growth, the secretary of the board of Americans 4 Security, and a former Wisconsin Republican politician. Zeuske is a former president of Forward Wisconsin and a former director of administration and vice president of the Taxpayers Network Public Policy and Legislative Leadership Institute. ¹³