Heritage Foundation

Heritage Foundation

Background

The Heritage Foundation is a conservative think tank founded in 1973 by Paul Weyrich to โ€œformulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.โ€1โ€œAbout Heritage,โ€ Heritage Foundation. Archived April 19, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/s9HcE

The Heritage Foundation has been a fervent opponent of the Kyoto Protocol and its online database of โ€œpolicy expertsโ€ includes many climate change skeptics such as Patrick Michaels, Sallie Baliunas, Thomas Gale Moore, Robert Balling, and Fred Singer.2ExxonSecrets Factsheet: Heritage Foundation. Archived June 7, 2019. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/hqSo0 3โ€œPolicy Experts,โ€ PolicyExperts.org. Archived April 20, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/d0aiz

The Heritage Foundation has had considerable influence over Republican politicians. It is estimated that two-thirds of the policy recommendations it made in 1981 were adopted by the Reagan Administration. The Heritage Foundation has been described as โ€œthe most effective media operation in American politics.โ€4Carl Deal. The Greenpeace guide to anti-environmental organizations. Odonian Press, Emeryville, Calif. Distributed through Publishers Group West, 1993. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ucmdl 5Norman Solomon. โ€œThe Media’s Favorite Think Tank,โ€ Extra!โ€ July/August 1996. Archived October 14, 2005. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/SM1B0

Jim DeMint, former South Carolina Republican Senator, became Heritage Foundation president in 2013. According to The New York Times, this marked a shift in the foundation: โ€œLong known as an incubator for policy ideas and the embodiment of the party establishment, it has become more of a political organization feeding off the rising populism of the Tea Party movement.โ€6Jennifer Steinhauer and Jonathan Weisman, โ€œIn the DeMint Era at Heritage, a Shift From Policy to Politics,โ€ New York Times, February 23, 2014. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/dHred

Heritage is a former member of the Cooler Heads Coalition (as of 2004).7โ€œThe Cooler Heads Coalition,โ€ GlobalWarming.org. Archived April 12, 2004. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/lWnpt Thomas A. Roe, a member of the board of trustees of the Heritage Foundation, founded the State Policy Network in 1991 as a way to promote conservative policies at the state level.8โ€œAbout SPN,โ€ State Policy Network. Archived November 24, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/3EQAV

It was also behind the right-wing news website Townhall.com. In 2005, Townhall.com split from The Heritage Foundation โ€œin order to expand the scope of Townhall.com’s mission to inform, empower and mobilize citizens for political change.โ€ In 2006, it was acquired by Salem Communications.9โ€œTownhall.com – the Leading Conservative and Political Opinion Website,โ€ TownHall.com. Archived November 24, 2016.  Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/5Nl0E

The Heritage Foundation has been a member of the Atlas Network, a group that has been described as “The Johnny Appleseed of antiregulation groups,”10โ€œAtlas Economic Research Foundation,โ€ SourceWatch profile. for as long as the Atlas Network has shared its membership directories.11Global Directory: United States,” Atlas Network. Archived January 8, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/5Igb4

Heritage Foundation & Project 2025

โ€œProject 2025 is a plan to rapidly โ€˜reformโ€™ the U.S. government by shuttering bureaus and offices, overturning regulations, and replacing thousands of public sector employees with hand-picked political allies of Trump,โ€ DeSmog has reported.12Sam Bright. โ€œTrump Will โ€˜Killโ€™ Climate Budgets, Key Ally Tells Heritage Event,โ€ DeSmog, October 7, 2024.

โ€œIt also proposes a range of radical anti-climate policies, including slashing restrictions on fossil fuel extraction, scrapping investment in renewable energy, and gutting the Environmental Protection Agency.โ€

According to The Heritage Foundation, โ€œ[o]rganized by the Heritage Foundation, Project 2025 has brought together 45 (and counting) right-of-center organizations that are ready to get into the business of restoring this country through the combination of the right policies and well-trained people. The Projectโ€™s foundation is built on four interconnected pillars.13Spencer Chretien. โ€œProject 2025,โ€ The Heritage Foundation. Archived October 7, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/pQWhc

The Heritage Foundation lists Spencer Chretien as the Associated Director of the โ€œ2025 Presidential Transition Project at The Heritage Foundation.โ€ According to his profile, โ€œ[f]rom 2020-2021, Chretien was a Special Assistant to President Donald J. Trump and Associate Director of Presidential Personnel, helping to identify, recruit, and place hundreds of political appointees at all levels of government.โ€14โ€Spencer Chretien,โ€ The Heritage Foundation. Archived August 28, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/iLJRp He previously served at the American Legislative Exchange Council, Citizens Against Government Waste, and FreedomWorks.15โ€œCitizens Against Government Waste,โ€ SourceWatch. Archived October 9, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/aTKhS

Chretien describes the project as having four โ€œinterconnected pillars,โ€ including the first as its policy book โ€œMandate for Leadership.โ€16โ€œProject 2025’s “Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise,” Retrieved from DocumentCloud. Contributed by Hansi Lo Wang (NPR). Donald Trump has reportedly repeatedly disavowed the document, which BBC described as a โ€œโ€˜wish listโ€™ for the next Republican president,โ€ saying, “I have nothing to do with Project 2025.โ€17Mike Wendling. โ€œProject 2025: The right-wing wish list for another Trump presidency,โ€ BBC, September 11, 2024. Archived October 9, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/9x11T

The second pillar is an โ€œonline personnel database,โ€ which The Heritage Foundation describes as a โ€œConservative LinkedInโ€ that would launch in March.18Spencer Chretien. โ€œProject 2025,โ€ The Heritage Foundation. Archived October 7, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/pQWhc

The third is the โ€œPresidential Administration Academy,โ€ which they describe as โ€œinteractive, on-demand training sessionsโ€ for conservatives who make it into the administration.19Spencer Chretien. โ€œProject 2025,โ€ The Heritage Foundation. Archived October 7, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/pQWhc

The fourth is the โ€œPlaybook, which will take the policy ideas expressed in Mandate for Leadership and transform them into an implementation plan for each agency to advocate to the incoming administration.โ€20Spencer Chretien. โ€œProject 2025,โ€ The Heritage Foundation. Archived October 7, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/pQWhc

Project 2025 Advisory Board & Funding

According to the Project 2025 website, its advisory board is a โ€œbroad coalition of over 100 conservative organizations [that] has come together to form the project pillars.โ€21โ€œAbout,โ€ The Heritage Foundation. Archived November 12, 2024.

DeSmog reported that six family fortunes were responsible for more than $120 million of donations going to Project 2025โ€™s Advisory Groups since 2020:22Joe Fassler. โ€œ6 Billionaire Fortunes Bankrolling Project 2025,โ€ DeSmog, August 14, 2024.

Another investigation published at DeSmog and The Guardian revealed that Shell USA Company Foundation, A U.S. foundation associated with the Shell oil company, donated to at least fourteen groups listed on Project 2025โ€™s advisory board, including the Heartland Institute and the Heritage Foundation.25Geoff Dembicki. โ€œRevealed: Shell Oil Nonprofit Donated to Anti-Climate Groups Behind Project 2025,โ€ DeSmog, August 15, 2024.

