Political Fundraising and Christian Activism
Political Fundraising and Christian Activism
Political fundraising has become an important component of modern Christian political activism, particularly within the American Christian right. The sources collected here document a broad ecosystem that includes wealthy individual donors, charitable foundations, donor-advised funds, churches, nonprofit organizations, political action committees, super PACs, legal advocacy groups, voter-mobilization organizations, and networks connecting donors with political leaders and activists.
The material shows that Christian political fundraising does not operate through a single organizational model. Some groups function as tax-exempt charities engaged primarily in education, litigation, research, or religious activity. Others maintain affiliated 501(c)(4) advocacy organizations, political action committees, or independent-expenditure entities that are permitted to participate more extensively in lobbying and electoral politics. Still other networks rely on private donors, foundations, or donor-advised funds to support long-term ideological, legal, and organizational campaigns.
Wealthy Donors and Political Networks
A recurring theme in the source material is the role of wealthy individuals and donor networks in financing Christian-oriented political activism.
One prominent example is Ziklag, an invitation-only organization of wealthy Christian donors. Reporting based on internal documents described multimillion-dollar programs focused on voter mobilization, election administration, cultural issues, and conservative organizing in politically competitive states. The organization illustrates how private donor networks can coordinate financial resources with broader political strategies.
Texas provides another major example. Oil billionaires Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks have contributed substantial sums to candidates, political committees, advocacy organizations, and religiously oriented political movements. Their financial activity has been connected with campaigns involving Republican primaries, school vouchers, public education, socially conservative legislation, and Christian nationalist activism.
The material also examines the political network associated with conservative Catholic activist Leonard Leo. A major development was businessman Barre Seid's transfer of approximately $1.6 billion to a nonprofit controlled by Leo, creating a large financial resource for conservative legal and political advocacy. Related organizations have financed litigation, judicial advocacy, election-law activity, and other long-term policy projects.
Other major conservative donors appearing in the sources include Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, whose political giving has supported candidates and organizations associated with election activism and conservative social causes.
Donor-Advised Funds and Charitable Giving
Donor-advised funds are another important part of the financial infrastructure described in the material. These accounts allow donors to place assets into charitable funds and subsequently recommend grants to qualifying nonprofit organizations.
The National Christian Foundation is identified as a major Christian donor-advised-fund sponsor. Through such structures, charitable contributions can be distributed to churches, ministries, educational organizations, legal advocacy groups, and other nonprofits.
Grant databases cited in the material show financial support flowing through foundations and donor-advised funds to organizations including Alliance Defending Freedom, First Liberty Institute, Liberty Counsel, Focus on the Family, Concerned Women for America, the Council for National Policy, and the American Principles Project.
These financial relationships illustrate how Christian political activism can be supported indirectly through charitable institutions even when the recipient organization itself is not a political committee.
Christian Political Organizations
Several national organizations combine religious messaging, fundraising, voter education, grassroots organizing, and political advocacy.
The Faith & Freedom Coalition is one of the most prominent examples. The organization reported a large-scale voter-registration and turnout operation during the 2024 election cycle involving church outreach, canvassing, digital communications, voter guides, and other efforts aimed particularly at evangelical and Catholic voters.
Family Research Council combines donor-supported research, media activity, policy advocacy, pastor engagement, and public education. Its affiliated organization, FRC Action, operates under a different tax structure and can engage more extensively in legislative and electoral advocacy.
Family Policy Alliance supports state-level family-policy organizations and connects fundraising with leadership development, legislative advocacy, voter education, and Christian grassroots activism.
Christians Engaged encourages Christians to vote and participate in government and public policy. Its activities have included church outreach, email campaigns, texting, radio communication, civic education, and election-related mobilization.
My Faith Votes similarly uses Christian media, churches, voter-registration tools, and election information to encourage political participation.
Concerned Women for America combines Christian conservative grassroots organizing with legislative advocacy and election-related activity. Its affiliated legislative-action committee illustrates how organizations may separate charitable operations from broader political advocacy.
Christian Legal Advocacy
Legal organizations form another major branch of donor-supported Christian activism.
Alliance Defending Freedom operates through litigation, legal training, public advocacy, and education on issues including religious liberty, abortion, sexuality, and parental rights. Its tax filings and financial reports provide evidence of substantial donor and foundation support.
First Liberty Institute focuses primarily on religious-liberty litigation involving schools, government institutions, workplaces, and public spaces.
Liberty Counsel participates in litigation and advocacy concerning religious liberty and socially conservative causes.
