Laura Chapman, our much loved reader and brilliant researcher, dug into the recently released files on the Bradley Foundation. An earlier post described the reach and riches of this very conservative foundation, which has underwritten the proliferation of vouchers.
She writes:
In August 2014, the board of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation asked for a list of “organizations that attack groups and people helping the Foundation further its mission” so it could determine ways “to mitigate the damage they do.”
In response, a veteran staffer compiled a list of 17 liberal organizations. In October 2014, internal documents say the board “received the presentation of the list favorably” and agreed to pursue “potential grant making options in the area.”
I constructed a spreadsheet of the Bradley list of liberal organizations. Some were for-profit public relations firms, many were 501 (c)(3) non-profits with a companion 501 (c)(4) that allows for limited forms of “political action.” Here is an edited list of some of the organizations, causes, and activities that really bothered the Bradley Foundation.
For-profit public relations firms.
Berlin Rosen. Known for devising a media strategy for a national “fast-food workers strike.” Clients: Service Employee International Union’s Committee on Political Education, League of Conservation Voters, New York University Law School’s Brennan Center for Justice, Russell Sage Foundation, United Nations Foundation.
Fenton Communications. Clients include liberal groups in education, environment, health, human rights, philanthropy, women’s issues, global issues, and the labor movement. Fenton was the architect of the “Alar scare” about a cancer-causing chemical used by apple growers. Specific clients; AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, Natural Resources Defense Council.
FitzGibbon Media. Clients have opposed solitary confinement for Chelsea Manning, pushed for gun control after Sandy Hook, and supported the film “Dirty Wars” about Obama’s program of targeted-assassinations and drone strikes. Clients: Ford Foundation, Amnesty International, Climate Parents, Color of Change, Common Cause, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Netroots Nation, Social Security Works, Wisconsin Progress.
Change.org. A hybrid, certified as a “B Corporation” by the non-profit “B Lab” A “social-enterprise” that sells email addresses for petitions on issues.The estimated cost of a sponsored petition is $1.75 per email address. Estimated 40 million users in 2012.
Non-profits (c)(3) and( c)(4) action groups
Alliance for Justice. Group of 100 entities with Alliance for Justice Action Campaign. Monitors judicial selection, guides advocacy groups, produces documentaries, lobbies for liberal agenda.
American Bridge 21st Century Super PAC with American Bridge 21st Century Foundation. Employs 44 people in 41 states. Conducts opposition research on conservative political candidates. Credited with 2006 “Macaca” scoop, a video of candidate George Allen’s gaffe in a Virginia Senate race.
Center for American Progress and Think Progressblog with the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Especially critical of the Koch Brothers and their supporters. The Bradley Blog said it was attacked in a August 2011 CAP report “Fear, Inc.:The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America.”
Center for Media and Democracy, founded by John Podesta. Maintains ALECExposed.org.,PRWatch online, and SourceWatchplatform. Launches investigations and “strategic public-education campaigns.”
Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington (CREW). Files government complaints and lawsuits against corrupt politicians and interest groups. Maintains BermanExposed.com
Color of Change Project of Citizens Engagement Laboratory (CEL) and CEL Education Fund. Aim: “Strengthen Black America’s political voice.” CEL led the campaign against the Bradley Foundation and American Legislative Exchange Council in the wake of the killing of Trayvon Martin.
Common Cause with Common Cause Education Fund. An anti-corruption and campaign-finance “watchdog.” Opposes the agendas of the Koch brothers and American Legislative Exchange Council.
Democracy Alliance. A private financial clearinghouse for liberal policy groups and a matchmaker for allies that are not structured as a (c)(3). The Alliance has over 150 invited “partners” who pay an initial $25,000 fee and $30,000 in annual dues. They must give at least $200,000 per year to endorsed groups.
Media Matters for America and Media Matters Action Network. Documents conservative media bias via “fact-checking,” especially Rush Limbaugh, Fox News hosts and guests.