Centre for Climate Reporting Investigation of Russell Vought

The nonprofit Centre for Climate Reporting did an undercover investigation of Project 2025, including an interview with Russell Vought, one of the key authors of the plan.26โ€œUndercover in Project 2025,โ€ YouTube video uploaded by user โ€œCentre for Climate Reporting,โ€ August 15, 2024. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

CNN reported how the Centre โ€œspun an elaborate fiction, with a journalist and a paid actor posing as the brother and son-in-law of a reclusive New Mexico investorโ€ to get the footage.27Curt Devine, Casey Tolan, Audrey Ash, and Kyung Lah. โ€œHidden-camera video shows Project 2025 co-author discussing his secret work preparing for a second Trump term,โ€ CNN, August 15, 2024. Archived November 12, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/hJgMc

While Trump publicly distanced himself from Project 2025 during the election, Vought said during the interview that Trump had previously praised Vought for doing a โ€œfantastic jobโ€ at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). He also claimed that Trump has โ€œblessedโ€ his organization and โ€œheโ€™s very supportive of what we do.โ€28โ€œRemarks by President Trump at Signing of Executive Orders on Transparency in Federal Guidance and Enforcement,โ€ trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov. Archived October 7, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/F5Eeq

โ€œI see what heโ€™s doing is just very, very conscious distancing himself from a brand,โ€ Vought said. โ€œItโ€™s interesting, heโ€™s in fact not even opposing himself to a particular policy.โ€

He also said Trump had โ€œbeen at our organization, heโ€™s raised money for our organization, heโ€™s blessed it โ€ฆ heโ€™s very supportive of what we do.โ€

During the July 25, 2024 meeting, Vought discussed Trumpโ€™s public plan to carry out one of the largest deportations in US History, saying it could help โ€œsave the country.โ€

Once the deportation plan started, โ€œyouโ€™re really going to be winning a debate along the way about what that looks like,โ€ Vought said. โ€œAnd so thatโ€™s going to cause us to get us off of multiculturalism, just to be able to sustain and defend the deportation, right?โ€29Curt Devine, Casey Tolan, Audrey Ash, and Kyung Lah. โ€œHidden-camera video shows Project 2025 co-author discussing his secret work preparing for a second Trump term,โ€ CNN, August 15, 2024. Archived November 12, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/hJgMc

Rachel Cauley, a spokesperson for Voughtโ€™s nonprofit, the Center for Renewing America,ย  commented on the video, claiming, โ€œIt would have been easier to just do a [G]oogle search to โ€˜uncoverโ€™ what is already on our website and said in countless national media interviews. But thank you for airing our perfect conversation emphasizing our policy work is totally separate from the Trump campaign, as we have been saying.โ€30Curt Devine, Casey Tolan, Audrey Ash, and Kyung Lah. โ€œHidden-camera video shows Project 2025 co-author discussing his secret work preparing for a second Trump term,โ€ CNN, August 15, 2024. Archived November 12, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/hJgMc

About a week following the conversation, the director of Project 2025, Paul Dans, stepped down and was also leaving the Heritage Foundation.31Steve Contorno and Kristen Holmes. โ€œProject 2025 director steps down amid backlash from Trump,โ€ CNN, July 30, 2024. Archived October 7, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/UMae1

CNN summarized Voughtโ€™s role with Project 2025 and the Trump administration: 

โ€œVought served as the director of the Office of Management and Budget under Trump, where he made a name for himself as a policy wonk committed to the MAGA movement. In public, Trump repeatedly praised Vought for doing an โ€œincredibleโ€ and โ€œfantasticโ€ job at OMB.

โ€œAfter Trump left office, Vought started the Center for Renewing America, a nonprofit that describes itself as the โ€˜tip of the America First spear.โ€™ CRA was one of many right-leaning groups that partnered on Project 2025, a more than 900-page blueprint for Trumpโ€™s second term that was led by the Heritage Foundation. Vought personally authored the projectโ€™s chapter on the executive office of the president, and his group contributed to several other chapters of the plan as well.

โ€œVought also served as the policy director of the Republican National Convention committee that rewrote the GOPโ€™s official platform this year โ€“ a sign of how central he is to Republicansโ€™ policy goals.โ€32Curt Devine, Casey Tolan, Audrey Ash, and Kyung Lah. โ€œHidden-camera video shows Project 2025 co-author discussing his secret work preparing for a second Trump term,โ€ CNN, August 15, 2024. Archived November 12, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/hJgMc

Trump picked Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget again in 2025, The New York Times reported, noting his appointment would typically require Senate confirmation.33Charlie Savage, Maggie Haberman, and Jonathan Swan. โ€œTrump Picks Key Figure in Project 2025 for Powerful Budget Role,โ€ The New York Times, November 22, 2024. Archived December 9, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Dqv4E

โ€œVought, the first-term White House budget chief who began implementing Schedule F at the Office of Management and Budget, is set to return to the same role as Trump is pledging to reinstate Schedule F,โ€ The Washington Post reported.34Lisa Rein and Jeff Stein. โ€œFederal employees scramble to insulate themselves from Trumpโ€™s purge,โ€ The Washington Post, December 8, 2024. Archived December 9, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/TnHxu

The Guardian noted that Vought is one of several Trump picks who have direct ties to Project 2025:35Rachel Leingang. โ€œProject 2025: the Trump picks with ties to ultra-rightwing policy manifesto,โ€ The Guardian, December 9, 2024. Archived December 9, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/YbOQt

  • James Braid โ€” chosen by Trump as the director of the Office of Legislative Affairs. Braid taught a course as part of Project 2025โ€™s leadership training program.
  • Brendan Carr โ€” Trumpโ€™s nominee to chair the Federal Communications Commission. Carr wrote Project 2025โ€™s chapter on the FCC.
  • Monica Crowley โ€” named for a state department role. Crowley was a contributor to Project 2025
  • Pete Hoekstra โ€” Trumpโ€™s pick for ambassador to Canada. Contributor to Project 2025โ€™s โ€œMandate for Leadershipโ€ document
  • Tom Homan โ€” Picked as Trumpโ€™s โ€œborder czar.โ€ Homan is a contributor to Project 2025 and a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation.
  • Karoline Leavitt โ€” Incoming White House press secretary. Leavitt appeared in training videos for Project 2025.
  • Stephen Miller โ€” Pick for deputy chief of staff for policy. Miller is president of the America First Legal Foundation. America First Legal was listed as a supporter of Project 2025 and appeared as a member of its advisory board.
  • Peter Navarro โ€” named by Trump as a senior counselor for trade and manufacturing. He wrote a chapter for Project 2025 called The Case for Fair Trade.โ€
  • John Ratcliffe โ€” Trump offered the role of CIA director. Ratcliffe was a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation and is listed as a contributor to Project 2025.
  • JD Vance โ€” Trumpโ€™s vice president, JD Vance, has ties to the Heritage Foundation.

Tory Candidate Ties to Heritage Foundation

DeSmog reported several U.K. Tory candidates had ties to the Heritage Foundation, including:36Adam Barnett. โ€œProject 2025: Tory Candidates Have Ties to Group Drafting โ€˜Dangerousโ€™ Trump Agenda,โ€ DeSmog, August 14, 2024.

  • Robert Jenrick โ€” Gave February 2024 to the Heritage Foundation
  • Priti Patel โ€” Gave November 2021 speech to the Heritage Foundation
  • Oliver Dowden โ€” Gave February 2022 speech to the Heritage Foundation
  • Liz Truss โ€” Gave April 2023 speech to the Heritage Foundation
  • Lord David Frost โ€” Gave a June 2023 speech to the Legatum Institute think tank and introduced Kevin Roberts, who he described as โ€œone of the U.S.โ€™s foremost fighters for conservative ideas.โ€ He also described the Heritage Foundation as โ€œAmericaโ€™s premier conservative think tank.โ€
  • Nadhim Zahawi โ€” Met with Heritage Foundation in September 2022 while Conservative chancellor at a โ€œministerial roundtable,โ€ according to government records.
  • Nigel Farage โ€” gave a 2015 speech to the Heritage Foundation about the prospects of a U.K. referendum on European Union membership.

Project 2025 Training Videos

ProPublica and Documented obtained over 14 hours of training videos from Project 2025, part of itsย  Presidential Administration Academy.37Andy Kroll and Nick Surgey. โ€œWatch: 14 Hours of Never-Before-Published Videos From Project 2025โ€™s Presidential Administration Academy,โ€œ ProPublica, August 10, 2024. Archived October 8, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/6qV3S 38Andy Kroll and Nick Surgey. โ€œInside Project 2025โ€™s Secret Training Videos,โ€ ProPublica, August 10, 2024. Archived October 9, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/zovgp

In one of the videos, conservative activist andย  former deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Agency for International Development in the Trump administration, Bethany Kozma, commented:39โ€โ€™Eradicate Climate Change References From Absolutely Everywhereโ€™,โ€ YouTube video uploaded by user โ€œProPublica,โ€ August 9, 2024. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

โ€œIf the American people elect a conservative president, his administration will have to eradicate climate change references from absolutely everywhere,โ€ Kozma said.

โ€œWhen I think of climate change, I immediately think of population control, donโ€™t you? I think about the people who donโ€™t want you to have children because of the โ€˜impact on the environmentโ€™,โ€ she added.