The American Center for Law and Justice combines litigation, media campaigns, petitions, fundraising, and policy advocacy.
These organizations demonstrate how political influence may operate through courts and legal institutions rather than through direct electoral spending alone.
Churches and Electoral Politics
Churches occupy a distinctive position because most operate as tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations. Federal tax law generally prohibits these organizations from directly supporting or opposing candidates for public office.
The source material documents continuing disputes over how these restrictions should apply. Investigations have identified churches that endorsed candidates, distributed election-related materials, made political contributions, or otherwise became involved in campaigns.
One investigation documented churches making financial contributions to a pastor running for the Abilene City Council. Another examined churches openly endorsing political candidates despite federal restrictions.
These cases illustrate the sometimes contested boundary between religious expression, civic participation, voter education, and prohibited partisan intervention.
The Johnson Amendment
Much of the legal debate centers on the Johnson Amendment, the provision of federal tax law restricting electoral intervention by 501(c)(3) organizations.
Supporters of the restriction argue that it helps maintain separation between tax-deductible charitable contributions and partisan campaign spending. Critics argue that the restriction can limit the political speech of religious institutions.
Campaign-finance organizations have warned that weakening or eliminating the restriction could allow churches to become channels for political spending with limited donor disclosure. Because churches have different reporting requirements from many other nonprofit organizations, critics have argued that repeal could facilitate forms of less transparent political financing.
Litigation concerning these issues continued into 2025 and 2026, including disputes over whether religious organizations should receive broader freedom to engage in partisan electoral speech.
PACs, Super PACs, and Political Committees
Christian political activists may also participate through conventional campaign-finance structures.
Federal Election Commission records identify political committees with explicitly Christian, Catholic, religious-liberty, or socially conservative identities. These include traditional PACs, independent-expenditure-only committees, hybrid PACs, and joint fundraising committees.
Super PACs may accept unlimited contributions for independent expenditures, while traditional PAC contributions to candidates remain subject to federal limits. Hybrid PACs may maintain separate accounts for contributions and independent expenditures.
The Federal Election Commission provides public records that allow researchers to examine contributions, expenditures, donors, independent expenditures, and organizational filings for these committees.
School Boards and Local Politics
The collection shows that substantial political fundraising increasingly extends into local elections.
Texas school-board races provide a prominent example. Patriot Mobile Action and allied conservative organizations spent significant sums supporting school-board candidates campaigning on issues involving race, sexuality, curriculum, parental rights, and education policy.
Donor-supported activism surrounding school boards has also intersected with campaigns concerning school chaplains, social-studies standards, private-school vouchers, and broader debates about public education.
These developments demonstrate how national donor networks and ideological organizations can direct resources toward local political institutions that historically attracted relatively limited campaign spending.
Voter Mobilization and Grassroots Activism
Fundraising frequently supports voter-registration drives, canvassing, texting, direct mail, digital advertising, voter guides, church outreach, leadership training, and volunteer recruitment.
Organizations such as Faith & Freedom Coalition, Christians Engaged, My Faith Votes, Family Policy Alliance, and Concerned Women for America use various combinations of these methods.
Religious organizations can therefore influence politics not only through campaign donations but also by developing networks of politically active citizens, pastors, volunteers, activists, candidates, and community leaders.
Historical Development
Modern Christian political fundraising developed from earlier religious-right organizations and movements.
The Moral Majority, founded by Jerry Falwell, helped organize evangelical Christians as a political constituency during the late twentieth century. The Christian Coalition later expanded voter guides, grassroots organizing, church-based political engagement, and campaign-related activism.
These organizations helped establish methods that remain visible in contemporary Christian political movements: mass mailing, church networks, voter education, direct-response fundraising, grassroots mobilization, candidate outreach, and donor cultivation.
Modern organizations have supplemented these older techniques with digital advertising, social media, donor databases, text messaging, online petitions, data analysis, and sophisticated campaign-finance structures.
International Examples
Although most of the material focuses on the United States, the relationship between religion, fundraising, and politics is not uniquely American.
Sources concerning Kenya describe controversy over politicians appearing in churches, contributing money to religious institutions, and participating in church fundraising events. Several Kenyan denominations have restricted political appearances in churches because of concerns that religious platforms and financial donations can be used to build political influence.
Debates following Kenya's elections and the 2024 protests also demonstrated disagreements among Christian leaders about the appropriate relationship between churches, politicians, public policy, and political fundraising.
