And believe it or not, they did it through nonprofit "charitable" foundations.
The Center for Public Integrity reported that the Kochs run foundations with a staggering $310 million in assets last year. They also support academic centers, like George Mason University and Florida State University's economics department.
And, of course, they give money to ALEC, the dating service for state lawmakers, corporations and big political donors. CPI reports:
The D.C.-based American Legislative Exchange Council received $150,000 to help finance its activities, including meetings where corporate representatives draft model legislation with state legislators. The Koch brothers have decades-long connections with ALEC.The report doesn't mention the Kochs' political contributions. Those include David Koch's Americans for Prosperity, the phony tea party group. Koch-backed groups like AFP spent about $100 million on last year's election. USA Today reported,
Little is publicly known about the precise sources of its funding. Americans for Prosperity and its foundation reported combined revenue of nearly $39.6 million in 2010, according to the groups' tax returns. David Koch is the foundation's president.Here are some of the other foundations that benefited from Charles Koch's largesse:
The Bill of Rights Institute: $350,000Here are the four Koch Foundations that give the bulk of the Koch donations. Click on the link to see their IRS tax filings for 2011:
The Federalist Society: $260,000
The Jack Miller Center: $250,000
American Enterprise Institute: $200,000
Manhattan Institute: $200,000
Pacific Research Institute: $100,000
Ayn Rand Institute: $50,000
Heartland Institute: $25,000
- Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation
- Charles Koch Foundation
- Knowledge and Progress Fund
- David H. Koch Charitable Foundation