E&E News also reported on the leaked videos.40Robin Bravender. โ€œLeaked Project 2025 videos: โ€˜Eradicateโ€™ climate references,โ€ E&E News, August 12, 2024. Archived September 26, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/tKOG4

According to ProPublica and Documented, 29 of the 36 speakers have previously worked for Trump in some capacity.41Andy Kroll and Nick Surgey. โ€œInside Project 2025โ€™s Secret Training Videos,โ€ ProPublica, August 10, 2024. Archived October 9, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/zovgp

DeSmog Reporting on Project 2025

Other Resources on Project 2025

  • Project2024Admin.com โ€” Court Accountability Action (CAA) website with research and analysis on Project 2025
  • Project 2025 Index โ€” Search within the Project 22025 plan by term.ย  Developed by the Autonomy Institute 501(c)(3).

Donald Trump’s โ€œShadow Transition Teamโ€

Politico reported in 2016 that the Heritage Foundation was one of the most influential forces behind Donald Trump‘s transition team.42Katie Glueck. โ€œTrumpโ€™s shadow transition team,โ€ Politico, November 22, 2016. Archived November 24, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/AdrXn

โ€œPart gatekeeper, part brain trust and part boots on the ground, Heritage is both a major presence on the transition team itself and a crucial conduit between Trumpโ€™s orbit and the once-skeptical conservative leaders who ultimately helped get him elected,โ€ Politco’s Katie Glueck writes.

Three sources with conservative groups said that Heritage employees were tracking resumes, looking to staff Trump’s administration with conservative appointees. One source described the effort as a โ€œshadow transition teamโ€ and โ€œan effort to have the right kind of people in there.โ€43Katie Glueck. โ€œTrumpโ€™s shadow transition team,โ€ Politico, November 22, 2016. Archived November 24, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/AdrXn

The transition team is being assisted from Heritage officials including: 44Katie Glueck. โ€œTrumpโ€™s shadow transition team,โ€ Politico, November 22, 2016. Archived November 24, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/AdrXn

A source reported that Rebekah Mercer had also been working with Heritage to recruit appointees for positions at the undersecretary level and below.45Katie Glueck. โ€œTrumpโ€™s shadow transition team,โ€ Politico, November 22, 2016. Archived November 24, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/AdrXn

Stance on Climate Change

2016

โ€œ[C]limate change [โ€ฆ] is a contentious and unproven scientific theory.โ€ โ€” Hans von Spakovsky, Senior Legal Fellow and manager of the Election Law Reform Initiative at The Heritage Foundation.46Hans von Spakovsky. โ€œThe Left’s Climate Inquisitionโ€™s New Target,โ€ The Daily Signal, April 8, 2016. Archived April 20, 2016.  Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/6ElPn

โ€œRegardless of oneโ€™s opinions on the degree to which climate change is occurring, regulations associated with the Paris accord will have no meaningful impact on the planetโ€™s temperature.โ€47Nicolas Loris. โ€œTop 5 Reasons Congress Should Reject Obamaโ€™s Climate Change Treaty,โ€ The Daily Signal, April 19, 2016. Archived April 20, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/FYmpk

2010

โ€œWhat I conclude from a policy standpoint is that global warming is clearly not a crisis and should not be addressed as one โ€ฆ None of the scary stuff about global warming is true, and what is true about global warming, what the science actually tells us about man’s role in changing the climate, is far from terrifying.โ€ โ€” Ben Lieberman, Senior Policy Analyst for Energy and Environment at The Heritage Foundation.48Ben Lieberman.โ€The Economics of Global Warming Policy,โ€ The Heritage Foundation, June 16, 2010. Archived April 20, 2016.  Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/TPGCH

2009

โ€œGlobal warming will not hurt the U.S. economy.โ€49Conn Carroll. โ€œStudy Shows Global Warming Will Not Hurt U.S. Economy,โ€ The Daily Signal, January 6, 2009. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/whGeJ

On Carbon Emissions

2016

โ€œI think the serious people, the economists that have looked at this, understand there is a cost to reducing carbon emissions, because CO2 is a necessary byproduct of their most affordable and reliable energy sources, which are the natural resources of coal, natural gas, and petroleum. To take that choice away from people forces them to more expensive sources of energyโ€ โ€” David Kreutzer, research fellow in energy economics and climate change at The Heritage Foundation.50Chris Woodward. โ€œThere’s a cost to reducing carbon emissions,โ€ OneNewsNow.com, April 18, 2016. Archived April 20, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/hnG0F

Funding

The following is based on data compiled by the Conservative Transparency Project. Note that not all funding information has been verified by DeSmog.51โ€œThe Heritage Foundation,โ€ Conservative Transparency. Data retrieved May 28, 2016.

View the attached spreadsheet for additional information on The Heritage Foundation’s funding by year (.xlsx).

DonorTotal
Sarah Scaife Foundation$27,535,000
Howard Charitable Foundation$19,300,000
The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation$16,507,202
The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation$15,000,000
DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative$13,300,000
Herrick Foundation$12,530,000
National Christian Charitable Foundation$11,148,999
Diana Davis Spencer Foundation$9,049,250
John M. Olin Foundation$8,620,835
Lillian S. Wells Foundation$7,242,428
Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation$5,262,571
Schwab Charitable Fund$4,718,796
Castle Rock Foundation$3,098,760
The Carthage Foundation$2,544,000
The Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation$2,200,000
Mercer Family Foundation$2,000,000
Searle Freedom Trust$1,925,000
The Roe Foundation$1,831,000
DonorsTrust$1,826,755
Jaquelin Hume Foundation$1,725,000
F.M. Kirby Foundation$1,595,000
Armstrong Foundation$1,370,000
Allegheny Foundation$1,350,000
Aequus Institute$1,266,827
Barney Family Foundation$1,240,000
Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation$1,206,630
William E. Simon Foundation$1,187,500
Deramus Foundation$1,100,000
Philip M. McKenna Foundation$1,025,000
The Galbraith Foundation$1,000,000
Robert S. and Star Pepper Foundation$970,000
Charles M & Gloria F Parrish Foundation$950,000
Adolph Coors Foundation$950,000
John Templeton Foundation$930,821
Richard Seth Staley Educational Foundation$880,795
John Dawson Foundation$725,400
Exxon Mobil$725,000
Scaife Family Foundation$702,640
The Thirteen Foundation$700,000
Stuart Family Foundation$657,500
Holman Foundation$656,971
William H. Donner Foundation$614,500
Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation$502,000
Robert and Audrey Zinser Charitable Foundation$429,707
Lovett and Ruth Peters Foundation$400,000
Walton Family Foundation$385,000
Pew Charitable Trusts$350,000
Peter G. Peterson Foundation$350,000
Bill and Berniece Grewcock Foundation$345,000
Fairchild-Martindale Foundation$320,000
Sidney A. Swensrud Foundation$299,812
Donors Capital Fund$296,000
Dorothy D. and Joseph A. Moller Foundation$260,000
Pierre F. and Enid Goodrich Foundation$245,000
PhRMA$240,000
Stiles-Nicholson Foundation$232,700
National Philanthropic Trust$215,243
The TWS Foundation$200,000
JM Foundation$185,000
Same Line Foundation$170,250
Dodge Jones Foundation$167,500
The Vernon K. Krieble Foundation$153,400
Lowndes Foundation$152,000
Orville D. and Ruth A. Merillat Foundation$150,000
John William Pope Foundation$150,000
Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation$125,000
The Challenge Foundation$120,000
The Weiler Foundation$120,000
Joyce and Donald Rumsfeld Foundation$116,000
Apex Foundation$105,000
The McWethy Foundation$100,000
Thomas W Smith Foundation$100,000
Fairbrook Foundation$100,000
Kantner Foundation$98,312
Ed Uihlein Family Foundation$85,000
Legett Foundation$81,500
Tepper Family Foundation$79,250
The Hamlin Family Foundation$77,500
Robert and Marie Hansen Foundation$70,000
K W Grader Foundation$68,000
The Rodney Fund$66,000
Richard F. Aster Jr. Foundation$64,000
Huizenga Foundation$64,000
The Opportunity Foundation$57,000
The Whitcomb Charitable Foundation$51,000
MyWireless.org$50,000
George Edward Durell Foundation$50,000
Earhart Foundation$50,000
Arthur N. Rupe Foundation$48,500
Leadership Institute$45,935
The Shelby Cullom Davis Foundation$45,000
The A William & Eileen Pratt Foundation$44,450
Bochnowski Family Foundation$40,000
Bradley Impact Fund$27,000
Kickapoo Springs Foundation$25,000
Neal and Jane Freeman Foundation$20,000
The Marcus Foundation$20,000
Eyas Foundation$17,500
Charles and Ann Johnson Foundation$17,000
Edgar and Elsa Prince Foundation$15,000
True Foundation$14,000
Thewes Family Foundation$14,000
Chiavacci Family Foundation$12,000
Charles Koch Institute$12,000
Woodhouse Family Foundation$12,000
Einhorn Family Foundation$12,000
PG Beil Foundation$11,500
Robert and Nina Rosenthal Foundation$11,000
Wodecroft Foundation$10,500
Floyd Foundation$10,000
Chase Foundation of Virginia$10,000
Eric Javits Family Foundation$8,250
The Randolph Foundation$5,000
Barbara and Barre Seid Foundation$5,000
Whatley Foundation$4,500
Cato Institute$2,500
John P & Kathryn G Evans Foundation$2,500
Bradey Education Foundation$2,000
It Takes A Family Foundation$1,035
Dunn’s Foundation for the Advancement of Right Thinking$1,000
Logos Charitable Fund$500
Foundation for Economic Education$300
Betcher Family Foundation$250
Gilder Foundation$100
Grand Total$197,793,674