Transparency and Accountability
Transparency is a recurring issue throughout the material.
Traditional political committees are generally subject to campaign-finance reporting requirements. Charitable organizations, social-welfare organizations, churches, foundations, donor-advised funds, and other nonprofit entities operate under different disclosure rules.
As a result, researchers may be able to identify some financial relationships through Federal Election Commission reports, Internal Revenue Service filings, nonprofit Form 990 records, foundation grants, and investigative journalism, while other donor relationships remain difficult to trace.
This difference between regulated campaign contributions and nonprofit advocacy funding is central to understanding modern political fundraising.
Conclusion
Political fundraising and Christian activism encompass a complex network of religious organizations, wealthy donors, foundations, donor-advised funds, advocacy groups, churches, political committees, legal organizations, and grassroots movements.
The collected material shows that political influence can take many forms: direct campaign contributions, independent expenditures, litigation, lobbying, charitable grants, church outreach, voter mobilization, candidate training, public education, media campaigns, and local political organizing.
The legal structure surrounding these activities is equally complex. Different rules apply to churches, charitable organizations, 501(c)(4) advocacy organizations, PACs, super PACs, foundations, and individual donors. Debates over the Johnson Amendment, donor disclosure, nonprofit political activity, and campaign-finance transparency therefore remain central to discussions about the relationship between Christianity, fundraising, and American political life.
Taken together, the sources portray Christian political fundraising not as a single centralized system, but as an interconnected ecosystem in which religious belief, philanthropy, nonprofit organization, electoral politics, litigation, and grassroots activism frequently overlap.
PACs, Political Committees, and Election Spending
COAL Faith Freedom Coalition — Federal Committee Overview | Federal Election Commission | FEC | 2026
Official federal campaign-finance records for the joint fundraising committee associated with Faith & Freedom Coalition political activity.
American Principles Project PAC — Federal Campaign Finance | Federal Election Commission | FEC | Updated 2026
Official campaign-finance records show how APP's super PAC raises and spends money separately from its nonprofit advocacy operations.
American Principles Project PAC — Campaign Money | Election.org / Federal Election Commission data | Election.org | 2026
Presents federal receipts and spending associated with the socially conservative APP super PAC.
Faith & Freedom Coalition Joint Fundraising Committee — Campaign Money | Election.org / Federal Election Commission data | Election.org | 2026
Provides a simplified presentation of federal fundraising and spending reported by the Faith & Freedom Coalition's joint fundraising committee.
Georgia Faith & Freedom Coalition — Political Payments | Transparency USA | Transparency USA | 2026
State campaign-finance data document payments from Georgia candidates and committees to the state Faith & Freedom organization.
Christian Political Alliance PAC — Committee Overview | Federal Election Commission | FEC | 2026
Official federal filing for the Christian Political Alliance PAC, registered in March 2026 as a hybrid political action committee.
Catholic Engagement PAC — Committee Overview | Federal Election Commission | FEC | 2026
Federal records document fundraising and expenditures by the Catholic Engagement PAC, an independent-expenditure-only committee registered in 2026.
How Fundraisers Convinced Conservatives to Donate $10 Million — Then Kept Almost All of It | Derek Willis and Maggie Severns | ProPublica / Politico | July 26, 2019
Investigates aggressive conservative fundraising operations and so-called scam PACs, showing how appeals to ideological activists can generate millions while relatively little reaches candidates or political programs.
Major Donors, Dark Money, and Funding Networks
National Christian Foundation | National Christian Foundation | NCF | Current
NCF is a major Christian donor-advised-fund sponsor through which donors distribute charitable gifts to churches, ministries and nonprofit advocacy organizations.
Giving Through a Donor-Advised Fund | National Christian Foundation | NCF | Current
Explains the donor-advised-fund mechanism used by Christian philanthropists to make charitable grants while centralizing administration and investment.
Who Funds Alliance Defending Freedom? | 990 Scout | Philanthropy.org | Updated 2026
Uses nonprofit tax filings to map hundreds of foundations and donor-advised funds that have contributed to Alliance Defending Freedom.
First Liberty Institute — Funding Network | 990 Scout | Philanthropy.org | Updated 2026
Tracks foundation and donor-advised-fund grants supporting First Liberty Institute, a prominent conservative religious-liberty litigation organization.
Who Funds Liberty Counsel? | 990 Scout | Philanthropy.org | Updated 2026
Maps foundations and donor-advised funds supporting Liberty Counsel and illustrates how charitable funding networks sustain Christian conservative legal activism.
