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Published — December 19, 2014

American Future Fund: No election, little cash

Koch brothers-backed nonprofit’s income plummeted in 2013 after massive haul in 2012

Introduction

Revenue at Koch brothers-backed nonprofit American Future Fund took a massive dive during 2013, according to new tax filings reviewed by the Center for Public Integrity.

The group’s cash flow fell from $67.9 million in 2012, when it spent about $20 million overtly advocating for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and against President Barack Obama, to less than $6.4 million in 2013, a non-election year..

This continues a trend for American Future Fund, one of several politically active nonprofits with ties to the Koch brothers, which now typically reports far less revenue in non-election years.

About one third of the money American Future Fund received in 2013 came from two large contributors, one who gave $1.25 million and one who gave $1 million, according to the tax filing.

As a “social welfare” nonprofit organized under section 501(c)(4) of the U.S. tax code, American Future Fund is not required to disclose the identities of its donors, but must itemize contributions of $5,000 or more on its tax filing.

The itemized contributions total nearly $4.7 million. The source of the rest of American Future Fund’s 2013 revenue isn’t clear, and the organization didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from the Center for Public Integrity.

In terms of expenses, American Future Fund in 2013 reported $7 million in spending, far less than the $66.9 million it reported in 2012.

The group disclosed paying Concordia Enterprises LLC, the consulting firm of its founder, Nick Ryan, $515,016 in 2013 for “consulting and management services.” It paid Angler LLC, a company tied to a political operative connected to the Koch brothers, Sean Noble, $487,550 for “media services.”

Nonprofits connected to Noble, including the Center to Protect Patient Rights, have made grants to the American Future Fund. In addition, American Future Fund paid $80,000 to a fundraising firm connected to its treasurer/secretary, Allison Kleis, who is one of only two board members.

The American Future Fund reported making only four grants in 2013, including $294,000 to the Progress Project, another group run by Concordia Enterprises LLC that has received money from the American Future Fund in the past.

It also gave $120,000 to the Arizona Public Integrity Alliance, another section 501(c)(4) nonprofit group that ran ads attacking incumbent Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne, a Republican, during the 2014 election cycle.

During the 2014 election cycle, the American Future Fund reported spending about $2.5 million to influence congressional elections, including more than $1 million against Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.), who lost, according to campaign finance data tracked by the Center for Responsive Politics.

The group also spent more than $360,000 on broadcast TV ads to boost Republican candidates in the Nebraska gubernatorial and Arkansas attorney general contests this cycle.

A full accounting of the American Future Fund’s 2014 income and expenditures likely won’t be available for another year, when it files its next annual tax return.

Read more in Money and Democracy

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