ExxonMobil Funding

According to ExxonSecrets, Heritage Foundation has received $780,000 from ExxonMobil since 1998.52ExxonSecrets Factsheet: Heritage Foundation. Archived June 7, 2019. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/hqSo0

Koch Funding

According to Greenpeace, The Heritage Foundation received $6,130,201 from Koch foundations from 1997 to 2017.53โ€œThe Heritage Foundation: Koch Industries Climate Denial Front Group,โ€ Greenpeace USA. Archived March 14, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/p3KBb

YearClaude R. Lambe Charitable FoundationCharles G. Koch Charitable FoundationCharles Koch InstituteGrand Total
*1986$5,000$5,000
*1987$5,000$5,000
*1991$5,000$5,000
*1992$10,000$10,000
*1995$50,000$50,000
*1996$64,000$64,000
1997$265,000$3,000$268,000
1998$65,000$65,000
1999$75,000$75,000
2001$150,000$150,000
2002$385,000$385,000
2003$405,000$405,000
2004$465,000$465,000
2005$465,000$465,000
2006$465,000$465,000
2007$465,000$465,000
2008$225,000$225,000
2009$618,571$618,571
2010$500,000$500,000
2012$650,000$11,274$661,274
2013$300,000$300,000
2014$200,000$200,000
2015$3,480$3,480
2016$206,938$206,938
2017$206,938$206,938
2018$200,000
Grand Total$5,262,571$1,206,630$12,000$6,481,201

*Original tax forms prior to 1997 are no longer available for verification.

990 Forms

Key People

View key people by year below or view the attached spreadsheet if Heritage Foundation’s key People (.xlsx).

Policy Experts

The Heritage Foundation maintains a project of PolicyExperts.org, which maintains a list of US54US Experts,” Policy Experts. Archived July 21, 2023. and International “experts.”55“Intl Experts,” Policy Experts. Archived July 21, 2023.

ExxonSecrets noted that Heritage Foundation’s Policy experts have included notable climate change deniers such as:56FACTSHEET: HERITAGE FOUNDATION, HERITAGE,” ExxonSecrets. Archived July 15, 2016.

View a full, searchable list of Heritage Foundation’s policy experts below, as of 2023:

Actions

November 2023

Axios reported the Heritage Foundation was responsible for orchestrating a “government-in-waiting” via its Project 2025,57Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen. “Behind the Curtain: Trump allies pre-screen loyalists for unprecedented power grab,” Axios, November 13, 2023. Archived November 23, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/tp8c8 which describes the goal of its 2025 Presidential Transition Project as to “collectively, pave the way for an effective conservative administration: a policy agenda, personnel, training, and a 180-day playbook.58About Project 2025,” Project 2025. Archived November 23, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/erV6J

“Think of it as a transition team set in motion years in advance,” Axios reported. “Former President Trump’s allies are pre-screening the ideologies of thousands of potential foot soldiers, as part of an unprecedented operation to centralize and expand his power at every level of the U.S. government if he wins in 2024, officials involved in the effort tell Axios.”59Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen. “Behind the Curtain: Trump allies pre-screen loyalists for unprecedented power grab,” Axios, November 13, 2023. Archived November 23, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/tp8c8

March 15, 2022

James Carafano, vice president of the Heritage Foundation’s Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy and E. W. Richardson Fellow, was quoted as an “expert” by Fox News in an article claiming “Russia duped Europe into energy dependence by funding ‘rabid environmental groups’.60Emma Colton. “Russia duped Europe into energy dependence by funding ‘rabid environmental groups’: experts,” Fox News, March 15, 2022. Archived March 21, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/fIA6h

“The Russians actually fund some of the most rabid environmental groups in Europe because they sic them on the energy projects that arenโ€™t Russian,” Carafano told Fox News in a phone interview.

Fox News also quoted Michael Shellenberger from an earlier interview, where he had suggested “You’re not really an independent nation if you depend on foreign countries so heavily for your energy supplies.”

February 11, 2022

Heritage president Kevin Roberts wrote an op ed in the Sacramento Bee describing โ€œbig techโ€ companies as an โ€œenemy of the American peopleโ€ because of their alleged โ€œwoke ideologyโ€ and โ€œdiscrimination against conservative books and media.โ€ Robert alleged that this includes the โ€œroutine, partisan deplatforming of โ€œdisinformationโ€ that often boils down to differences of opinion.โ€61Kevin Roberts. “Itโ€™s Time To Win the War Against Big Tech,” The Heritage Foundation, February 11, 2022. Archived April 6, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/4CGAY

The op ed cited a Heritage Foundation report that criticized platforms like YouTube for censoring โ€œcontent that contradicts left-wing orthodoxy.โ€62Kara Frederick. “Combating Big Techโ€™s Totalitarianism: A Road Map” (PDF), The Heritage Foundation Backgrounder No. 3678 (February 8, 2022). Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

May 13, 2021

Mother Jones obtained leaked video provided by watchdog group Documented revealing Heritage Foundationโ€™s potential role in voter suppression laws in Georgia.63Ari Berman and Nick Surgey. “Leaked Video: Dark Money Group Brags About Writing GOP Voter Suppression Bills Across the Country,” Mother Jones, May 13, 2021. Archived May 25, 2021. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/M4lgZ

Jessica Anderson, executive director at Heritage Action for America, a sister organization of the Heritage Foundation, stated in a private meeting that โ€œeight key provisions that Heritage recommendedโ€ had made their way into the final Georgia law, which was passed on March 25, 2020.64Ari Berman and Nick Surgey. “Leaked Video: Dark Money Group Brags About Writing GOP Voter Suppression Bills Across the Country,” Mother Jones, May 13, 2021. Archived May 25, 2021. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/M4lgZ

The law included limitations on mail ballot drop boxes, additional voter requirements for mail-in ballots, and prohibitions on counties accepting donations from non-profit organizations looking to expand Georgiaโ€™s voting base. The initiative formed part of a wider campaign, which involved spending $24 million over two years in eight battleground states, to restrict voting rights.65Ari Berman and Nick Surgey. “Leaked Video: Dark Money Group Brags About Writing GOP Voter Suppression Bills Across the Country,” Mother Jones, May 13, 2021. Archived May 25, 2021. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/M4lgZ

Mother Jones noted all of those recommendations were part of the Heritage Foundationโ€™s February 2021 report. 66โ€œThe Facts About Election Integrity and the Need for States to Fix Their Election Systems (PDF), The Heritage Foundation factsheet No. 196 (February 1, 2021). Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