Council for National Policy — Funding Network | 990 Scout | Philanthropy.org | Updated 2026
Identifies foundations and charitable funds contributing to the Council for National Policy, an influential networking organization connecting conservative donors, activists and political leaders.
Council for National Policy — Form 990 | 990 Scout | Philanthropy.org | Updated 2026
Provides financial records showing grants to the Council for National Policy from Christian charitable funds, conservative foundations and allied organizations.
Who Funds Focus on the Family? | 990 Scout | Philanthropy.org | Updated 2026
Maps charitable grants flowing to Focus on the Family, demonstrating the scale of donor-advised funds and Christian foundations supporting the organization.
Who Funds Concerned Women for America? | 990 Scout | Philanthropy.org | Updated 2026
Identifies foundations and charitable intermediaries that have financed Concerned Women for America's conservative Christian advocacy.
American Principles Project — Funding | 990 Scout | Philanthropy.org | Updated 2026
Tracks grants supporting the socially conservative American Principles Project and illustrates the financial relationship between advocacy nonprofits and conservative donor networks.
American Principles Project Foundation — Funding | 990 Scout | Philanthropy.org | Updated 2026
Documents charitable funding for APP's nonprofit foundation, including grants originating with Christian and donor-advised charitable funds.
Who Funds Alliance Defending Freedom? — Grant Data | 990 Scout | Philanthropy.org | Updated 2026
Shows how grants from Christian charitable foundations, donor-advised funds and conventional philanthropic intermediaries combine to finance ADF.
Who Funds First Liberty Institute? — Grant Data | 990 Scout | Philanthropy.org | Updated 2026
Provides a second data-focused view of funding sources behind one of the country's most important religious-liberty legal organizations.
Who Funds Liberty Counsel? — Grant Data | 990 Scout | Philanthropy.org | Updated 2026
Uses IRS grant records to identify charitable organizations transferring money to Liberty Counsel.
Who Funds Council for National Policy? — Grant Data | 990 Scout | Philanthropy.org | Updated 2026
Details known charitable funders supporting the private conservative networking organization.
Who Funds Focus on the Family? — Grant Data | 990 Scout | Philanthropy.org | Updated 2026
Highlights the importance of donor-advised funds to the financing of one of America's largest evangelical family-policy ministries.
Alliance Defending Freedom — FY2022 Nonprofit Profile | 990 Scout | Philanthropy.org | Updated 2026
Provides program expenses, grants and revenue data useful for examining how donor funding supports religious-liberty litigation and public education.
American Principles Project Foundation — Funding Sources | 990 Scout | Philanthropy.org | Updated 2026
Identifies Christian charitable foundations and donor-advised funds financing the charitable side of the socially conservative APP network.
American Principles Project — Funding Sources | 990 Scout | Philanthropy.org | Updated 2026
Shows the concentration of funding behind APP's advocacy organization and provides a useful example of financial relationships among conservative nonprofits.
“Mama Bears Are Rising Up”: The Rightwing Christian Entrepreneur Aiming for a Takeover of Local US Government | Alice Herman | The Guardian | December 16, 2024
Investigates Jenny Donnelly's Her Voice Movement and its efforts to organize conservative Christian women around elections, school boards and local government. The organization has received backing from Christian donor networks including Ziklag.
Inside Ziklag, the Secret Organization of Wealthy Christians Trying to Sway the Election and Change the Country | Andy Kroll and Nick Surgey | ProPublica / Documented | July 13, 2024
Ziklag is an invitation-only network of wealthy Christian donors seeking to influence American politics and culture. Internal documents obtained by reporters described multimillion-dollar programs focused on voter mobilization, election administration and conservative organizing in battleground states.
A Pair of Billionaire Preachers Built the Most Powerful Political Machine in Texas. That’s Just the Start. | Ava Kofman | ProPublica | March 20, 2024
Examines Texas oil billionaires Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks and the extensive political network their donations helped construct. Their giving illustrates how wealthy Christian activists can influence primaries, legislation, churches and state political institutions.
GOP Donor Group Goes Quiet Amid White Supremacist Scandal | Robert Downen | The Texas Tribune | January 17, 2024
Reviews Defend Texas Liberty's finances after controversy surrounding the organization and describes the millions supplied by Dunn and Wilks to Texas political campaigns and organizations.
