Charter school advocate ... Jobs NC. Koch Brothers and Industries. N.C. Institute for. Constitutional Law. Carolina ...
N.C. Symphony and similarly innocuous nonprofits, and omits the ideological grantees. Last fall, Art Pope told The News & Observer that grants to politically conservative groups are a mere “fraction” of the foundation’s dollars, pointing to its charitable support of programs like hospice care. In reality, about two-thirds of the Pope Foundation’s money in recent years has flowed to groups whose core mission is to promote a conservative agenda, according to an analysis of its tax records by the Institute for Southern Studies. In 2010, the share earmarked for rightwing causes climbed to more than 70 percent. In North Carolina alone, the Pope Foundation has spent more than $30 million since 1994 to launch and sustain a network of groups that make up the backbone of the state’s conservative movement. The investment has paid off handsomely. Each week, Pope’s groups unleash a torrent of press releases, studies, blog posts, polls, tweets, events and other missives bashing their favorite targets (taxes, labor unions, environmentalists, the “Democratic culture of corruption”) and promoting their common interests. The message is then amplified in the state media, which routinely quotes Pope personnel and provides them with generous TV, radio and newspaper coverage—an echo chamber that can quickly make the Pope network’s viewpoint appear to be both common wisdom and political consensus. But if Pope’s leadership and backing has been elemental to the success of these organizations, it has also made them precariously dependent on Pope for their very survival. Take, for example, the John William Pope Civitas Institute, the Raleigh-based think tank that aims to “facilitate the implementation of conservative policy solutions.” According to tax records, the Pope Foundation has given more than $8 million to Civitas since its founding in 2005—which amounts to about 97 percent of the group’s total income. But Art Pope’s influence doesn’t stop there. He also sits on Civitas’ board of directors. The organization’s president, Francis de Luca, was culled from the North Carolina branch of Americans for Prosperity, another group which relies heavily on Pope’s leadership and backing. Art Pope enjoys a similar level of purse-string and organizational control over most of North Carolina’s leading conservative outfits. (See chart, this page.) A newcomer to the Pope fold is the Foundation for Ethics in Public Service, led by former Republican state auditor Les Merritt, which has received $300,000 from the Pope Foundation since launching in 2009. Merritt earned notoriety in 2007 when he called an emergency press conference (on the eve of a major Senate vote on state elections) to announce that North Carolina suffered from “widespread voting fraud,” but then retracted his claim just days later when he couldn’t find supporting evidence. While grateful for Pope’s money and leadership, North Carolina conservatives chafe at the
EMPIRE continued on page 14 CONTENTS
news & VIEWS
cover story
The world of Art Pope Oil and gas lobbying Heartland Institute
Climate Strategies Watch
Koch Brothers and Industries
Carolina Journal Charter school advocate Robert Luddy
N&O publisher Orage Quarles
John Locke Foundation
Don Carrington
Former state auditor Les Merritt
CLASSIFIEDS
Civitas Action
Americans for Prosperity Foundation
Foundation for Ethics in Public Service
ABC11 anchor Steve Daniels
John Pope Civitas Institute
Americans for Prosperity
Variety Wholesalers
NCSU professor Andy Taylor
John William Pope Foundation
Republican State Leadership Committee
Real Jobs NC
Art Pope
Kory Swanson
Americans for Prosperity: Pope is one of the national directors of this group, which helped launch the tea party movement. AFP was started by oil billionaire David Koch and Richard Fink, who is on the board of directors of Koch Industries. It spent more than $287,000 on state legislative races last year. Americans for Prosperity Foundation: the Pope family’s foundation is one of the AFP Foundation’s biggest backers. Americans for Prosperity-NC: One of more 30 state chapters of AFP, it is led by Dallas Woodhouse. Andy Taylor: The chairman of N.C. State’s political science department, he sits on the eight-member advisory board for the Foundation for Ethics in Public Service. He also writes columns for the Carolina Journal, a publication of the John Locke Foundation. Carolina Journal: is the John Locke Foundation’s flagship media program, which includes print, radio, online and TV programming. Civitas Action: A sister group to the Civitas Institute, it spent nearly $200,000 to defeat Democrats last year. Nearly three-quarters of the institute’s money comes from Pope’s discount stores; the rest came from Pope-backed Americans for Prosperity. www.civitasaction.org David Riggs: The vice president for programs and operations at the John William Pope Foundation, he served as an environmental program officer at the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation. He also sits on the board of directors of the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy. Don Carrington: A vice president at the Locke Foundation, he is the executive editor and associate publisher of the Carolina Journal. He is on the five-member Journalism Advisory Committee of the Foundation for Ethics in Public Service. Foundation for Ethics in Public Service: Launched in 2009 and run by former state auditor Les Merritt. It has received $300,000 from the Pope Foundation www.reportpublicorruption.org HEARTLAND INSTITUTE: a nonprofit with a mission that includes debunking global warming, privatizing public services, introducing school vouchers and deregulating health insurance. John Locke Foundation: In 1990, the Popes helped launch this foundation, which has received