During the private meeting with political donors in Tucson, Arizona during April 2021, Anderson reportedly stated she had told the Governor of Georgia: โ€œDo not wait to sign that bill. If you wait even an hour, you will look weak. This bill needs to be signed immediately.โ€67โ€œThe Facts About Election Integrity and the Need for States to Fix Their Election Systems (PDF), The Heritage Foundation factsheet No. 196 (February 1, 2021). Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The Heritage Foundation also drafted three provisions in legislation which Iowa Republicans had adopted prior to Georgiaโ€™s law. Anderson stated: โ€œWe worked quietly with the Iowa state legislature. We got the best practices to them. We helped draft the bills. We made sure activists were calling the state legislators, getting support, showing up at their public hearings, giving testimony.โ€68โ€œThe Facts About Election Integrity and the Need for States to Fix Their Election Systems (PDF), The Heritage Foundation factsheet No. 196 (February 1, 2021). Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Mike Marshall, Executive Director of the Iowa Ethics & Campaign Disclosure Board, opened an investigation into the claims made by Anderson regarding the Heritage Foundationโ€™s role in pushing the aforementioned legislation. An article in EIN Presswire written by Iowaโ€™s State Democrats stated: โ€œThe claims made recently by Heritage Action about their role in secretly pushing voter suppression legislation in Iowa and other states are disturbing.โ€69Iowa Executive Branch launches investigation into Heritage Foundation allegations,” EINPresswire (news provided by Iowa Senate Democrats), May 18, 2021. Archived May 25, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/TE9wb

September 25, 2018

Heritage Foundation Senior Statistician Kevin Dayaratna testified before the Oregon Joint Interim Committee on Carbon Reduction on the economic and climate impacts of proposed carbon regulations being considered by the Oregon State Legislature.70Aubrey Wieber. โ€œStatistician tells lawmakers extreme weather rise is myth,โ€ Portland Tribune, October 1, 2018. Archived October 24, 2018. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/e6w6c

Video of the meeting is available at the Oregon State Legislatureโ€™s website.

Dayaratna asserted a proposed cap and trade policy would result in the elimination of thousands of jobs and have little to no effect on the climate.

He responded to questioning about the apparent links between climate change and extreme weather events as โ€œmyths propagated by the mainstream media.โ€71Aubrey Wieber. โ€œStatistician tells lawmakers extreme weather rise is myth,โ€ Portland Tribune, October 1, 2018. Archived October 24, 2018. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/e6w6c

September 19, 2018

UK Treasury minister Liz Truss met with representatives from the Heritage Foundation during a visit to Washington DC, Greenpeace’s investigative unit, Unearthed, found. The taxpayer-funded trip also included meetings with the Cato Institute, the American Enterprise Institute, Americans for Tax Reform, and the American Legislative Exchange Council.72Lawrence Carter. โ€œLiz Truss met with โ€˜dark moneyโ€™ think tanks during taxpayer funded trip to Washington DC,โ€ Unearthed, December 19, 2018. Archived December 22, 2018. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/onRDJ

January 23, 2018

The Heritage Foundation claimed that the Trump Administration had implemented nearly two-thirds of a list of 334 policy recommendations titled the โ€œMandate for Leadershipโ€ series. View the full list here.73โ€œTrump Administration Embraces Heritage Foundation Policy Recommendations,โ€ The Heritage Foundation, January 23, 2018. Archived February 5, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/B92aO 74โ€œMandate for Leadership Policy Recommendations,โ€ ScribD document uploaded by user โ€œThe Heritage Foundation.โ€ Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

โ€œOver the past several months, Heritageโ€™s executive branch relations staff reviewed the 334 policy recommendations and met with senior administration officials in the several agencies. Heritage analysts briefed administration officials on the recommendations, provided additional insight and information, and advocated for reform,โ€ the Foundation notes.75โ€œTrump Administration Embraces Heritage Foundation Policy Recommendations,โ€ The Heritage Foundation, January 23, 2018. Archived February 5, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/B92aO

โ€œExamples of some of the most notable policy recommendations and their adoption or implementation by the Trump administration include:

Leaving the Paris Climate Accord: In August 2017, Trump announced the U.S. was ending its funding and membership in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Repealing Net Neutrality: In December 2017, Trumpโ€™s Federal Communications Commission chairman proposed ending the 2015 network neutrality rules.

Reshaping National Monuments: Heritageโ€™s recommendation to prohibit Land Acquisition (Cap and Reduce the Size of the Federal Estate) was adopted by Trump when he issued two executive orders effectively shrinking the size of national monuments in Utah.

Reinstating the Mexico City Policy: This executive order prevents taxpayer money from funding international groups involved in abortion and ending funding to the United Nations

Population fund. On Jan. 23, 2017, in his first pro-life action, Trump signed an executive order today reinstating the Mexico City Policy.
Increasing Military Spending: Trumpโ€™s budget calls for a $54 billion increase in military spending to improve capacity, capability, and readiness of Americaโ€™s armed forces.

Reforming Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program (TANF): The Trump administration adopted and is in favor of strengthening existing work requirements in order to receive benefits.

Allowing Development of Natural Resources: The Trump administration opened off-shore drilling and on federal lands. Executive Order 13783 directed Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to commence federal land coal leasing activities.

Reforming Government Agencies: Trump tasked each of his Cabinet secretaries to prepare detailed plans on how they propose to reduce the scope and size of their respective departments while streamlining services and ensuring each department runs more efficiently and handles tax dollars appropriately.

Withdrawing from UNESCO: In October 2017, Trump announced he was putting an end to U.S. membership in the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).โ€76โ€œTrump Administration Embraces Heritage Foundation Policy Recommendations,โ€ The Heritage Foundation, January 23, 2018. Archived February 5, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/B92aO

May 8, 2017

Heritage Action for America and The Heritage Foundation, represented Michael Needham and Michael Costigan respectively, were listed on an open letter to President Donald J. Trump urging him โ€œto withdraw fully from the Paris Climate Treaty and to stop all taxpayer funding of UN global warming programs.โ€77โ€œDear Mr. Presidentโ€ (PDF), retrieved from Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

DeSmog reported that the 40 groups represented in the letter, including the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), The Heartland Institute, and the Heritage Foundation, have received a combined total of millions of dollars from the Koch Brothers, ExxonMobil, and other industry groups.78Graham Readfearn. โ€œConservative Groups Pushing Trump To Exit Paris Climate Deal Have Taken Millions From Koch Brothers, Exxon,โ€ DeSmog, May 10, 2017.

Analysis also showed that the groups accepted about $80 million through Donors Capital Fund and Donors Trust, two groups that have been confirmed is a key financial source for key U.S-based climate change denial groups.79Susanne Goldberg. โ€œConservative groups spend up to $1bn a year to fight action on climate change,โ€ The Guardian, December 20, 2013. Archived May 12, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/TB2yy

Apri, 28, 2017

Several news sources reported that Heritage Foundation president Jim DeMint was being forced out as leader of the group due to internal tensions inside the group. His ouster had been described by a โ€œcoupโ€ against him, The New York Times reported.80Jeremy W. Peters and Maggie Haberman. โ€œJim DeMint Is Said to Be Out at Heritage Foundation,โ€ The New York Times, April 28, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/vCkXU

Politico reported that the move was imminent and that additional changes would likely be coming soon, according to a GOP Operative that works with DeMint. There’s massive turmoil over there right now,โ€ the operative said. President Donald Trump had praised DeMint around the time the news broke, mentioning him by name, calling him โ€œamazingโ€ and โ€œa real friend.โ€81Nancy Cook, Eliana Johnson and Kenneth P. Vogel. โ€œDeMint to be ousted from Heritage Foundation,โ€ Politico, April 28, 2017. Archived May 2, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/c319y 82John Wagner. โ€œTrump praises Jim DeMint, who soon might be ousted from Heritage Foundation job,โ€ The Washington Post, April 28, 2017. Archived May 2, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/DETY6

February 22 – 25, 2017

The Heritage Foundation was a Presenting Sponsor of the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), among a range of other conservative and pro-industry groups.83โ€œCPAC 2017 Sponsors,โ€ cpac.conservative.org. Archived March 6, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/SKFRU

Heritage reported that they had nine speakers who addressed CPAC over three days including Rob Bluey, Lindsey Burke, Mike Gonzalez, Bruce Klingner, Ana Quintana, Bryan Riley, Grant Strobl, and Bridget Wagner. Jim DeMint, president of Heritage, also spoke at the event.84โ€œHeritage Has Strong Presence at CPAC 2017,โ€ The Heritage Foundation, February 22, 2017. Archived March 9, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/krXa4

January 12, 2017

Michael Needham of Heritage Action for America, an affiliate of the Heritage Foundation, was a signatory to a January 12, 2017 official letter of support (PDF) for Scott Pruitt, in which numerous groups, including The Heartland InstituteAmerican Energy Alliance (AEA), and others, declared that the Senate should โ€œswiftly approve his nominationโ€ for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Other signatories of the letter included:85โ€œDear Senators,โ€ (PDF)Competitive Enterprise Institute, January 12, 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