Here's the Texans Who Get Money From Defend Texas Liberty PAC | Robert Downen | The Texas Tribune | October 12, 2023
Maps candidates and organizations receiving money from Defend Texas Liberty and details the central role of major donors Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks in financing the PAC.
Conservative Activist Poured Millions Into Groups Seeking to Influence Supreme Court on Elections and Discrimination | Andy Kroll, Andrew Perez and Aditi Ramaswami | ProPublica / The Lever | December 14, 2022
Examines grants connected with Leonard Leo's nonprofit network and organizations involved in Supreme Court cases concerning elections and anti-discrimination laws.
That Cardboard Box in Your Home Is Fueling Election Denial | Justin Elliott, Megan O'Matz and Doris Burke | ProPublica | October 26, 2022
Examines political spending by Uline founders Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, major conservative donors who have financed candidates and advocacy organizations associated with social conservatism and election activism.
How a Secretive Billionaire Handed His Fortune to the Architect of the Right-Wing Takeover of the Courts | Andrew Perez, Andy Kroll and Justin Elliott | ProPublica / The Lever | August 22, 2022
Details Barre Seid's approximately $1.6 billion transfer to a nonprofit controlled by conservative Catholic activist Leonard Leo, creating an enormous pool of resources for conservative political and legal advocacy.
Education, School Boards, and State-Level Christian Activism
Christian Activist David Barton Will Advise Texas State Board of Education During Social Studies Overhaul | Jaden Edison | The Texas Tribune | September 24, 2025
Covers the influence of longtime Christian conservative activist David Barton, whose WallBuilders organization has been supported through private donations while promoting Christian-oriented interpretations of American history.
School Board Races Across Texas Deal Losses for Many Conservatives | The Texas Tribune | May 5, 2025
Reviews later elections involving candidates associated with the conservative school-board movement that Patriot Mobile Action helped finance beginning in 2022.
How At-Large Voting Creates Conservative Majorities on Texas School Boards | Jeremy Schwartz and Dan Keemahill | ProPublica / The Texas Tribune | March 19, 2025
Examines school-board election structures alongside the financial influence of Patriot Mobile Action and other conservative political committees.
Christian Nationalists Open Up on Goals in Texas | Robert Downen | The Texas Tribune | March 17, 2025
Examines organized Christian nationalist legislative activism involving schools, church-state issues and networks cultivated over years of conservative political organizing.
After Decades of Lobbying by Christian Conservative Donors, School Voucher Legislation May Finally Have the Votes | Jeremy Schwartz and Dan Keemahill | The Texas Tribune / ProPublica | June 21, 2024
Traces more than three decades of donor-financed activism behind school vouchers in Texas, including political giving and organizations associated with James Leininger, Tim Dunn and allied conservative networks.
Speakers Condemn Texas Group's Christian Nationalist Event | Robert Downen | The Texas Tribune | June 13, 2024
Examines the True Texas Project and its position within a political network supported by wealthy Texas conservative donors including Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks.
Former Far-Right Hard-Liner Says Pro-Voucher Billionaires Are Using School Board Races to Sow Distrust in Public Education | Jeremy Schwartz and Dan Keemahill | The Texas Tribune / ProPublica | May 15, 2024
Investigates claims that wealthy conservative Christian donors have used local school-board activism as part of a wider effort to reshape public education and build support for private-school vouchers.
Texas' Debate Over School Chaplains Escalates School Board Culture Wars | Brian Lopez | The Texas Tribune | December 15, 2023
Describes how PAC-financed school-board activism intersected with campaigns over chaplains, LGBTQ policies and the growing political role of religious conservatives in public education.
Texas Rep. Tony Tinderholt Hires Christian Nationalist Jake Neidert | Robert Downen | The Texas Tribune | December 16, 2022
Uses campaign-finance records to document payments and political connections involving Defend Texas Liberty and activists associated with socially conservative campaigns.
Conservative PAC-Backed Candidates Sweep Tarrant School Board Elections | Texas Tribune staff | The Texas Tribune | May 8, 2022
Reports the electoral results of school-board candidates supported by Patriot Mobile Action and allied conservative PACs after substantial spending on advertising, canvassing and political consultants.
With Piles of Campaign Cash, Christian Activists Make North Texas School Board Races a State Battleground | Jason Beeferman and Brian Lopez | The Texas Tribune | May 5, 2022
Examines how Patriot Mobile Action, financed by a self-described Christian cellphone company, put hundreds of thousands of dollars into normally low-budget Texas school-board contests and backed candidates emphasizing conservative positions on race, sexuality and education.