Mother Jones, published by Foundation for National Progress. MJ covers conservative “dark money” and elections. Caught Mitt Romney’s comment about “47%” of Americans who are living from government programs and pay no income tax.
One Wisconsin Now with One Wisconsin Institute. Created and maintains BradleyWatch.org
Open Society Institute. According to the Bradley Foundation the OSI “supports leftist groups many of which aggressively attack conservatives.”
Progress Now. In 2012 had an email list exceeding 2.4 million for use on state and local issues.
“Enemies” of the Bradley Foundation include fourteen organizations that support collective bargaining. Seven of these sent money to the Service Employees International Union and its Committee on Political Education. Others supported the AFL-CIO, National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers, Communication Workers of America, and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).
George Soros comes up as the one person whose liberal causes are supported by ten of the organizations on the Bradley Foundation enemies list. In 2017, Soros was among the wealthiest Americans with an estimated net worth of $25.2 billion. My Google search on Soros‘ name today returned many alt-news briefs claiming he was dead or was wanted “dead or alive.” As of May 14, 2017 he is alive. The Google links to these alt-facts may have been launched with some support from the Bradley Foundation. For background on Soros see the wikipedia.org website.
The Tides Foundation put money into six organizations on the Bradley enemies list. The net worth of the Tides Foundation in 2015 was $219.6 billion. The foundation seeks “ a world of shared prosperity and social justice, founded on equality and human rights, a sustainable environment, healthy individuals and communities, and quality education.” The Tides Foundation has initiated projects financed through social impact bonds, also known as pay for success contracts. These can yield profits for investors. In this respect the Tides Foundation operates from a less extreme version of the “markets are best” philosophy which the Bradley Foundation aggressively supports.
I have not checked on the current status of the “liberal” organizations targeted by the Bradley Foundation in 2014.
https://projects.jsonline.com/news/2017/5/5/bradley-foundation-enemy-list.html
Diane Ravitch's blog 
New Schools Venture Fund is holding their summit.
Check out the list of people who were invited:
http://www.newschools.org/about-us/summit/summit-2017/summit-2017-agenda/
Not a single advocate for kids in traditional public schools.
They made sure there was no dissent – that it would be all rah-rah charters, boo hiss public schools.
Echo chamber. The worst part is a lot of these people are in government, so they actually RUN the public schools that were deliberately omitted from the summit.
How do you think our schools will fare under leaders who do not believe public schools should exist? Not well.
This is the direction of our so called democracy. Billionaires and corporations decide everything, and the rest of us are collateral damage.
If your second sentence is the case then that is a classic case of klepocratic fascism and our democratic republic is dead.
If ed tech companies want to sell product to public schools, shouldn’t public schools be invited to their summits?
Why should we buy products from companies that lobby to privatize our schools?
Shouldn’t we demand that these companies stop bashing our schools, since we’re giving them billions of dollars in sales every year?
Schools for the middle class and poor, like the people of the 90% themselves, are viewed as suckers. Charter schools in Ohio are a multibillion dollar taxpayer boondoggle, thanks to the state’s elected representatives.
I’d like to sign a petition to Ohio Republican state legislators demanding that they stay away from Veteran Day, Memorial Day and Fourth of July public events, out of respect for the sacrifices made for democracy. When Republicans gerrymandered the state, they imposed oligarchy on its citizens.
A perfectly succinct description:
Charter schools: A Mulit-billion Dollar Taxpayer Boondoggle.
Dennis Kucinich, possibly a candidate for Ohio governor, coined the phrase.
I’m certain that the Center for Media and Democracy is at the top of the “enemies list” of ALEC, the Koch’s and the Bradley Foundation. However, CMD’s listed founder is incorrect. The founder was John Stauber.