December 8, 2016

The Heritage Foundation is a co-sponsor of the Texas Public Policy Foundation‘s โ€œAt the Crossroads III: Energy and Climate Policy Summit.โ€ The event, describing itself as โ€œthe premier energy-and-climate policy event in America,โ€ has historically attracted a range of prominent climate change deniers. The event description invites attendees to โ€œJoin national policymakers, leading energy experts, and the fieldโ€™s most innovative minds to explore whatโ€™s next in energy policy, whatโ€™s coming in climate science, and how you may affect both.โ€ Note the full video is now listed as “private” on YouTube.86โ€œAt the Crossroads III: Energy and Climate Policy Summit,โ€ The Heritage Foundation. Archived November 24, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/KTgct

The agenda listed the following speakers:

  • Brooke Rollins, President, Texas Public Policy Foundation
  • Becky Norton Dunlop, Ronald Reagan Distinguished Fellow, The Heritage Foundation
  • The Honorable Mike Lee (R-UT), Member, Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources, and Chairman, Subcommittee on Water & Power
  • The Honorable Lamar Smith (R-TX), Chairman, House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
  • The Honorable Pete Olson (R-TX), Chairman, Subcommittee on Energy & Power, House Committee on Energy & Commerce
  • The Honorable Gary Palmer (R-TX), Member, House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
  • Michael Needham, Chief Executive Officer, Heritage Action for America โ€“ Moderator
  • The Honorable James Inhofe (R-OK), Chairman, Senate Environment & Public Works Committee
  • The Honorable Kathleen Hartnett White, Director, Armstrong Center for Energy & the Environment, TPPF
  • Stephen Moore, Distinguished Visiting Fellow, The Heritage Foundation
  • Bud Brigham, Chairman, Brigham Resources, and Founder, Anthem Ventures โ€“ Moderator
  • David W. Kreutzer, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow, Center for Data Analysis, The Heritage Foundation
  • Patrick J. Michaels, Director, Center for the Study of Science, Cato Institute
  • Mark P. Mills, Chief Executive Officer, Digital Power Group; Senior Fellow, The Manhattan Institute; and Faculty Fellow, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University
  • Horace Cooper, Adjunct Fellow, National Center for Public Policy Research โ€“ Moderator
  • Patrick Forkin, Vice President Strategy & Global Energy Analytics, Peabody Energy
  • Allen Gilmer, President, Texas Independent Petroleum Producers Association
  • Karen Harbert, President, Institute for 21st Century Energy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Invited)
  • Nick Loris, The Herbert and Joyce Morgan Fellow, The Heritage Foundation โ€“ Moderator
  • Dr. Richard Lindzen, Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meteorology, MIT
  • Dr. Willie Soon, Astrophysicist and Independent Scientist
  • Andrew M. Grossman, Co-Founder, Free Speech in Science Project โ€“ Moderator
  • Dr. William Happer, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Princeton University
  • Dr. Craig Idso, Chairman, Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change
  • Dr. Roy Spencer, Principal Research Scientist, University of Alabama in Huntsville

Doug Domenech, director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s โ€œFueling Freedomโ€ project, wrote about the proceedings at The HillDomenech outlined the common climate change denial message shared among the speakers: โ€œ Is climate change real? Yes, it has happened in the past and will happen in the future.  Is man making an impact on the climate? Perhaps but in very small ways. But the overarching consensus remains the climate change we are experiencing is by no means catastrophic.โ€87Doug Domenech. โ€œClimate change: Speaking truth to power,โ€ The Hill, December 13, 2016. Archived December 21, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/zAEH5

Many of the speakers at the event have close ties to Donald Trump and his transition team. Becky Norton Dunlop, Ronald Reagan Distinguished Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, was deputy to the senior adviser on President-Elect Donald Trump’s transition team for policy and personnel.88Raoul Wootliff. โ€œBacking far-right Swede, Trump proxy shuns top Israeli official,โ€ The Times of Israel, December 21, 2016. Archived December 22, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/yfI8b

Brooke Rollins, President and CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, is on Trump’s economic advisory council. Two other members of Trump’s โ€œeconomic advisory team,โ€ are Kathleen Hartnett-White and Stephen Moore. Hartnett-White was also in the running for a top EPA position.89Patrick Svitek. โ€œAs Trump Struggles, Texas Republicans Stand by Him,โ€ The Texas Tribune, August 19, 2016. Archived December 22, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Q24ZJ

Climate change denier James Inhofe was said to be joining Trump’s National Security Advisory Council. Other connections include David Kreutzer, who is on Trump’s โ€œlanding teamโ€ and Allen Gilmer, CEO at Drilling Info, Inc., who donated $2,700 to Donald John Trump, Sr. on September 28, 2016 according to disclosures.90(Press Release). โ€œTRUMP CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCES NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISORY COUNCIL,โ€ DonaldJTrump.com, October 7, 2016. Archived December 22, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/55x1q 91โ€œAllen Gilmer,โ€ Relationship Science. Archived December 22, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/2EPUZ

During his presentation, Richard Lindzen said โ€œthe only meaningful question would be whether we are seeing anything sufficiently unusual to warrant concern and the answer to this is unambiguously no.โ€92Doug Domenech. โ€œClimate change: Speaking truth to power,โ€ The Hill, December 13, 2016. Archived December 21, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/zAEH5

Corbin Robertson of Quintana Resources said, โ€œI’m gonna start out with a confession, I’m guilty. I’m guilty of providing goods and services and clean affordable energy to the world’s growing population and now the environmentalists and the media want to convict me for my services to humanity.โ€93Doug Domenech. โ€œClimate change: Speaking truth to power,โ€ The Hill, December 13, 2016. Archived December 21, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/zAEH5

July 12, 2016

The Heritage Foundation, represented by Bridgett Wagner, was among 22 groups represented in a โ€œCoalitionโ€ open letter pushing back against what the Heartland Institute describes as an โ€œaffront to free speech.โ€ The groups are responding to the recent Web of Denial Resolution brought up in the Senate, calling out fossil fuel industry-funded groups denying climate change.94Jim Lakely. โ€œ#WebOfDenial Push by Senate Dems Exposes Their Hatred of Free Speech,โ€ Somewhat Reasonable, July 12, 2016. Archived July 14, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/eFCkh

According to the Climate Investigations Center, all but one of the open letter’s signatory organizations have taken money (totalling at least $92 million since 1997) from the โ€œclimate denial webโ€ including Koch Brothers’ various foundations, ExxonMobil, and two โ€œDark Moneyโ€ organizations, Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund.95Cindy Baxter. โ€œFront Groups Attacking #WebofDenial Senate Action Took Over $92M in Dark, Dirty Money,โ€ DeSmog, July 14, 2016. Originally posted at Climate Investigations Center.

Championed by Senators Whitehouse, Markey, Schatz, Boxer, Merkley, Warren, Sanders, and Franken, the resolution condemns what they are calling the #WebOfDenial โ€” โ€œinterconnected groups โ€“ funded by the Koch brothers, major fossil fuel companies like ExxonMobil and Peabody Coal, identity-scrubbing groups like Donors Trust and Donors Capital, and their allies โ€“ developed and executed a massive campaign to deceive the public about climate change to halt climate action and protect their bottom lines.โ€96Brendan Demelle. โ€œSenators Launch Resolution, Speech Blitz Calling Out #WebOfDenial Blocking Climate Action,โ€ DeSmog, July 11, 2016.