Christian Advocacy Organizations and Fundraising Infrastructure
Faith & Freedom Coalition | Faith & Freedom Coalition | Faith & Freedom Coalition | 2024–2026
The organization reports spending $60 million on its 2024 voter-registration, education and turnout operation and describes tens of millions of voter contacts targeting evangelical and Catholic voters.
Faith & Freedom Coalition Leadership | Faith & Freedom Coalition | Faith & Freedom Coalition | 2026
Provides insight into the professional fundraising infrastructure supporting Christian conservative political mobilization, including senior officials with extensive experience cultivating large donor networks.
Family Research Council — Financial and Giving Information | Family Research Council | Family Research Council | Current
FRC says it is primarily supported through individual contributions and grants. Donations support research, media activity, policy advocacy and training aimed at advancing conservative Christian positions.
FRC Action — Donations and Political Advocacy | FRC Action | FRC Action | 2026
Describes the 501(c)(4) legislative affiliate of Family Research Council. Unlike its charitable counterpart, FRC Action can participate more extensively in elections and public-policy advocacy and does not publicly disclose its contributors.
Alliance Defending Freedom — Financials | Alliance Defending Freedom | ADF | 2026
Provides ADF's Form 990 filings and audited financial statements, documenting the finances behind one of the most influential Christian conservative legal organizations in the United States.
Alliance Defending Freedom — Nonprofit Explorer | ProPublica | Nonprofit Explorer | Updated 2026
Collects IRS filings showing ADF's revenue, contributions, expenses and assets and allows researchers to follow the organization's financial expansion over time.
First Liberty Institute — Support and Financial Accountability | First Liberty Institute | First Liberty Institute | 2026
Shows how First Liberty solicits charitable contributions to finance religious-liberty litigation, public education and related advocacy.
First Liberty Institute — Form 990 and Grant Activity | 990 Scout | Philanthropy.org | Updated 2026
Tax records reveal grants from First Liberty to organizations including Family Policy Alliance Foundation, Council for National Policy and National Association of Christian Lawmakers.
Liberty Counsel — Financial Information | Liberty Counsel | Liberty Counsel | Current
Provides audited financial information for the conservative Christian litigation organization and explains how charitable donations finance its legal and educational programs.
Family Policy Alliance | Family Policy Alliance | Family Policy Alliance | 2026
The organization explicitly connects donations with Christian voter mobilization, leadership training, policy advocacy and engagement with pastors and lawmakers.
Christians Engaged / Christian Family Voice | Christians Engaged / Family Policy Alliance | 2026
Describes a national effort to mobilize Christian voters through church partnerships, educational material, election information and donor-supported outreach.
My Faith Votes — About the Organization | My Faith Votes | My Faith Votes | Current
Describes a nonprofit movement designed to motivate Christians to vote and become active in public life through voter education and religious messaging.
American Center for Law and Justice — Support | American Center for Law and Justice | ACLJ | Current
Illustrates the fundraising model used by a major conservative Christian legal advocacy organization to finance litigation, legislation-related work and public campaigns.
Focus on the Family — About | Focus on the Family | Focus on the Family | Current
Describes the ministry's mission, reach and organizational structure, providing context for understanding how donor-supported Christian media ministries can influence public policy and political culture.
Focus on the Family — Give | Focus on the Family | Focus on the Family | Current
Shows the fundraising infrastructure used to sustain one of the largest evangelical communications and family-policy ministries in the United States.
Concerned Women for America | Concerned Women for America | CWA | Current
CWA combines Christian conservative grassroots activism with policy campaigns concerning abortion, sexuality, education, religious liberty and elections.
Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee | Concerned Women for America | CWA | Current
The legislative-action structure allows broader political advocacy than the organization's charitable operations and illustrates the common nonprofit/advocacy organizational model.
Family Policy Alliance — Take Action | Family Policy Alliance | Family Policy Alliance | Current
Shows how fundraising, policy advocacy, voter education and state-level family-policy councils operate together within a nationwide Christian activist network.
Alliance Defending Freedom — About | Alliance Defending Freedom | ADF | Current
Describes ADF's strategy of litigation, legal training and public advocacy around religious liberty, abortion, sexuality and parental-rights issues.
First Liberty Institute — About | First Liberty Institute | First Liberty Institute | Current
Explains the organization's donor-supported litigation strategy for religious-liberty cases involving government, schools, workplaces and public institutions.