We can’t expect much help from the DNC. They are continuing the same “head in the sand” tactic that lost them the election. Even though their credibility is even lower than Trump’s according to a recent poll, they will continue to court Wall St. and Silicon Valley. They are more interested in protecting their shrinking turf than fighting for democracy. http://www.salon.com/2017/05/13/the-dncs-elephant-in-the-room-dems-have-a-problem-its-not-donald-trump/
The DNC is part of the kleptocratic fascism that has overtaken this country. The fight back will necessarily have to include the destruction of both of the parties that kleptocratic fascism.
Not that additional evidence is needed but, an executive in Hillary’s former State Dept. heads New America stink tank. Like its funder, Gates, New America’s plan is “Starting from Scratch or New Vision for Higher Ed.” Two features of the plan, (1) state tax money for private and public schools (2) student outcome measures. Commercialization and standardization can pave the way for Gates’ for-profit schools-in-a-box and for human capital pipelines that make the richest 0.1% richer, by exploitation of the poor from birth to death.
Linda, you are correct, and I thank you for that correction.
I am reasonably confident that the Bradley is not fond of Leon Panetta.
How is this in any way “conservative” politicking? This looks more like Soviet politics….
It’s a “nicer” version of the Gulags.
Diane Thank you for this nice clean list.
Now we know which organizations it’s okay to contribute to.
The RICH are SICK! They need psychological help.
Yvonne Siu-Runyan My guess is that, in the ongoing battle in Paul Ryan’s head between his Christian upbringing and Ayn Rand, Rand won.
Like. Will have to use that one, Catherine!
Duane E Swacker: As an aside, even William Buckley, Jr., the (arguably) presumed father of the Conservative movement, did not abandon his Christian/Catholic values where the social order was concerned. I was surprised to hear that–from a BookTV.org (C-SPAN2) author/interview over the weekend. Buckley apparently hated Rand, and the atheistic horse she rode in on, and was easy to say so.
I don’t remember the bio-author’s name but if you want to see the interview, link into bookTV and type in Buckley. It should come up.
While I’m at it, there was also a live long-interview with Noam Chomsky over the weekend that was extremely challenging and enlightening for its historical insights (e.g., about north Korea). The interviewer was the host of Democracy Now.
Thanks for the info and links, Catherine! I tend to prefer to read the transcripts as it takes less time than watching. I’ve seen but not watched the Chomsky one.
I felt that at least Buckley used a fair amount of common sense in his arguments, did not so readily rely on his conservative Catholic pedigree as an arguing point, unless of course religion per se was being talked about. Although I did find him a bit too high brow for my tastes, I did learn from his analysis which helped me see where that conservative thought came from and was going. Having grown up Catholic I’ve seen that conservative side to that religion and it can be a quite a male chauvinist, male dominated one that brooks no opposition.
Duane E Swacker It seems, according to the author, that it wasn’t religion as such, but Catholic/Christian ethics that remained in line with his political thought.
Kind of seems like a chicken/egg scenario then.
Duane E Swacker What do you mean by chicken and egg scenario in this case?
From your post:
“but Catholic/Christian ethics that remained in line with his political thought.”
I would say that Buckley’s political thought remained in line with “Catholic/Christian ethics” not the other way around. Catholic ethics have been around much longer than Buckley was.
Duane E Swacker I see what you mean. As a foundational issue, both ethics and politics emerge from the question: What is the good/best thing to say or do (ethics) or to order a nation (politics). So the chicken-egg thing works from that point of view. The difference between religion and ethics, on the other hand, is rooted in the questions about how we relate to (1) the deity (religious/theological)and how we relate to (2) ourselves and others in the world (ethics/politics).
At any rate, it is worth relating here that Chomsky starts his talk out (on booktv.org) by remarking that the Republican Party is the most powerful and dangerous organization human history has ever known.
And now we get to it. The heart of the matter. A HIT LIST. Well funded. Mobile. Traveling under various names that sound sometimes philanthropic or patriotic.
Is the Bradley Foundation also smuggling guns and drugs to help bankroll their Contras Cousins?
Inclusion on that list sounds like a distinction worth working towards. I shouldn’t joke, but really, does this surprise anyone?