The open letter addresses the senators, calling them โ€œtyrantsโ€:

โ€œWe hear you. Your threat is clear: There is a heavy and inconvenient cost to disagreeing with you. Calls for debate will be met with political retribution. Thatโ€™s called tyranny. And, we reject it.97โ€Coalition Letter to Senate Web of Denial Resolution (PDF). Retrieved from the Heartland Institute. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The full list of signatories and their respective organizations is as follows:

June 24, 2016

Writing in the Heritage Foundation’s The Daily Signal, Heritage policy analyst Katie Tubb describes the striking down of Wyoming’s Bureau of Land Managementโ€™s hydraulic fracking rule as a โ€œwin for good environmental policy.โ€98Katie Tubb. โ€œCourt Says BLM Canโ€™t โ€˜Bootstrapโ€™ Itself to Regulating Fracking,โ€ The Daily Signal, June 24, 2016. Archived June 24, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/cUjTx

The regulatory rule would have set federal water, chemical disclosure, and construction requirements for fracking operations on federal and Indian lands.99Katie Tubb. โ€œCourt Says BLM Canโ€™t โ€˜Bootstrapโ€™ Itself to Regulating Fracking,โ€ The Daily Signal, June 24, 2016. Archived June 24, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/cUjTx

June 23, 2016

Ted Bromund, senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, describes Britain’s exit from the european union (โ€œBrexitโ€) as โ€œa victory for all Britons who voted.โ€100Ted Bromund. โ€œFor Britain, June 23 Is Independence Day,โ€ The Daily Signal, June 24, 2016. Archived June 24, 2016.  Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/2aYIf

โ€œIt is a triumph for the simple idea that Britain should be governed by the British people. And it is a tremendous, crushing rebuke for the European Union, and its desire to override the sovereignty of the nations of Europe,โ€ Bromund writes in The Daily Signal.101Ted Bromund. โ€œFor Britain, June 23 Is Independence Day,โ€ The Daily Signal, June 24, 2016. Archived June 24, 2016.  Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/2aYIf

June 2016

The Heritage Foundation was listed among organizations named in a Massachusetts subpoena looking for communications between ExxonMobil and organizations denying climate change, reports The Washington Times.102Valerie Richardson. โ€œExxon fights Mass. AGโ€™s โ€˜politicalโ€™ probe into climate change dissent,โ€ The Washington Times, June 15, 2016. Archived June 24, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/FYZix

Epstein’s response, writes The Washington Times, was โ€œBuzz off, fascist. [โ€ฆ] Only he didnโ€™t say ‘buzz.’โ€ Organizations named in the Massachusetts subpoena included the following:103Valerie Richardson. โ€œExxon fights Mass. AGโ€™s โ€˜politicalโ€™ probe into climate change dissent,โ€ The Washington Times, June 15, 2016. Archived June 24, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/FYZix

This latest inquiry by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is one in a series of investigations into what ExxonMobil knew about climate change and when, started by a coalition of attorneys general in the US.104Ben Jervey. โ€œState Investigations Into What Exxon Knew Double, and Exxon Gets Defensive,โ€ Desmog, April 1, 2016.

April 13, 2016

Three Heritage Foundation researchers, including Nicolas Loris (formerly of the Charles G. Koch Foundation), claim to have modeled the impact of President Obama’s plans to combat climate change based on the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference in Paris and found it to have โ€œessentially zero environmental benefits.โ€105โ€œNicolas Loris,โ€ The Heritage Foundation. Archived April 20, 2016.  Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/lyk3r 106Kevin D. Dayaratna, Nicolas Loris, and David W. Kreutzer. โ€œConsequences of Paris Protocol: Devastating Economic Costs, Essentially Zero Environmental Benefits,โ€ The Heritage Foundation, April 13, 2016. Archived April 20, 2016.  Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/I6lrp

According to the authors, โ€œrestricting energy production to meet targets like those of the Paris agreement will significantly harm the U.S. economy.โ€ They contend that โ€œ Policymakers should therefore make every effort possible to prevent implementation of these harmful environmental regulations.โ€107Kevin D. Dayaratna, Nicolas Loris, and David W. Kreutzer. โ€œConsequences of Paris Protocol: Devastating Economic Costs, Essentially Zero Environmental Benefits,โ€ The Heritage Foundation, April 13, 2016. Archived April 20, 2016.  Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/I6lrp

Shortly after the โ€œbackgrounderโ€ was released, Nicolas Loris published a similarly-themed article in The Heritage Foundation’s The Daily Signal entitled โ€œTop 5 Reasons Congress Should Reject Obama’s Climate Change Treaty.โ€108Nicolas Loris. โ€œTop 5 Reasons Congress Should Reject Obamaโ€™s Climate Change Treaty,โ€ The Daily Signal, April 19, 2016. Archived April 20, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/FYmpk

March 4, 2016

Research fellows Salim Furth and David W. Kreutzer of The Heritage Foundation argue against Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, calling them a โ€œcostly mistake.โ€109โ€œFuel Economy Standards Are a Costly Mistake,โ€ The Heritage Foundation, March 4, 2016. Archived April 20, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/kvF2K

They cite a research article by prominent economist Richard Tol and claim that a 2.5 degree Celsius increase in average world temperature would increase world gross domestic product (GDP) by up to 2.3 percent.110โ€œFuel Economy Standards Are a Costly Mistake,โ€ The Heritage Foundation, March 4, 2016. Archived April 20, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/kvF2K

February 2, 2016

<[>Steven Groves, Bernard and Barbara Lomas Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, testified before the Committee on Science, Space, & Technology  of the United States House of Representatives on why he believes the Paris Climate agreement is โ€œA bad deal for America.โ€ 111Steven Groves. โ€œParis Climate Promise: A Bad Deal for America,โ€ The Heritage Foundation, February 2, 2016. Archived April 20, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/js013

Groves recommends that Congress should โ€œBlock funding for the Paris Agreementโ€ because he contends the agreement is โ€œillegitimate.โ€ His other recommendations include โ€œWithhold funding for the UNFCCCโ€ and to โ€œTake prophylactic legislative measures [โ€ฆ] to ensure that no adaptation funding committed under the Paris Agreement is authorized.โ€112Steven Groves. โ€œParis Climate Promise: A Bad Deal for America,โ€ The Heritage Foundation, February 2, 2016. Archived April 20, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/js013

July 7, 2015

The Heritage Foundation’s Nicolas Loris published a research report titled โ€œThe Many Problems of the EPAโ€™s Clean Power Plan and Climate Regulations: A Primer,โ€ one month prior to President Obama’s and the EPA‘s announcement of the Clean Power Plan.113โ€œThe Many Problems of the EPAโ€™s Clean Power Plan and Climate Regulations: A Primer,โ€ Heritage Foundation, July 7, 2015. Archived April 20, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/VU0D5 114โ€œClean Power Plan,โ€ EPA, August 3, 2015. Archived April 20, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/xklfq

In the report’s abstract, Loris writes the โ€œObama Administrationโ€™s proposed climate-change regulations will exact a high price on Americans and have a negligible impactโ€”if anyโ€”on global temperatures.โ€115โ€œThe Many Problems of the EPAโ€™s Clean Power Plan and Climate Regulations: A Primer,โ€ Heritage Foundation, July 7, 2015. Archived April 20, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/VU0D5

Loris continues, stating that โ€œHigher energy bills for families, individuals, and businesses will destroy jobs and strain economic growthโ€”and it will all be for naught.โ€116โ€œThe Many Problems of the EPAโ€™s Clean Power Plan and Climate Regulations: A Primer,โ€ Heritage Foundation, July 7, 2015. Archived April 20, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/VU0D5

July 7โ€“9, 2015

The Heritage Foundation was a co-sponsor of The Heartland Institute’s Tenth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC10) in Washington, DC.117โ€œSponsors,โ€ ICCC10. Archived July 15, 2015. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Uyj2K

July 7-9, 2014

The Heritage Foundation is listed as an official Co-sponsor of the Heartland Institute‘s Ninth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC9).118โ€œICCC9 CoSponsors,โ€ Heartland Institute. Archived September 23, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/8JFQL 119โ€œReturn of Climate Denial-a-Palooza: Heartland Institute Hitches Anti-Science Wagon to Vegas FreedomFest,โ€ DeSmog, July 7, 2014.

August 28, 2012

The Heritage Foundation’s Nicolas Loris published a research report titled โ€œHydraulic Fracturing: Critical for Energy Production, Jobs, and Economic Growth.โ€120โ€œHydraulic Fracturing: Critical for Energy Production, Jobs, and Economic Growth,โ€ Heritage Foundation, August 28, 2012. Archived September 23, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/J80r6

Within the report, Loris states that much of the โ€œpublic concernโ€ over hydraulic fracturing โ€œhas been over the possibility of contaminated drinking water, the chemicals used in fracking, the potential to create earthquakes, and wastewater management.โ€121โ€œHydraulic Fracturing: Critical for Energy Production, Jobs, and Economic Growth,โ€ Heritage Foundation, August 28, 2012. Archived September 23, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/J80r6

Loris then lists what he refers to as the โ€œfour most prevalent mythsโ€ about hydraulic fracturing:

โ€œMyth #1: Hydraulic fracturing threatens underground water sources and has led to the contamination of drinking water.