Liberty Counsel | Liberty Counsel | Liberty Counsel | Current
Provides primary-source information on a Christian legal organization using charitable contributions to finance litigation, public education and advocacy.
American Center for Law and Justice | American Center for Law and Justice | ACLJ | Current
Illustrates how litigation, media campaigns, petition drives, religious messaging and fundraising can function together in Christian conservative activism.
Family Research Council | Family Research Council | FRC | Current
FRC combines donor-funded policy research, lobbying-related advocacy, media outreach, pastor engagement and grassroots mobilization around conservative Christian social issues.
FRC Action | FRC Action | FRC Action | Current
Provides an example of a Christian policy organization maintaining a separate 501(c)(4) entity capable of substantially greater direct political activity than its charitable affiliate.
My Faith Votes | My Faith Votes | My Faith Votes | Current
Uses fundraising, Christian media, voter-registration tools and election information to encourage religious conservatives to participate consistently in elections.
National Association of Christian Lawmakers | National Association of Christian Lawmakers | NACL | Current
Connects Christian legislators, activists and supporters around legislation informed by conservative interpretations of biblical principles.
The Family Leader | The Family Leader | The Family Leader | Current
Iowa-based Christian conservative organization combining donor support, pastor outreach, candidate forums, leadership development and grassroots political engagement.
Focus on the Family | Focus on the Family | Focus on the Family | Current
Large evangelical ministry whose privately funded media and advocacy operations have influenced Christian engagement with family policy and politics for decades.
Donor Revives Fraud Claims Against Christian Worship Leader Sean Feucht Over a $250,000 Donation | Associated Press | AP | October 2, 2026
Reports a donor's renewed federal lawsuit concerning a $250,000 contribution solicited for Sean Feucht's Kingdom to the Capitol tour; Feucht denies wrongdoing. The dispute raises questions about transparency in fundraising for politically engaged religious activism.
“No Separation Between Church and State”: Inside a Texas Church’s Training Academy for Christians Running for Office | Marissa Greene and Cecilia Lenzen | Fort Worth Report / ProPublica | November 10, 2025
Reports on a church-affiliated program training conservative Christians to run for political office and participate directly in government.
Christians Engaged — 2024 Year in Review | Christians Engaged | Christians Engaged | 2024
Reports extensive email, text, radio and church-based voter mobilization, providing a detailed example of how nonprofit Christian activism translates donations into electoral participation.
Evangelical Christians Are Fierce Israel Supporters. Now They Are Visiting as War-Time Volunteers | Associated Press | AP | 2024
Examines organized evangelical support for Israel, including fundraising by Christian organizations and the translation of religious commitments into financial and volunteer activism.
Gen Z Evangelicals Vote More Than Millennials or Gen X Did | Christianity Today | Christianity Today | November 2022
Reports research finding substantial levels of voting, community service and fundraising among young evangelicals, providing perspective on how religious identity can translate into civic activism.
Campaign-Finance Law, Church Tax Rules, and Regulatory Framework
FEC — Independent Expenditures | Federal Election Commission | FEC | Current
Searchable federal database allowing researchers to trace independent expenditures by religiously oriented PACs, super PACs and other political committees.
FEC — Political Committee Search | Federal Election Commission | FEC | Current
Searchable primary-source database for locating Christian, Catholic, pro-life and family-policy political committees and their official federal filings.
FEC — Individual Contributions | Federal Election Commission | FEC | Current
Allows researchers to track donations by individuals connected with religious advocacy organizations, ministries, churches and Christian political movements.
FEC — PAC and Party Committee Reports | Federal Election Commission | FEC | Current
Provides filings needed to compare how explicitly religious political committees raise and spend regulated federal campaign money.
FEC — Super PACs | Federal Election Commission | FEC | Current
Explains rules permitting independent-expenditure-only political committees to accept unlimited contributions, an important structure in contemporary ideological fundraising.
FEC — Hybrid PACs | Federal Election Commission | FEC | Current
Explains committees maintaining both contribution accounts and non-contribution accounts, a structure available to Christian and other ideological political organizations.
FEC — Contributions | Federal Election Commission | FEC | Current
Provides legal definitions governing contributions to federal candidates and political committees.
FEC — Contribution Limits | Federal Election Commission | FEC | Current
Lists federal limits that apply when Christian activists, organizations and donors contribute directly to candidates and regulated committees.
IRS — Churches and Religious Organizations | Internal Revenue Service | IRS | Current
Provides the federal framework governing church tax exemption, lobbying, campaign activity and financial reporting.
