Logo for InfluenceWatch InfluenceWatch

Donate
Non-profit

The Council for National Policy (CNP)

Tax ID:

72-0921017
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2019):

Revenue: $3,310,081
Expenses: $3,098,641
Assets: $2,114,764
Website:

www.cfnp.org
Location:

Washington, D.C
Formation:

1992
Type:

Nonprofit
Executive Director:

Bob McEwen
Executive Director's Salary:

$246,667 1

References

  1. Council for National Policy, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019, Part VII, Section A, Line 1a.

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

The Council for National Policy (CNP) is a nonprofit membership organization that supports the conservative movement, especially regarding issues like limited government, traditional Judeo-Christian values, and a strong national defense. 1

CNP Action, Inc. is the Council for National Policy’s sister lobbying organization. 2

Activities

The Council for National Policy is a membership organization comprised of influential conservative leaders from business, government, politics, religion, and academia. CNP brings in policy experts and provides open exchange forums to create opportunities, cultivate ideas, and ultimately solve what it deems America’s growing problems. 3

The Council for National Policy educates the public through Policy Council, its online journal that features transcriptions of CNP’s speaker presentations, on topics like economics, defense and foreign policy, and social issues. 4

While the Council for National Policy does not disclose its members, the left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center leaked CNP’s 2014 membership directory in 2016. 5

Funding

The Council for National Policy is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. While CNP does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation ($75,000 in 2019), 6 the National Christian Charitable Foundation ($52,600 in 2019), 7 and the First Liberty Institute ($37,000 in 2019). 8

People

Bob McEwen is the executive director of the Council for National Policy. McEwen served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican from Ohio and three terms in the Ohio General Assembly. 9

CNP’s staff includes Jennifer Rutledge, director of finance, and Amy Greene, director of programs. 10

Board of Directors

William Walton is the president of the board of CNP and a trustee at the Heritage Foundation. Walton sits on the board of the Media Research Center and is a senior fellow for the Discovery Institute’s Center on Wealth, Poverty, and Morality. 11

Kelly Shackelford is the vice president of the board and the founder, CEO, and president of the First Liberty Institute. Shackelford is the former president of the Freemarket Foundation. 12

Jenny Beth Martin is the secretary of the board, the co-founder and CEO of the Tea Party Patriots, and the founder and chair of the Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund. 13

Morton Blackwell is the treasurer of the board and the president of the Leadership Institute. Blackwell sits on the Republican National Committee’s Standing Committee on Rules. 14

Arthur Ally is the vice chair of Liberty Counsel of Florida and sits on the board of iVoterGuide. 15

Kenneth Blackwell is a senior fellow at the Family Research Council, a fellow at the National Academy of Public Administration, and a visiting fellow at the American Civil Rights Union. Blackwell is the co-chair of the board of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, sits on the boards of the Club for Growth and the National Taxpayers Union, and formerly sat on the boards of the Academy for Government Accountability and the National Rifle Association. 16 Blackwell previously served as Secretary of State of Ohio as a Republican and in other political offices. 17

Brent Bozell III is the founder and president of the Media Research Center. Bozell is also the founder of ForAmerica, the Conservative Victory Committee PAC, and the Parents Television Council. Bozell is the former president of the National Conservative PAC and the National Conservative Foundation. 18

Jim DeMint is the chair of the Conservative Partnership Institute, the founder of the Senate Conservatives Fund, and the former president of the Heritage Foundation. DeMint is a former Republican member of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate. 19

Michael Farris is the president and CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom and chair of the board of the Home School Legal Defense Association. 20

Thomas Fitton is the president of Judicial Watch. Fitton formerly worked for the International Policy Forum, the Leadership Institute, and Accuracy in Media. 21

Millie Hallow is the managing director of executive operations at the National Rifle Association and the secretary of the board of the National Foundation for Women Legislators. 22

Jerry Johnson is the former president of the National Religious Broadcasters. 23

Penny Nance is the president and CEO of Concerned Women for America. Nance is the founder and former president of the Kids First Coalition. 24

