Young Americans for Liberty (YAL)

Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) is a nonprofit youth organization that seeks to advance the principles of liberty on college campuses and increase the number of pro-liberty state legislators across the U.S. 1

At-A-Glance

Issue Areas: Multi-Issue Advocacy
Website: yaliberty.org
Location:

Austin, TX

Formation:

2011

Former President:

Cliff Maloney

Former President’s Salary:

$140,000 2

Tax ID: 26-2417908
Most Recent Filing: 2024
Budget (2024): Assets: $10,607,238 Revenue: $11,022,320 Expenses: $13,493,338

Contents

    Young Americans for Liberty is the advocacy arm of the Young Americans for Liberty Foundation. 3

    Activities

    Young Americans for Liberty seeks to advance pro-liberty principles by identifying, educating, training, and mobilizing young people on college campuses. YAL organizes chapters across the U.S. that provide resources and host events for students to learn about the philosophy of liberty. These students are trained as pro-liberty youth activists and encouraged to run campaigns and mobilize voters. 1

    Young Americans for Liberty launched Operation Win at the Door in 2018. With a goal of electing 250 pro-liberty state legislators, YAL mobilizes its youth activists to knock on doors in support of pro-liberty candidates that it has identified and endorsed. YAL claims to have supported electing 179 pro-liberty state legislators as of 2022. 4

    Young Americans for Liberty’s Hazlitt Coalition intends to hold state legislators accountable to its pro-liberty principles and provides resources and training to assist these legislators in attaining higher office. 1 The Hazlitt Coalition seeks to limit the scope of government and advance the ideals of free society, personal liberty, and free markets. 5

    Funding

    Young Americans for Liberty’s main source of funding is the Young Americans for Liberty Foundation, which donated $3.4 million in 2019. 6 While YAL does not disclose other donors, tax filings confirm donations from the Americans for Prosperity Foundation ($40,000 in 2017), 7 the Chase Foundation of Virginia ($10,000 in 2019), 8 and the Charles Koch Foundation ($9,907 in 2019). 9

    Young Americans for Liberty is also funded by student memberships, which are $10 a year as of 2022. 10

    People

    Lauren Daugherty is the CEO of Young Americans for Liberty and the former director of development for the Libertarian National Committee. 11

    Sean Themea is the chief of staff at YAL and a graduate of the Charles Koch Institute’s associate program. 12

    Board of Directors

    Jeff Frazee is the chair of the board and treasurer of both Young Americans for Liberty and the Young Americans for Liberty Foundation. Frazee is the founder and former executive director of YAL, a former deputy campus services coordinator for the Leadership Institute, and the former national youth coordinator for then-U.S. Representative Ron Paul‘s 2008 Presidential Campaign Committee. 13

    Cliff Maloney is the former president of both YAL and YALF. Maloney is CEO of Mobilize the Message and the former national youth coordinator for U.S. Senator Rand Paul‘s 2016 presidential campaign. 14

    Kevin Martin also sits on the board. 2

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2024 $10,607,238 $11,022,320 $13,493,338 View
    2023 $12,698,837 $18,678,652 $13,866,194 View
    2022 $8,008,240 $13,784,263 $12,935,073 View
    2021 $6,971,187 $15,618,179 $12,781,680 View
    2020 $4,136,580 $12,336,119 $9,408,371 View

    Prior year filings: 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011

    Revenue Detail

    Expenses Detail

    Employee Compensation

    • Number of Employees: 62

    Highest Earning Employees

    EmployeeTitleTotal Compensation
    Sean ThemeaCHIEF OPERATING OFFICER$188,800
    Steve MairellaGENERAL COUNSEL$188,202
    Jeff FrazeeCEO & BOARD CHAIR$174,396
    Ted PattersonVICE PRESIDENT OF GRASSROOTS$165,000
    Aaron DrobaCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER$163,367
    Daniel TaylorVICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT$152,559
    Joseph NevilleNATIONAL DIRECTOR$110,479
    Brenden BoudreauNATIONAL DIRECTOR$107,799
    Philip ParkerCHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER$104,520

