Stand Together

Stand Together

Background

Stand Together, describing itself as a โ€œphilanthropic community,โ€ is the new face of The Seminar Network/Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce.1โ€œGreater your good.โ€ Stand Together. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/Zb3Vm The Seminar Network previously encompassed a group of entities funded by the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers that was formed roughly three years prior. The Washington Post reported on the Koch network’s reorganizing in May 2019.2James Hohmann. โ€œThe Daily 202: The Koch network is reorganizing under a new name and with new priorities,โ€ The Washington Post, May 20, 2019. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/3a2Ma

The Washington Post noted Stand Together is also the name of a nonprofit arm of the Kochs formed in 2016 that describes itself as supporting โ€œcommunity groups addressing maladies like poverty, addiction, recidivism, gang violence and homelessness.โ€3James Hohmann. โ€œThe Daily 202: The Koch network is reorganizing under a new name and with new priorities,โ€ The Washington Post, May 20, 2019. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/3a2Ma That group will continue to operate as the Stand Together Foundation.4โ€œAbout Stand Together Foundation,โ€ Stand Together Foundation. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/qrJ01

โ€œWe live in a period of unprecedented progress โ€” economic, social, technological โ€” but not everyone has shared in that progress. While many people have gotten ahead, too many people are falling behind. Our charge is clear: we must stand together to help every person rise,โ€ Koch wrote in a letter to supporters, shared first with The Washington Post. โ€œIn many ways, this new name already expresses who we are. โ€ฆ But this new name also marks a new chapter โ€” and a new call to action.โ€

Other reported changes to the Koch network included shifting some of Freedom Partners’ activities to Americans for Prosperity (AFP) to oversee political and policy activities, stating that โ€œGroups that cater to specific constituencies, like Libre for Latinos or Concerned Veterans for America, have moved under the AFP umbrella:โ€5James Hohmann. โ€œThe Daily 202: The Koch network is reorganizing under a new name and with new priorities,โ€ The Washington Post, May 20, 2019. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/3a2Ma

The website footer for Stand Together notes that the official title of the overarching group is entitled the Stand Together Chamber of Commerce:6โ€œGreater your good.โ€ Stand Together. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/Zb3Vm

โ€œStand Together and the Stand Together logo are trademarks and service marks of Stand Together Chamber of Commerce. Terms like ‘we,’ ‘our,’ and ‘us,’ as well as ‘Stand Together,’ and ‘the Stand Together community,’ are used here for the sake of convenience. While the individuals and organizations to which those terms may refer share and work toward a common visionโ€”including, but not limited to, Stand Together Foundation, Stand Together Chamber of Commerce, Charles Koch Foundation, Charles Koch Institute, and Americans for Prosperityโ€”each engages only in those activities that are consistent with its nonprofit status.โ€

Stance on Climate Change

Stand Together does not appear to have released any official statements on climate change, although Charles and David Koch have made statements about climate change and have funded groups to obstruct efforts to try to mitigate the climate changes that are underway.

Funding

The following values are collected from publicly available 990 forms.  These include prior iterations of Stand Together functioning as different entities within the Koch Network:

Recipient & Donors20112012201320162017Grand Total
Stand Together   $225,000$100,000$325,000
DonorsTrust   $200,000$100,000$300,000
Einhorn Family Foundation   $25,000 $25,000
SG C4 TR (Public Notice)  $1,700,000  $1,700,000
Freedom Partners  $1,700,000  $1,700,000
Public Notice Research and Education Fund$1,494,000$2,475,000   $3,969,000
Chase Foundation of Virginia$50,000$100,000   $150,000
DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative $500,000   $500,000
DonorsTrust$1,244,000$1,875,000   $3,119,000
National Christian Charitable Foundation$200,000    $200,000
POFN LLC (Public Notice)$5,466,250 $4,110,000  $9,576,250
Freedom Partners$5,466,250 $4,110,000  $9,576,250
Grand Total$6,960,250$2,475,000$5,810,000$225,000$100,000$15,570,250

Publicย Notice

According to publicly available tax filings, Stand Together, Inc., (EIN 27-3197768) began doing business in 2016. Those filings also show that this EIN was originally attributed to Public Notice Research and Education Fund, another Koch group, which had an initial ruling of November 2010.7โ€œStand Together Inc,โ€ Economic Research Institute. Accessed June 12, 2019.

