The American Commitment Foundation is a right-leaning advocacy group that educates the public on issues related to economic freedom and limited government. 1 It is the charitable sister organization of the lobbying and advocacy group American Commitment.
Activities
The American Commitment Foundation’s “Stop the Censorship!” campaign opposed efforts by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) that the group argues would put limitations on free speech. The Foundation claims that these efforts intended to use tax dollars to support candidates with questionable moral stances, protect politicians from online criticism by regulating speech, and gerrymandering districts in order to elect more left-leaning politicians. 2
The American Commitment Foundation’s “End Congress’s Illegal Obamacare Bailout!” campaign urged the Trump administration to reform the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to include a provision that members of Congress should be required to pay their own health care premiums. This provision was originally included in the ACA but the Foundation claims the Obama administration allowed Congress to certify itself as a small business, effectively leaving taxpayers to pay the bulk of members’ premiums. 3
Funding
The American Commitment Foundation is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. While the Foundation does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from Donors Trust ($11,000 in 2019) 4 and the Holman Foundation ($10,000 in 2017). 5
The American Commitment Foundation has filed the IRS e-postcard for tax years 2018 through 2020, indicating revenue less than $50,000. 6
Board of Directors
Phil Kerpen is the president of the American Commitment Foundation and American Commitment. Kerpen is the former principal policy and legislative strategist at Americans for Prosperity and formerly worked at the Free Enterprise Fund, the Club for Growth, and the Cato Institute. 7
Holly Sadler is the treasurer of the Foundation, the former director of external affairs and operations at American Commitment, and the former manager of development and operations at Americans United for Life. 8
Erik Telford is the senior vice president of public affairs at the Commonwealth Foundation. Telford formerly worked as a senior vice president at Stand Together Communications, the president of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, and the executive director of RightOnline at Americans for Prosperity. 9
Stephen Moore is a senior economist at FreedomWorks. 10
References
- American Commitment Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-EZ), 2017, Part III.
- “Stop the Censorship!” American Commitment Foundation. Accessed April 24, 2022. https://american-commitment-foundation.rallycongress.net/ctas/stop-censorship.
- “End Congress’s Illegal Obamacare Bailout!” American Commitment Foundation. Accessed April 24, 2022. https://american-commitment-foundation.rallycongress.net/ctas/end-congresss-illegal-obamacare-bailout.
- Donors Trust, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019, Schedule I, Part II.
- Holman Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2017, Part XV, Line 3a.
- “American Commitment Foundation.” Internal Revenue Service, November 20, 2020. Accessed April 24, 2022. https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/detailsPage?ein=812956518&name=American%20Commitment%20Foundation&city=Washington&state=DC&countryAbbr=US&dba=&type=CHARITIES,%20DETERMINATIONLETTERS,%20EPOSTCARD,%20COPYOFRETURNS&orgTags=CHARITIES&orgTags=DETERMINATIONLETTERS&orgTags=EPOSTCARD&orgTags=COPYOFRETURNS.
- “About.” American Commitment. Accessed April 24, 2022. https://www.americancommitment.org/about.
- “Holly (Wilson) Sadler.” LinkedIn, 2022. Accessed April 24, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollyesadler/.
- “Erik Telford.” Commonwealth Foundation, 2022. Accessed April 24, 2022. https://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/staff/erik-telford/.
- “Stephen Moore.” FreedomWorks. Accessed April 24, 2022. https://www.freedomworks.org/content/stephen-moore.