Stand Up Republic Foundation (Stand Up Ideas)

Stand Up Republic Foundation and the left-wing litigation group Protect Democracy Project co-published The Republic at Risk, a joint report that criticizes the Trump administration as anti-democratic and dictatorial. ¹

Background

Stand Up Republic Foundation originated as Stand Up Ideas (SUI). As of June 2019, the group has been renamed Stand Up Republic Foundation, likely to match its 501(c)(4) lobbying arm, Stand Up Republic (SUR). The website www.StandUpIdeas.com redirects to Stand Up Republic Foundation’s website.

In 2017, Stand Up Republic Foundation’s address was 1940 Duke St. 2nd Floor, Alexandria, VA 22314. In 2018, it reported a change of address to 700 Pennsylvania Ave. 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20003. ²

“The Republic At Risk”

The Republic At Risk is a 2018 conspiracy theory report co-published by SUI and the Protect Democracy Project (PDP), a left-wing organization critical of the Trump administration. The report claims that, while “millions of federal civil servants pledge their loyalty . . . to the American public and Constitution,” President Donald Trump “has shown little respect for these traditions.” It further accuses the President of “quashing dissent”; “delegitimizing communities” of minorities by “appeal[ing] to divisive and hateful strains in our society”; and “corrupting elections” in part by “refusing to condemn Russian interference in the 2016 election.” The Republic At Risk also accused President Trump of “corrupt efforts to operate government institutions for the benefit of himself, his family, his friends, and allies.” ³

The report claimed “President Trump has exhibited the habits and actions of a budding authoritarian in each area of potential democratic decline in just his first twelve months.” According to the report, “we are under immediate threat from Mr. Trump’s authoritarian tendencies”: ³

While many have followed his [Trump’s] presidency as a seemingly unending series of unrelated scandals, a more coherent narrative shows that all of his unorthodox actions are part of a singular story of a president with disturbingly autocratic tendencies presiding over a democracy at risk.

The Republic At Risk recommended “larger reforms to rebuild public confidence in democratic government,” including the potential abolition of the U.S. Senate or Electoral College and fundamental changes to American elections: ³

• “Reduce the negative impact of money in politics” supposedly brought on following the 2010 Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC;
• “Ensure congressional districts are representative by ending gerrymandering practices”;
• Reduce “economic inequality”;
• “Review alternative electoral formats for electing legislators”;
• and “review how our democratic structures should work in a time of division of social change.”

Leadership

Evan McMullin, a 2016 presidential candidate, is president of Stand Up Republic Foundation. In 2017, McMullin reportedly earned $45,000 in salary. ⁴

Co-founder Mindy Finn is a board member for Stand Up Republic Foundation. In 2017, her salary was $45,000. ⁵

Board of Directors

Stand Up Republic Foundation’s board of directors in 2017 included McMullin, Finn, T.J. Bliss, Rhett Dornbach-Bender, Uttam Jain, Molly McKew, and Yascha Mounk. ^{6 7}

TJ Bliss is director of development and strategy for Wiki Education and a former program officer for the left-wing Hewlett Foundation.

Yascha Mounk is a senior adviser for the Protect Democracy Project, a left-wing litigation group that both McMullin and Finn serve as informal advisers to. ⁸

Rhett Dornbach-Bender is a deputy director for the left-wing Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Molly McKew is a foreign policy and strategy consultant.

Uttam Jain is a director at Thomas H. Lee Partners, a Boston, Massachusetts-based private equity firm.

Funding

Financial Overview

In 2018, Stand Up Republic Foundation reported $1,376,911 in total revenues, $1,202,858 in total expenditures (including $268,000 in grants paid), and $453,170 in net assets. ⁹

In 2017, Stand Up Republic Foundation reported $501,520 in revenues, $222,404 in expenditures, and net assets of $279,116. ¹⁰

Donors to Stand Up Republic Foundation

In 2019, Stand Up Republic Foundation received $750,000 from the Hopewell Fund (reported as a grant to “Stand Up Ideas”), a left-wing pass-through nonprofit part of a “dark money” network run by the consultancy Arabella Advisors in Washington, DC. ¹¹

In May 2018, the left-of-center Hewlett Foundation reported a $250,000 grant to Stand Up Republic Foundation (then Stand Up Ideas) through its “Madison Initiative” program. ¹²

In April 2017, the Hewlett Foundation reported a $750,000 grant to the left-leaning Silicon Valley Community Foundation “for support of Stand Up Ideas [Stand Up Republic Foundation].” ¹³

Consulting Fees

In 2017, Stand Up Republic Foundation paid $222,305 in “management consulting” and “advertising” fees to McMullin Finn LLC, a Virginia-based limited liability corporation. ¹⁴ While McMullin Finn LLC’s officers are not disclosed by the Commonwealth of Virginia, Stand Up Ideas’s 2017 IRS filing reports that co-founders “Evan McMullin and Mindy Finn are members of the same limited liability company.” ^{15 16}

Financial Documents

Stand Up Republic Foundation’s IRS Form 990 filings for 2017 and 2018 are below:

• 2018 Form 990
• 2017 Form 990