Stand Together’s 2016 tax form notes that โ€œthe corporation changed its name from ‘Public Notice Research and Education Fund, Inc.’ to ‘Stand Together, Inc.’โ€ in that year.

Public Notice Via ‘POFN LLC

Public Notice also appears to have received $4,466,250 through an obscure group named โ€œPOFN LLCโ€ via Freedom Partners in 2011/2012 plus another grant of $4,110,000 via the same LLC in the next year.

Public Notice Via ‘SG C4 Trust’

Freedom Partners funneled an additional $1,700,000 to Public Notice via SG C4 Trust in 2013, according to 990 forms.

Yes Every Kid

Stand Together launched Yes Every Kid in June 2019. Stand Together CEO Brian Hooks claimed the group’s aim was to “move away from the ‘us versus them’ framing in K-12′.”8Andrew Ujifusa. “Koch Network Announces New Education Lobbying Group, Walton Funding Pact,” EducationWeek, June 29, 2019. Archived December 15, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/HL0Xe

Believe in People, FKA TSN Institute

Brian Menkes, General Counsel of the Charles Koch Foundation and Charles Koch Institute, is listed as the assistant secretary in Believe in People’s 2021 990 form. The 990 notes the group changed its name from the TNS Institute to Believe in People, Inc.9Brian MenkesLinkedIn. Accessed December 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

KochDocs reported the The Seminar Network (TSN) Institute was formed in 2015 using the name โ€œStand Together, Inc,โ€ and has also been previously known as โ€œFreedom C4, Inc.โ€ and “CKI Policy, Inc.”102018 Seminar Network Institute IRS Form 990,” KochDocs. Accessed December 2022.

Seminar Network Funding

According to an archive of its website, the Seminar Network received the support of the powerful, privately held conglomerate Koch Industries:11โ€œSUPPORT OUR MISSION,โ€ The Seminar Network. Archived May 17, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/uIBtn

โ€œKoch Industries is committed to the long-term success of this Network. The board of Koch Industries continues to vote to provide substantial financial support to the Seminar Network. Koch Industries also has a number of officers, executives, and employees who spend significant amounts of their time working with the various Network organizations to help them be more effective.โ€

Donations or other funding provided by the for-profit Koch Industries to support the projects of Charles Koch and his family are not publicly disclosed, however.

Review of public 990 forms also reveals two non-profit donors for the Seminar Network in 2017.

DonorTotal (2017) 
Charles G Koch Charitable Foundation$250,000
DonorsTrust$100,000
Grand Total$350,000

Stand Together 990 Forms

Only two people were listed on the Stand Together website as of May 20, 2019:12โ€œA letter from our founder Charles Koch and CEO Brian Hooks,โ€ Stand Together, May 20, 2019. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/NXDn2

Believe in People FKA TSN Institute FKA Freedom C4 990 Forms

Yes Every Kid 990 Forms

Yes Every Kid

Yes Every Kid Foundation

Seminar Network/Stand Together

The following people were listed on Stand Together’s LinkedIn page. Many previously held roles at The Seminar Network:13โ€œStand Together,โ€ LinkedIn. Accessed June 12, 2019. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