culture
Americans for Prosperity - NC
Joseph Coletti
Roy Cordato
Paul Chesser
Tea Party
Conservative election machine N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law
22 N.C. Legislative Races
David Riggs John William Pope Center for HIgher Education Policy
NC Republican Executive Committee
Virginia Foxx
more than $20 million from the Pope Foundation. Art Pope sits on its board. John Pope Civitas Institute: A conservative think tank funded largely by the Pope Foundation, which has given it more than $8 million since its founding in 2005—about 97 percent of its income. It is a tax-exempt nonprofit. Pope sits on the institute’s board of directors. www.nccivitas.org john William Pope Center for higher Education Policy: Aims to spread conservative ideas in colleges and universities. It’s received nearly $2.8 million in grants from the Pope Foundation since 2004, about 90 percent of its income. www.popecenter.org John William Pope Foundation: Art Pope chairs and leads this foundation, which, since 1994, has spent at least $30 million to launch a network of conservative research, media and legal centers. It has assets of $148 million. www.jwpf.org Joseph Coletti: is a fiscal and health policy analyst for the John Locke Foundation and has written for the Heartland Institute. Koch Brothers, Industries and Foundations: Most recently, the Koch empire has financially supported Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s anti-union efforts. The empire earned most of its money through oil and has used its largesse to fund front groups fighting health care, environmental and economic reform. Kory Swanson: He is the executive vice president of the John Locke Foundation and sits on the board of directors of the Foundation for Ethics in Public Service. Les Merritt: The former state auditor is the executive director of the Foundation for Ethics in Public Service. N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law: Art Pope is the treasurer and has served as chair and vice chair of the board of directors. It has received more than $3.2 million from the Pope Foundation since its founding in 1994. www.ncicl.org. Orage Quarles: The News & Observer publisher is on the eight-member Foundation for Ethics in Public Service advisory board. Paul Chesser: is a contributing editor for Carolina Journal. He also is a special correspondent for the Heartland Institute and the director of Climate Strategies Watch, both of which are active in debunking global warming.
Robert Orr
State Rep. Tom Murry
Real Jobs NC: A new operation cofounded by Pope in 2010. It spent nearly $1.5 million on attack ads in about two dozen state races, according to state campaign finance records. Variety Wholesalers gave $200,000 to the group. Republican State Leadership Committee: Variety Wholesalers gave $36,500 to this committee, which is backed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other corporate donors. The committee spent millions nationwide, including in North Carolina, to help Republicans take over state legislatures. The RSLC funneled $1.2 million to Real Jobs NC, which ran political attack campaigns. Robert Luddy: Active in the charter school movement, he has founded several charter schools. He also contributed to several Republican candidates for Wake County school board. Luddy is on the Foundation for Ethics advisory board. Robert Orr: executive director and senior counsel for the NCICL. He served nearly 10 years on the N.C. Supreme Court and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2007. Roy Cordato: He is the vice president for research at the John Locke Foundation and a policy advisor at the Heartland Institute. steve Daniels: The ABC11 anchor and investigative reporter is among five people who sit on the Journalism Advisory Committee of the Foundation for Ethics in Public Service. U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx: An archconservative representing North Carolina’s Fifth District, she served in the state Senate for 10 years. She sits on the Center for Education Policy board. Pope contributed $2,800 to her election campaign in 2008–09. Variety Wholesalers: a chain of discount shops with more than 400 stores in the South, including Maxway and Roses. Art Pope now leads the family business. 22 legislative races: Pope and Pope family members personally donated to Republican candidates. Through Pope’s various funding channels, about $2.2 million in Pope-related money flowed into races, including House District 41 in Wake County, where Real Jobs NC’s attack ads helped unseat Democratic incumbent Chris Heagarty. Tom Murry, a Republican from Morrisville, won the seat. Sources: Institute for Southern Studies, N.C. Board of Elections, organization websites, tax returns, Sourcewatch.org
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