How Dark Money Shaped the School Masking Debate

Organizations backed by the Koch and Walton foundations were pushing for schools to return to normal from the early days of the pandemic.
February 28, 2022
Co-founder (past)Chairman & CEODirectorFormer MemberDonation · 50,000 USDDonation · 50,000 USDDonation · 25,000 USDDonation · 5,000 USDAffiliateDonation · 100,000 USDDonation · 243,500 USDGrant · 2,706,750 USDGrant · 2,245,500 USDassociate memberassociate memberassociate memberassociate memberassociate memberassociate memberassociate memberassociate memberassociate memberassociate memberOverseerMember, Private Enterprise Board of DirectorsDonation/Grant · 180,300 USDDonation/Grant · 245,000 USDDonation/Grant · 752,288 USDDonation/Grant · 25,000 USDDonation/Grant · 25,000 USDDonation/Grant · 75,000 USDDonation/Grant · 5,000 USDDonation · 3,996,860 USDSenior Fellow, Health CareFounderGrant · 400,000 USD (past)grant · 2,170,000 USD (past)grant · 11,728 USD (past)Donation/GrantDonation/GrantDonation/GrantDonation/GrantDonation/GrantDonation/GrantDonation · 380,000 USDpresidentmanager of external relationsFormer Executive DirectorFounderOperating Support · 68,100 USDFormer PresidentFormer PresidentAllyDonorDonorFounderAffiliateDonorDonorDonorDonorDonorDonorDonorDonorDonorFunderFunderFounderFounderParent OrganizationFounder & FunderFunderFunderMember, Private Enterprise Board of DirectorsFounder & PresidentFormer Editorial DirectorAssociate MemberFormer Director of ContentContributorMemberCompany owned by fundersEmployeeRetail merchandisingWalmart Inc.Billionaire venture capitalist, PayPal and Palantir Cofounder; Chess prodigyPeter ThielSecond-largest private company in the US, involved in manufacturing, trading and investmentsKoch Industries,Inc.Largest neoconservative think tankAmericanEnterpriseInstituteLargest business lobbying group in the USAU.S. Chamber ofCommerceConservative think tank at StanfordHoover InstitutionConservative think tankThe HeritageFoundationLibertarian think tank based in Washington, DCCato InstituteFree-market think tank based in Atlanta, GAFoundation forEconomic EducationConservative education and organizing non-profit FreedomWorksLibertarian billionaire scion of the Koch empire.Charles G. KochKoch-powered deregulatory think tank.Mercatus CenterKoch anti-feminist group.IndependentWomen's Forumright-wing think tank networkState PolicyNetworkOrganization designed to link state legislators with corporations and create templates for state legislationAmericanLegislativeExchange CouncilFoundation of natural gas billionaire John ArnoldArnold VenturesPhilanthropic foundation affiliated with family that owns WalmartWalton FamilyFoundation IncEducation reform group founded in 2010 by billionaire Republican donor Betsy DeVosAmericanFederation forChildren“Dark Money ATM of the Conservative Movement”DonorsTrustPanda Scientific Advisory Board member; Senior Fellow Hoover Institution; Former Professor and Chief of Neuroradiology at Stanford University Medical Center (1998-2012)Scott W AtlasOnline nonprofit US news organization publishing news and commentary from a free market, limited government perspectiveFranklin NewsFoundationDonorsTrust affiliate for $1 million+ anonymous donorsDonors CapitalFundHeritage Foundation sister organization. 501(c)4 organization dedicated to advancing conservative policy.Heritage Actionfor AmericaDavid and Charles Koch political advocacy groupAmericans forProsperitycreated by Peter ThielThiel FoundationBrown University economistEmily OsterDirector of Digital Development, Foundation for Economic EducationJeffrey TuckerBy bringing world class engineering to the front lines of science and education, we can build new tools and technologies that help organizations scale.Chan ZuckerbergInitiativeconservative online magazineThe FederalistKoch-backed, libertarian free-market think tank, hostile to government intervention and regulatory policies.American Institute forEconomic ResearchFamily foundation for KochsCharles KochCharitableFoundationKoch-Funded Education Choice Lobbying Groupyes. every. kid.President, Parents Defending Education, Speech FirstNicole Neily"A national, nonpartisan group that will build a grassroots army of parents to begin reclaiming our K-12 schools from political activists and extremists."Parents DefendingEducationStand Together is the replacement organization for Freedom Partners (aka Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce) and The Seminar NetworkStand TogetherMoms for Liberty is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization. The organization's mission is to organize, educate and empower parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.Moms for Liberty,Inc.Speech FirstCOVID-19 SchoolData HubEmergent VenturesBrownstoneInstituteUrgency of NormalVinay Prasad
 

The Koch Network

A complex, interlocking web of Koch- and Walton-funded groups shaped the school masking debate.