  • Aaron Hall โ€” Director of Workplace Solutions, Stand Together
  • Abby Skeans โ€” Director, Strategic Partnerships, Stand Together
  • Abigail Narbe โ€” Partnership Associate at Stand Together
  • Adriana McLamb โ€” Regional Digital Strategist at Stand Together
  • Alex Guerreiro โ€” Vice President, Human Resources, Stand Together
  • Alex Varban โ€” Director, FP&A at Stand Together
  • Alexandra Sellazzo โ€” Executive Assistant To Chief Executive Officer at Stand Together
  • Amy Breeding โ€” P-Card and Expense Reporting Manager at Stand Together.
  • Amy Pelletier โ€” Executive Vice President at Stand Together
  • Andrew Delmege โ€” Director of Special Gifts at Stand Together
  • Andrew Gillette โ€” Market-Based Management Consultant at Stand Together
  • Antonia Arcella โ€” Post Production Coordinator, Stand Together
  • Barney Casino โ€” Site Lead (Operations/Facilities Management), Stand Together
  • Brandon Champion โ€” Partnership Advisor at Stand Together
  • Brennan Morris โ€” Consultant, Stand Together
  • Brian Leggett โ€” Benefits Analyst at Stand Together
  • Cameron Atkins โ€” Senior Graphic Designer at Stand Together
  • Carolina Beltran โ€” Executive Assistant at Stand Together
  • Cassandra Baker โ€” Director at Stand Together
  • Cassie Wood โ€” Talent Acquisition Manager at Stand Together
  • Catherine Fischer โ€” Events Manager, Stand Together
  • Catherine Rodriguez โ€” Senior Talent Acquisition Business Partner at Stand Together
  • Christopher Grozev โ€” Development – Planned Giving at Stand Together
  • Christopher Medrano โ€” Research Analyst at Stand Together
  • Dan King โ€” Digital Coordinator, Stand Together
  • Daniel Sacks โ€” Vice President, Partnerships, Stand Together
  • Dawson Frasier โ€” Space Management Assistant at Stand Together
  • Derek Johnson โ€” Senior Vice President, Stand Together
  • Devon Gessert โ€” Director of Research and Prospect Management, Stand Together
  • Elliott Fox โ€” Director of Health Care Initiatives at Stand Together
  • Erica L. Jedynak โ€” Director of Employment Initiatives at Stand Together
  • Erica Shoe โ€” Director, Member Relations at Stand Together
  • Erin Karriker โ€” Communication, Brand, & Messaging Specialist, Stand Together
  • Gabriel Villanueva โ€” Product Manager at Stand Together
  • Hannah Van Valkenburg โ€” Corporate & Foundation Partnership Associate, Stand Together
  • Hayden Clay โ€” Senior Administrative Assistant – Education at Stand Together
  • Hugh Cherry โ€” Market-Based Management Consultant at Stand Together
  • Javi Brionez โ€” Videographer/Editor at Stand Together
  • Jeff Ogar โ€” General Counsel & Corporate Secretary – Stand Together
  • Jeff Proctor โ€” Consultant, Market-Based Management, Stand Together
  • Jennifer Pluchinsky โ€” Executive Coordinator at Stand Together
  • Jeremiah Mosteller โ€” Policy Liaison, Criminal Justice Reform, Stand Together
  • Jesse Blumenthal โ€” Vice President, Technology & Innovation, Stand Together
  • Joel Aaron Foster โ€” Partnership Advisor, Major Gifts, Central U.S. at Stand Together
  • John P. Purcell โ€” Associate Director, Partnerships & Strategic Development, Stand Together
  • Joseph Wood โ€” Director Of Accounting Operations at Stand Together
  • Kara Mask โ€” Assistant Art Director at Stand Together
  • Katey Roberts โ€” Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Stand Together
  • Katherine Calcutt โ€” Talent Acquisition at Stand Together
  • Kevin Curtis โ€” Talent Acquisition Business Partner at Stand Together
  • Kevin Lavelle โ€” Senior Vice President, Stand Together
  • Korbin Kiblinger โ€” Senior Digital Manager, National Advocacy at Stand Together
  • Krista Carney โ€” Manager, Event Communications at Stand Together
  • Lancee Kurcab โ€” Manager, Talent Acquisition Operations at Stand Together
  • Lindsey Morrison โ€” Human Resources Project Manager at Stand Together
  • Lindsey Podguski โ€” Sr. Project Manager, Knowledge Systems, Stand Together
  • Lisa Snell โ€” Director, K-12 Education Policy Partnerships, Stand Together
  • Logan A. Vaughan โ€” Director, Partnership Advisor at Stand Together
  • Mackenzie Dickhudt โ€” Strategic Research Analyst at Stand Together
  • Mark P. McConnell โ€” Vice President, Planned Giving at Stand Together
  • Mary Miller โ€” Senior Director, Foundation and Member Partnerships, Stand Together
  • Matt Couch โ€” Photographer, Colorist at Stand Together
  • Matthew Patella โ€” Director, Partnership Advisor at Stand Together
  • Michael Spicci โ€” Senior Digital Manager, Stand Together
  • Montgomery Pace โ€” โ€œBarrier Breakerโ€ at Stand Together
  • Quinn Gasaway โ€” Regional Digital Coordinator at Stand Together
  • Rachel Janes โ€” Partner Advisor at Stand Together
  • Robert Heaton โ€” CFO at Stand Together
  • Ron Aksel โ€” Salesforce Administrator at Stand Together
  • Sandeep Singh Josan โ€” Digital Product Manager, Stand Together
  • Sarah Bedsole โ€” Manager, Digital Marketing at Stand Together
  • Sarah Field โ€” Vice President, Criminal Justice Reform at Stand Together
  • Sarah Ruger โ€” Vice President, Free Expression at Stand Together
  • Scott Inderbitzen โ€” Manager, DevOps at Stand Together
  • Shawn Bhatia โ€” Partnership Associate at Stand Together
  • Stephen Stout โ€” Internal Audit Manager at Stand Together
  • Susan Motiff โ€” VP & FP&A, Stand Together
  • Tony Ciano โ€” Director, Technology Solutions, Stand Together
  • Tyler Sain โ€” Partner Advisor at Stand Together
  • William Moyer โ€” Partnership Advisor at Stand Together
  • Yong Woo Stephano Kwon โ€” End User Support Analyst – Lead at Stand Together

