They started in February by writing articles of incorporation, picking five board members and creating their own nonprofit. Joe’s mom agreed to let him use the Gruber family mailing address — but only if Joe cleaned his room first, and then kept it clean.

The friends registered the nonprofit with the State of Nebraska. They actually “raised” the $40 required for this by pooling gas money their parents had given them and then delivering it in person at the State Capitol.

After the state approved the nonprofit, becoming a super PAC was a cinch, Joe says. He filled out a form from the Federal Election Commission. He attached a form saying Extempers for Prosperity wanted to be a super PAC, meaning it can raise unlimited amounts of money. He signed the cover letter and mailed it in after a shift at Hy-Vee.

“I did almost all the work from my bedroom on the Internet,” Joe says. “That’s how grass-roots we are.”

If you look up Extempers for Prosperity, you can find it listed on the FEC’s website, as well as the watchdog website Opensecrets.org.

“That’s how easy it is,” Joe says. “If you want to be a super PAC, you just tell the FEC that you are a super PAC, and it’s a done deal.”