Myth #2: The chemicals used in the fracking process are foreign chemicals that industry hides from the public.

Myth #3: Wastewater from hydraulic fracturing is dangerous and unregulated.

Myth #4: Fracking causes earthquakes.โ€122โ€œHydraulic Fracturing: Critical for Energy Production, Jobs, and Economic Growth,โ€ Heritage Foundation, August 28, 2012. Archived September 23, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/J80r6

May 21โ€“23, 2012

The Heritage Foundation is listed as an official Co-sponsor of the Heartland Institute‘s Seventh International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC7).123โ€œCosponsors,โ€ 7th International Conference on Climate Change. Archived May 10, 2012. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/VAY3r 124โ€œSeventh International Conference on Climate Change: Sponsored by the Heartland Instituteโ€ (PDF), the Heartland Institute. Archived August 15, 2015. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

November 16, 2011

The Heritage Foundation’s Nicolas Loris, who was formerly an associate at the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, published a report in the Heritage Foundation’s โ€œEnergy and Environmentโ€ section of its website titled, โ€œNew EPA Inspector General Report: One More Reason to Reject Climate-Change Regulation.โ€125โ€œNew EPA Inspector General Report: One More Reason to Reject Climate-Change Regulation,โ€ The Heritage Foundation, November 16, 2011. Archived September 22, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/WXFEM

Loris writes that โ€œCongress should vote to prevent the EPA from regulating greenhouse-gas emissions, and foster a transparent debate about the EPAโ€™s endangerment finding and climate change generally.โ€ Citing Richard Lindzen as a โ€œrespected climatologist,โ€ Loris continues by stating โ€œthere has been plenty of dissent among the scientific community on the causes and magnitude of climate change.โ€126โ€œNew EPA Inspector General Report: One More Reason to Reject Climate-Change Regulation,โ€ The Heritage Foundation, November 16, 2011. Archived September 22, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/WXFEM

June 30โ€“July 1, 2011

The Heritage Foundation was a sponsor of The Heartland Institute’s Sixth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC6) in Washington, DC.127Sixth International Conference on Climate Change Conference Program (PDF), the Heartland Institute. Archived July 25, 2015. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

DeSmog concluded that 17 of the 43 sponsors of the Heartland Institute’s Sixth International Conference on Climate Change, including the Heartland Institute itself, had collectively received over $46 million from either Scaife Foundations, Koch Foundations, or ExxonMobil.

October 1, 2010

The Heritage Foundation claimed that the Royal Society had โ€œsignificantly softened its position on global warming,โ€ but Greenpeace’s Polluterwatch reports that this was a misrepresentation of the Royal Society’s actual position.128โ€œU.S. Could Learn from U.K.โ€™s Global Warming Reversal,โ€ The Daily Signal, September 30, 2010. Archived April 20, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/LbFsN 129Connor Gibson. โ€œHeritage Foundation Cuts and Pastes to Upend Scientific Report,โ€ Polluterwatch, October 19, 2010. Archived April 20, 2016.  Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/canXc

Heritage selectively edited the report in a way that manufactured doubt about man-made climate change by editing out 10 pages and 48 paragraphs of text that had provided context in the report.130Dan Lashof. โ€œHeritage Gate,โ€ Switchboard, October 1, 2010. Archived April 17, 2012. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/zpFgO

The Royal Society’s view that man-made climate change is a problem is evidenced in the report summary: โ€œ[This report] shows that there is strong evidence that over the last half century, the earth’s warming has been caused largely by human activity.โ€131โ€œRoyal Society launches new short guide to the science of climate change,โ€ The Royal Society, September 30, 2010. Archived April 20, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Z5EGR

Nicolas Loris, the author of Heritage’s controversial post, is a former associate of the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation.132โ€œNicolas Loris,โ€ The Heritage Foundation. Archived April 20, 2016.  Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/lyk3r

May 16โ€“18, 2010

The Heritage Foundation was a sponsor of The Heartland Institute’s Fourth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC4) in Chicago, IL.133โ€œ4th International Conference on Climate Change: Sponsored by the Heartland Instituteโ€ (Conference Program – PDF), The Heartland Institute, May, 2010. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

DeSmog found that ExxonMobil, Koch Foundations, and Scaife Family Foundations had contributed a combined total of over $40 million to co-sponsors of The Heartland Institute’s ICCC4.134Brendan DeMelle. โ€œDenial-a-palooza Round 4: ‘International Conference on Climate Change’ Groups Funded by Exxon, Koch Industries,โ€ DeSmog, May 13, 2010.

June 2, 2009

The Heritage Foundation was a sponsor of The Heartland Institute’s Third International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC3) in Washington, DC.135โ€œCo-Sponsors,โ€ Third International Conference on Climate Change. Archived July 14, 2010. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/7M3LQ

May 4, 2009

Heritage held a panel titled โ€œBusting the Myth of Green Jobs" that aimed to โ€œexplore the lessons of Spain, and examine some of the fundamental flaws in the green jobs-as-an-economic-salve line of argument.โ€136โ€œBusting the Myth of Green Jobs,โ€ The Heritage Foundation, May 4, 2009. Archived April 20, 2016.  Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Y2ZGa

Media Matters found that the entire Heritage panel had received money from ExxonMobil.137โ€œHeritage Foundation Green Jobs Panel – Bought and Paid For By ExxonMobil,โ€ politicalcorrection.org, May 4, 2009. Archived April 20, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/oGj5w

The Heritage Foundation’s senior policy analyst Ben Lieberman joined Robert Murphy, an economist at the Institute for Energy Research (IER), on a panel to discuss the study on renewable energy sources (PDF) done by economist Gabriel Calzada that suggested green jobs were harmful to the economy.138โ€œStudy of the effects on employment of public aid to renewable energy sources (PDF), Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, March, 2009. PDF archived at DeSmog.

Calzada’s study has been debunked on numerous occasions.139Pete Altman. โ€œImported Lies: Debunking the Spanish Green Jobs Smear,โ€ NRDC, April 16, 2009. Archived April 19, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/2tHMB

March 8โ€“10, 2009

The Heritage Foundation was a sponsor of The Heartland Institute’s Second International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC2) in New York.140โ€œCo-Sponsors,โ€ The 2009 International Conference on Climate Change. Archived April 28, 2011. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/8pEf7

DeSmog researched the funding behind Heartland’s Second International Conference on Climate Change and found that sponsor organizations had received over $47 million in funding from energy companies and conservative foundations.141โ€œHeartland Institute’s 2009 Climate Conference in New York: funding history of the sponsors,โ€ DeSmog.

November 5, 2008

In a โ€œWebMemoโ€ published on by the Heritage Foundation, Dr. Donald Kreutzer claimed that policy initiatives to advance green investment hurt economic growth and employment.142Robert Pollin. โ€œGreen Investments and Jobs: A Response to the Heritage Foundation,โ€ Center for American Progress, November 7, 2008. Archived February 9, 2009. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/g8zG2

Kreutzer claimed to have found three studies that had made false claims that green investment can promote job creation. Robert Pollin, the co-author of one of the studies (โ€œGreen Recoveryโ€) responded here. See a PDF version of his response here.143Robert Pollin. โ€œGreen Investments and Jobs: A Response to the Heritage Foundation,โ€ Center for American Progress, November 7, 2008. Archived February 9, 2009. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/g8zG2

1990s

The Heritage Foundation reportedly encouraged conservatives to work together to โ€œStrangle the environmental movementโ€ as โ€œIt’s the greatest single threat to the American economy.โ€144Andrew Rowell. Green Backlash: Global Subversion of the Environmental Movement. Page 52. Routledge; 1 edition (Sep 24 1996)

This originally presented in a blueprint for policy in the 1990s and published in its journal โ€œPolicy Review.โ€145Andrew Rowell. Green Backlash: Global Subversion of the Environmental Movement. Page 52. Routledge; 1 edition (Sep 24 1996)

Heritage Foundation Contact & Location

The Heritage Foundation lists the following contact information on their website:146โ€œContact Us,โ€ The Heritage Foundation. Archived May 28, 2016.  Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/dWYUe

The Heritage Foundation
214 Massachusetts Ave NE
Washington DC 20002-4999

Phone: 202.546.4400
Email: [email protected]

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