Stand Together, Inc.

The following names were present on public 990 forms for Stand Together, Inc. which was in operation prior to the 2019 rebranding of The Seminar Network:

Name201120122013201420152016

2017

Description
Marc Short   YYY Executive Director
Brian Hooks     YYBoard Member
Brian Menkes     YYSecretary
Declan Lynch     YYVice President
Evan Feinberg     YYExecutive Director
Kristy Kendall     YYBoard Member
Lauren McCann     YYVice President
Richard Fink     YYBoard Member
Robert Heaton     YYTreasurer
Romanus Berg     YYVice President
Gretchen HamelYYY    President/Director
Chris Perrin Y     Chief Operating Officer
Dale Gibbens      YBoard Member
Erin Keating      YVice President
Nicholas D’Antonio      YDirector of Strategic Partners

Stand Together Foundation

The Stand Together Foundation appears to be a separate entity from Stand Together and will continue to operate independently. The below people have been listed on the Stand Together Foundation’s website:

Stand Together Foundation Leadership

Name2016201720182019Description
Declan Lynch Y  Vice President, Organization Development
Erin Keating YY Vice President, Marketing & Communications
Evan FeinbergYYYYExecutive Director
Lauren McCannYYYYExecutive Vice President
Romanus Berg Y  Vice President, Strategy
Sam Leyvas  Y Vice President, Strategic Partnerships

