The Stand Together Foundation is a nonprofit organization that funds charitable projects in disadvantaged communities and teaches leaders of community-based charitable organizations free market approaches to running a nonprofit. The organization is part of the network of organizations directly funded by businessman and political donor Charles Koch. ¹

The Foundation was originally known as simply Stand Together but was rebranded to the Stand Together Foundation after the network’s umbrella organization changed its name from the Seminar Network to Stand Together. ² The Foundation is located in Arlington, Virginia in the same office building as other Koch-connected groups including Americans for Prosperity, Stand Together, and the Charles Koch Institute. ³

Background

The Stand Together Foundation was founded to focus on criminal justice and poverty issues, mostly by funding community development projects and small businesses in ethnic minority communities. The Stand Together Foundation reports an annual budget of around $30 million and provides grants to roughly 140 small nonprofit organizations annually. In addition to its grantmaking initiatives, the Foundation also teaches community nonprofit leaders Charles Koch’s “Market Based Management” philosophy through a rigorous six-month course designed to instruct leaders in running successful organizations. ⁴

In 2019, about three years after the Stand Together Foundation launch, the Seminar Network, originally the umbrella organization for Koch-related organizations, rebranded as Stand Together. Stand Together then rebranded as the Stand Together Foundation. That same year, the network announced that it would close Freedom Partners, the organization that ran Koch network political retreats and advertising efforts. Americans for Prosperity absorbed all of Freedom Partners’ operations. ⁵

The rebranding of the network as Stand Together marked a shift away from politics for the Koch Network. While the network still encompasses Americans for Prosperity (AFP) and the AFP Foundation, those organizations now make up all of the overtly political aspects of the network. Stand Together Foundation board member Brian Hooks, who is also the CEO of Stand Together, stated that the network would refocus on issues of poverty, addiction, criminal justice, and social entrepreneurship in addition to policymaking. ⁶ In an interview, Hooks also touted the work of the Stand Together Foundation in helping local nonprofits in disadvantaged communities. ⁷

The executive director of the Stand Together Foundation is Evan Feinberg, who was previously president of Generation Opportunity, a now-defunct Koch affiliate that targeted younger voters with right-leaning messaging. Feinberg also worked for U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY). ⁸

Activity

The Stand Together Foundation focuses on providing funding for community-based projects with a focus on poverty, race, and addiction. The organization particularly focuses on projects in minority communities. Recent Foundation projects have included raising over $120 million to provide poor families with COVID-19 relief payments, organizing addiction recovery programs, and creating new criminal justice reentry programs. Café Momentum, a nonprofit restaurant that provides jobs to former juvenile detention detainees, was one of the Foundation’s early grant recipients. The Foundation provided funding to replicate the program and open more nonprofit restaurants throughout the country. ⁹

Connected Organizations

As a member of the Stand Together network, the Stand Together Foundation is closely associated with Stand Together, Americans for Prosperity, the AFP Foundation, the Charles Koch Institute, and the Charles Koch Foundation. ¹⁰

1. Ho, Sally. “Koch network touts latest charity work, downplays politics.” Associated Press. June 5, 2019. Accessed March 19, 2021. https://apnews.com/article/7f74edf0b54f4b41b256d2d24a659ca3
2. Ho, Sally. “Koch network touts latest charity work, downplays politics.” Associated Press. June 5, 2019. Accessed March 19, 2021. https://apnews.com/article/7f74edf0b54f4b41b256d2d24a659ca3
3. “IRS Form 990.” Stand Together Foundation. 2018. Accessed March 19, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/273197768/06_2020_prefixes_26-31%2F273197768_201812_990_2020060417174591
4. Ho, Sally. “Koch network touts latest charity work, downplays politics.” Associated Press. June 5, 2019. Accessed March 19, 2021. https://apnews.com/article/7f74edf0b54f4b41b256d2d24a659ca3
5. Greve, Joanie and Alfaro, Mariana. “The Daily 202: The Koch network is reorganizing under a new name and with new priorities.” Washington Post. May 20, 2019.  Accessed March 19, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2019/05/20/daily-202-the-koch-network-is-reorganizing-under-a-new-name-and-with-new-priorities/5ce1a94fa7a0a435cff8c0d3/
6. “Koch Network Reorganizes as ‘Stand Together’.” Philanthropy News Digest. May 22, 2019. Accessed March 19, 2021. https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/koch-network-reorganizes-as-stand-together
7. Greve, Joanie and Alfaro, Mariana. “The Daily 202: The Koch network is reorganizing under a new name and with new priorities.” Washington Post. May 20, 2019.  Accessed March 19, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2019/05/20/daily-202-the-koch-network-is-reorganizing-under-a-new-name-and-with-new-priorities/5ce1a94fa7a0a435cff8c0d3/
8. “Evan Feinberg.” LinkedIn profile. Accessed March 19, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-feinberg-7605993a
9. “2020 impact Report.” Stand Together Foundation. Accessed March 19, 2021. https://standtogetherfoundation.org/2020-impact-report/
10. “About Us.” Stand Together. Accessed March 19, 2021. https://standtogether.org/about-us/