Richard Viguerie is the founder and chair of American Target Advertising. 25

References

  1. “Home.” Council for National Policy. Accessed March 20, 2022. https://cfnp.org/.
  2. “CNP Action, Inc.” Council for National Policy. Accessed March 17, 2022. https://cfnp.org/cnp-action-inc/.
  3.  “About Us.” Council for National Policy. Accessed March 20, 2022. https://cfnp.org/about-us/.
  4. “About Us.” Council for National Policy. Accessed March 20, 2022. https://cfnp.org/about-us/.
  5. Beirich, Heidi and Potok, Mark. “The Council for National Policy: Behind the Curtain.” Souther Poverty Law Center, May 17, 2016. Accessed March 20, 2022. https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2016/05/17/council-national-policy-behind-curtain.
  6. Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2019, Part XV, Line 3a.
  7. National Christian Charitable Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019, Schedule I, Part II.
  8.  First Liberty Institute, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2018, Schedule I, Part II.
  9. “About.” Bob McEwen, 2022. Accessed March 17, 2022. http://bobmcewen.com/about/.
  10. Invest in Education Foundation Inc, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019, Part VII, Section A, Line 1a.
  11. “William L. Walton.” The Heritage Foundation, 2022. Accessed March 17, 2022. https://www.heritage.org/staff/william-l-walton.
  12. “Kelly Shackelford.” LinkedIn, 2022. Accessed March 17, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyshackelford/.
  13. “Jenny Beth Martin.” LinkedIn, 2022. Accessed March 17, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennybeth/.
  14. “Morton Blackwell.” Leadership Institute, October 19, 2021. Accessed March 17, 2022. https://www.leadershipinstitute.org/aboutus/Morton.cfm.
  15. “Arthur D. Ally.” Timothy Plan, 2022. Accessed March 17, 2022. https://timothyplan.com/about-us/biography-art-ally.php.
  16. “Amb. J. Kenneth Blackwell.” International Foundation for Electoral Systems, 2021. Accessed March 17, 2022. https://www.ifes.org/people/hon-j-kennneth-blackwell.
  17. “Ken Blackwell, Senior Fellow for Human Rights and Constitutional Governance.” FRC. Accessed April 4, 2022. https://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=by07d01.
  18. “L. Brent Bozell III.” Media Research Center, 2022. Accessed March 17, 2022. https://www.mrc.org/staff/l-brent-bozell-iii.
  19. “Jim DeMint.” Conservative Partnership Institute, 2022. Accessed March 17, 2022. https://www.cpi.org/staff/jim-demint/.
  20. “Michael P. Farris, President and CEO.” Alliance Defending Freedom, 2021. Accessed March 17, 2022. https://adflegal.org/biography/michael-p-farris-president-and-ceo.
  21. “Thomas Fitton.” Judicial Watch, January 11, 2019. Accessed March 17, 2022. https://www.judicialwatch.org/members/tom-fitton/.
  22. “Millie Hallow.” National Foundation for Women Legislators. Accessed March 17, 2022. https://www.womenlegislators.org/board-of-directors/millie-hallow/.
  23. [1] “Dr. Jerry A. Johnson.” The Federalist Society, 2022. Accessed March 17, 2022. https://fedsoc.org/contributors/jerry-johnson-1.
  24. “Penny Young Nance.” Concerned Women for America, 2021. Accessed March 17, 2022. https://concernedwomen.org/team-2/.
  25. “Richard A. Viguerie.” American Association of Political Consultants. Accessed March 17, 2022. https://theaapc.org/recognition-awards/hall-of-fame/richard-a-viguerie/.
  See an error? Let us know!

Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: August 1, 1992

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2019 Dec Form 990 $3,310,081 $3,098,641 $2,114,764 $221,864 N $2,359,553 $883,523 $53,286 $453,786 PDF
    2018 Dec Form 990 $3,240,418 $2,917,221 $1,579,181 $131,037 N $2,018,941 $971,724 $50,823 $443,242 PDF
    2017 Dec Form 990 $2,783,371 $2,680,790 $1,738,958 $277,869 N $1,909,501 $825,801 $29,121 $420,421
    2016 Dec Form 990 $2,736,708 $2,541,363 $1,349,489 $102,344 N $1,828,854 $880,663 $21,894 $393,014
    2015 Dec Form 990 $2,480,947 $2,405,931 $1,155,495 $165,531 N $1,588,293 $843,382 $22,075 $381,747 PDF
    2014 Dec Form 990 $2,256,793 $1,971,123 $1,083,584 $111,241 N $1,539,879 $685,448 $19,557 $0 PDF
    2013 Dec Form 990 $2,387,817 $2,233,284 $994,524 $343,641 N $1,774,138 $590,475 $15,327 $0 PDF
    2012 Dec Form 990 $2,186,139 $2,080,941 $673,194 $249,927 N $1,459,122 $711,312 $13,469 $0 PDF
    2011 Dec Form 990 $2,169,909 $2,199,537 $585,726 $299,161 N $1,621,965 $533,896 $11,819 $0 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)