Stand Together Foundation Staff

Name201720182019Description
Abby Helms YYCoordinator, Stakeholder Relations
Alexa Satterlee YYProgram Assistant, Catalyst Program
Alexandra Graham  YManager, Stakeholder Relations
Alexandra StevensYY Manager, Stakeholder Relations
Andrew Kristofik YYProject Manager
Anna RiversYYYDirector, Strategic Partnerships
Arif Nassery YYOffice Assistant
Cassandra BurckhalterYY Executive Assistant
Dana SanfordY  Engagement Manager, Organization Development
Elizabeth MoyerYY Content Manager, Marketing and Communications
Erica Haines YYProgram Manager, Catalyst Program
Erika Loomer YYEvents Manager
Esther JentzenY  Program Assistant, Stakeholder Relations
Irene SmithYYYProgram Manager, Catalyst Program Content Development & Evaluations
Jamie D. ElderY  Director, Strategic Partnerships
Jocelyn Lybrand YYProgram Assistant, Stakeholder Relations
Kelly McDonough YYEngagement Specialist, Organization Development
Korey MauerYY Engagement Associate, Organization Development
Kyle SmithYYYSenior Project Manager, Organization Development
Laura Defrancesco RossYYYManaging Director, Programs
Laura WhitefieldYY Project Manager, Organization Development
Lisa VogtYYYExecutive Assistant
Mollie Dougherty YYEngagement Manager, Organization Development
Nick D’AntonioY  Director, Strategic Partnerships
Noel Augustine YYCatalyst Marketing Manager, Marketing and Communications
Noel RizzutiY  Project Manager, Marketing and Communications
Parita PatelYYYSocial Investment Officer
Rachel ReeseYYYResearch Analyst
Rebecca Stewart YYProgram Assistant, Marketing & Communications
Stacey Jones YYEngagement Manager, Organization Development
Tommy FijackoYYYEngagement Manager, Organization Development
Wilson Paine YYDirector, Strategic Partnerships

Actions

January 8, 2020

According to The New Yorker, Stand Together research director Kyle McKenzie participated in a conference call with billionaire political donor Charles Koch and Steve Donaldson, policy advisor to Senator Mitch McConnell. The call discussed strategies for blocking the ratification of the For the People Act, an electoral reform bill intended to expand voting rights and limit the influence of money in politics, and included Heather Lauer, executive director of People United for Privacy (a project of the State Policy Network) and Grover Norquist, the founder and President of Americans for Tax Reform, in addition to representatives from the State Policy Network.14Jane Mayer. โ€œInside the Koch-Backed Effort to Block the Largest Election-Reform Bill in Half a Century,โ€ The New Yorker, March 29, 2021. Archived April 27, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/XINLq

McKenzie reportedly acknowledged that when presented with a neutral version of the bill, โ€œpeople were generally supportive,โ€ of efforts intended to minimize the influence of money in politics.15Jane Mayer. โ€œInside the Koch-Backed Effort to Block the Largest Election-Reform Bill in Half a Century,โ€ The New Yorker, March 29, 2021. Archived April 27, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/XINLq

“The most worrisome part … is that conservatives were actually as supportive as the general public was when they read the neutral description,โ€ he added.16Jane Mayer. โ€œInside the Koch-Backed Effort to Block the Largest Election-Reform Bill in Half a Century,โ€ The New Yorker, March 29, 2021. Archived April 27, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/XINLq

The New Yorker noted: โ€œIn private, they [Republicans] concede their own polling shows that no message they can devise effectively counters the argument that billionaires should be prevented from buying elections.โ€17Jane Mayer. โ€œInside the Koch-Backed Effort to Block the Largest Election-Reform Bill in Half a Century,โ€ The New Yorker, March 29, 2021. Archived April 27, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/XINLq

May 20, 2019

The Washington Post reported the Koch network was undergoing a major reorganization, including a rebranding of The Seminar Network as Stand Together.18James Hohmann. โ€œThe Daily 202: The Koch network is reorganizing under a new name and with new priorities,โ€ The Washington Post, May 20, 2019. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/3a2Ma