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $28,549,589
    • Number of Grants: 122
    • Number of Funders: 51

    Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $5,000,0002022 Young Americans for Liberty FoundationEDUCATIONAL & CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
    $4,500,0002021 Young Americans for Liberty FoundationEDUCATIONAL & CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
    $3,580,0002024 Young Americans for Liberty FoundationEDUCATIONAL & CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
    $3,550,0002023 Young Americans for Liberty FoundationEDUCATIONAL & CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
    $2,925,0002020 Young Americans for Liberty FoundationEDUCATIONAL & CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
    $50,0002023 The Ken and Julie Moelis Foundation C/o Baker TillySOCIAL PROGRAMS
    $50,0002020 Hobbs Charitable Foundation U/a Dtd 12/16/2011Educate youth for the advancement of liberty on campus and in American electoral politics
    $38,0002020 The Rodney FundGeneral funding 501(C)3
    $35,6252020 Donor Advised Charitable Giving, Inc.Public, societal benefit
    $15,0002025 Cato InstituteEVENT SUPPORT
    $15,0002021 Butler Family FoundationGENERAL ASSISTANCE
    $15,0002020 Butler Family FoundationGeneral assistance
    $15,0002020 Foundation for Individual LibertyASSISTANCE FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSE
    $10,1852023 Peterson Family FoundationGENERAL FUND
    $10,0002024 Patientrightsadvocateorg IncSUPPORTING THE ORGANIZATION
    $10,0002022 Hobbs Charitable Foundation U/a Dtd 12/16/2011EDUCATION ADVANCEMENT OF LIBERTY
    $6,9002024 The Sandra & Lawrence Post Family FoundationEDUCATION
    $6,7202021 Peterson Family FoundationGENERAL FUND
    $6,6002022 Peterson Family FoundationGENERAL FUND
    $5,0802021 Joel and Rachel Bomgar FoundationTHE CONTRIBUTION WAS MADE TO ASSIST THE ORGANIZATION IN ADVANCING LIBERTY ON CAMPUSES AND IN AMERICAN ELECTORAL POLITICS.
    $5,0002023 Alford H Hermann Family FoundationPROMOTE LIBERTY
    $3,1502022 Conant Family Educational Foundation IncPROGRAM SUPPORT
    $2,5002020 Alford H Hermann Family FoundationPROMOTE LIBERTY
    $2,0002020 Peterson Family FoundationGENERAL FUND
    $1,5002024 The Thomas S Kenan III FoundationOPEARTIONS

    All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $25,000
    • Number of Grants: 1
    • Number of Recipients: 1

    References

    1. “About.” Young Americans for Liberty, 2022. Accessed August 6, 2022. https://yaliberty.org/about/.
    2. Young Americans for Liberty Inc, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019, Part VII, Section A, Line 1a
    3. Young Americans for Liberty Inc, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019, Schedule R, Part II.
    4. “Operation Win at the Door.” Young Americans for Liberty, 2022. Accessed August 8, 2022. https://yaliberty.org/door/.
    5. “Our Policy Priorities.” Young Americans for Liberty, 2022. Accessed August 8, 2022. https://yaliberty.org/hazlitt-coalition-policy-priorities/.
    6. Young Americans for Liberty Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019, Schedule I, Part II.
    7. Americans for Prosperity Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2017, Schedule I, Part II.
    8. Chase Foundation of Virginia, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2019, Part XV, Line 3.
    9. Charles Koch Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2019, Part XV, Line 3.
    10.  “Join.” Young Americans for Liberty, 2022. Accessed August 6, 2022. https://secure.anedot.com/yalc4/join.
    11. “Lauren Daugherty.” LinkedIn, 2022. Accessed August 6, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-daugherty-texas/.
    12. “Sean Themea.” LinkedIn, 2022. Accessed August 6, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanthemea/.
    13. “Jeff Frazee.” Foundation for Economic Education. Accessed August 4, 2022. https://fee.org/people/jeff-frazee/.
    14. “Cliff Maloney.” LinkedIn, 2022. Accessed August 6, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cliff-maloney/.