Americans for Prosperity, the political nonprofit formed with the backing of conservative billionaires David and Charles Koch, gave a $100,000 grant to another dark money group linked to the Kochs in 2012, according to tax forms filed Friday with the IRS.

The group overall spent $122 million in 2012, more than it had spent in its previous eight years of existence combined, as the Center for Public Integrity reported Thursday.

But AFP’s full IRS filing shows that, besides spending heavily in the presidential election, AFP gave $100,000 to the Center to Protect Patient Rights, an Arizona-based 501(c)(4) group with no activities of its own. In past years CPPR has served as a bank of sorts for other conservative groups on the political frontlines — and has given millions to AFP.

In the 2012 cycle, AFP — also a 501(c)(4) social welfare group that can be involved in politics but doesn’t have to disclose its donors — reported laying out nearly $36.4 million for federal political activity. The vast majority was used for TV ads attacking President Obama as he bid for re-election, filings with the Federal Election Commission indicate.

On its IRS form, AFP said it spent just $33.5 million on politics. But it also said that it paid $60 million to two contractors for advertising and media, Mentzer Media and Target Enterprises. And it paid another $7.3 million to Direct Response LLC for “printing/distribution/phones.” At least some of the payments to AFP’s contractors were likely made to produce “issue ads” — which don’t have to be reported to the FEC unless they run in the weeks just prior to an election.

Help us keep government accountable by making a donation today.

The group reported giving about $486,000 in grants, of which the gift to CPPR was the largest. Other recipients included the Hampton Roads Tea Party ($7,700), the American Energy Alliance ($15,000), Tax Fairness for All Wichitans ($43,000) and the New Hampshire Advantage Coalition ($20,000). The last group is also linked to the Kochs and was active in state Republican primaries last year.

In previous years, AFP has been the beneficiary of grants from CPPR, to the tune of $4.2 million, and it has received $1.4 million from TC4 Trust, another 501(c)(4) group with ties to the Kochs. Tax forms for CPPR were due to be filed Friday but had not been received at the time of posting. TC4 ceased operating in mid-2012, but over the course of its existence it provided large grants to CPPR. CPPR was recently fined $500,000 by the California Fair Political Practices Commission in connection with a scheme that funneled millions of dollars through several dark money groups to help defeat a proposed tax increase in the state and to promote a second ballot initiative to curtail the political effectiveness of labor unions. The conservative groups lost on both counts.

But the biggest known slug of income by far for AFP in 2012 came from another group connected to the Kochs, Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce: It gave AFP $32.4 million last year.



For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center: Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the Center for Responsive Politics.For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center: [email protected]