Brian Hooks, who would chair the network and run the new Stand Together organization said in an interview that it a was โ€œnot a branding exerciseโ€ but rather a โ€œnatural evolution.โ€19James Hohmann. โ€œThe Daily 202: The Koch network is reorganizing under a new name and with new priorities,โ€ The Washington Post, May 20, 2019. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/3a2Ma

The group would describe itself as a โ€œphilanthropic communityโ€ rather than a โ€œnetworkโ€ while investors would now be called โ€œpartners.”20James Hohmann. โ€œThe Daily 202: The Koch network is reorganizing under a new name and with new priorities,โ€ The Washington Post, May 20, 2019. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/3a2Ma

Hooks said the group would still be involved in politics: โ€œWeโ€™re not going to continue to do the same thing that weโ€™ve done, and weโ€™re not going to walk away. What weโ€™re committed to doing is offering people a different way to stay engaged in policy and in politics but to do it in a way that unites people to actually get things done.โ€21James Hohmann. โ€œThe Daily 202: The Koch network is reorganizing under a new name and with new priorities,โ€ The Washington Post, May 20, 2019. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/3a2Ma

One of the group’s key focuses would be criminal justice reform.22James Hohmann. โ€œThe Daily 202: The Koch network is reorganizing under a new name and with new priorities,โ€ The Washington Post, May 20, 2019. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/3a2Ma

January 29, 2016

USA Today reported on the launch of an earlier iteration of Stand Together, originally working as a โ€œventure philanthropyโ€ organization aimed at โ€œstrengthening the fabric of American society.โ€23Fredreka Schouten. โ€œKoch brothers’ new group will take on poverty, educational quality,โ€ USA Today, January 29, 2016. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/0bUPo

โ€œThe sole purpose of Stand Together is to make a real difference in real peopleโ€™s lives by actually solving the problems they have,โ€ then-executive director Evan Feinberg, said.24Fredreka Schouten. โ€œKoch brothers’ new group will take on poverty, educational quality,โ€ USA Today, January 29, 2016. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/0bUPo

The Kochs had reportedly worked internally on the Stand Together group for about a year prior.25Fredreka Schouten. โ€œKoch brothers’ new group will take on poverty, educational quality,โ€ USA Today, January 29, 2016. Archived June 12, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/0bUPo

Public Notice

As noted above, according to publicly available tax filings, Stand Together, Inc., (EIN 27-3197768) began doing business in 2016. Those filings also show that that EIN was originally attributed to Public Notice Research and Education Fund, another Koch group, which had an initial ruling of November 2010. [4]

Stand Together’s 2016 tax form notes that โ€œthe corporation changed its name from ‘Public Notice Research and Education Fund, Inc.’ to ‘Stand Together, Inc.’โ€ in that year.

Network Organizations

The following were listed as โ€œNetwork Organizationsโ€ to The Seminar Network:26โ€œA SAMPLING OF THE NETWORK ORGANIZATIONS WE SERVE,โ€ The Seminar Network. Archived May 16, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/955xv

Contact & Address

Stand Together, Inc.

According to their 2016 990 form (EIN 27-3197768):

1320 N Courthouse Rd, Ste 220
Arlington, VA 22201

As of 2017, The Seminar Network had a listed address of 1320 N. Courthouse Road, Suite 500, Arlington, VA 22201. That address appears to be shared with several other affiliated groups including Concerned Veterans for AmericaAmericans for Prosperity, and The Libre Initiative.

Stand Together Foundation, Inc.

According to nonprofit records at ProPublica and GuideStar, Stand Together Foundation, Inc. gained tax-exempt status in April 2019, and had the following address:

320 N Broadway Ste 260
Green Bay, WI
54303-2705

Public Notice Research and Education Fund, Inc.

According to 990 forms prior to 2016, Public Notice operated out of this address:

1220 North Fillmore Street, Suite 300
Arlington, VA
22201-6501

Social Media

Other Resources

Resources

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