IRS — Charities, Churches and Educational Organizations: Political Campaign Intervention | Internal Revenue Service | IRS | Current
Central reference explaining restrictions that separate tax-deductible religious giving from direct candidate campaigning.
IRS — Political Campaign Intervention FAQ: Overview | Internal Revenue Service | IRS | Current
Explains why 501(c)(3) charities and churches cannot intervene for or against candidates while retaining their charitable tax status.
IRS — Political Campaign Intervention FAQ: Scope | Internal Revenue Service | IRS | Current
Identifies religious organizations and churches as entities covered by federal restrictions on partisan campaigning.
IRS — Political Campaign Intervention FAQ: Constitutional Considerations | Internal Revenue Service | IRS | Current
Distinguishes personal political speech by religious leaders from political intervention conducted on behalf of tax-exempt organizations.
IRS — Political Campaigns and Charities: Ban on Campaign Intervention | Internal Revenue Service | IRS | Current
Training material explaining permissible and prohibited political activity by charities and religious institutions.
FEC — Understanding Separate Segregated Funds and Connected Organizations | Federal Election Commission | FEC | Current
Explains one mechanism through which organizations can establish PACs while keeping regulated campaign money separate from institutional finances.
FEC — Guides for Candidates, PACs and Political Organizations | Federal Election Commission | FEC | Current
Comprehensive regulatory guidance for political fundraising, expenditures, PAC organization and disclosure.
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission | Federal Election Commission | FEC | Current
The Citizens United decision dramatically changed independent political spending and is essential background for understanding modern nonprofit and super-PAC financing.
SpeechNow.org v. FEC | Federal Election Commission | FEC | Current
The decision helped establish the legal structure for super PACs, which can receive unlimited contributions for independent political expenditures.
Political Campaign and Lobbying Activities | Internal Revenue Service | IRS | Current
Outlines the different rules governing lobbying and electoral intervention by charitable organizations.
Social Welfare Organizations | Internal Revenue Service | IRS | Current
Explains 501(c)(4) organizations, a structure frequently used by advocacy movements because political activity is treated differently from 501(c)(3) charities.
Donor-Advised Funds | Internal Revenue Service | IRS | Current
Provides background on donor-advised charitable funds, which appear repeatedly in the financing of Christian legal, cultural and political advocacy groups.
Political Fundraising, Religious Activism and the Johnson Amendment — Continuing Debate | Campaign Legal Center | Campaign Legal Center | 2025–2026
The continuing legal battle over the Johnson Amendment highlights a fundamental question in Christian political fundraising: where constitutionally protected religious and political advocacy ends and tax-subsidized partisan election activity begins.
Political Activities of Churches | Congressional Research Service | Congress.gov | Updated periodically
Reviews federal tax-law restrictions affecting election-related activity by churches and other religious organizations.
Tax-Exempt Organizations and Political Campaign Intervention | Congressional Research Service | Congress.gov | Updated periodically
Provides legal background on the boundary between nonprofit advocacy and election campaigning.
Fighting Dark Money by Defending the Johnson Amendment | Campaign Legal Center | Campaign Legal Center | Updated September 29, 2026
Tracks National Religious Broadcasters v. IRS/Bessent and arguments over whether churches should receive broader freedom to engage in partisan electoral speech.
National Religious Broadcasters v. Bessent — Amicus Brief | Campaign Legal Center and Public Citizen | Campaign Legal Center | September 28, 2026
Presents arguments that exempting churches from existing campaign restrictions could create anonymous, tax-deductible election-spending vehicles.
Statistical Summary of 12-Month Campaign Activity of the 2025–2026 Election Cycle | Federal Election Commission | FEC | 2026
Provides broader financial context for PACs, super PACs and independent spending within which Christian political organizations operate.
FEC — Contribution Limits for PACs | Federal Election Commission | FEC | 2026
Provides current federal contribution limits relevant to religiously oriented PACs and other political committees.
Upholding the Johnson Amendment: The Next Front in the Fight Against Dark Money | Madeleine Greenberg | Campaign Legal Center | August 4, 2025
Discusses contemporary litigation over political campaigning by churches and concerns that exemptions could facilitate undisclosed political contributions.
“Partisan Politics”: How Efforts to Overturn the Johnson Amendment Could Upend Campaign Finance | Alice Herman | The Guardian | November 14, 2024
Examines proposals to weaken the Johnson Amendment, which restricts partisan campaign activity by churches and other 501(c)(3) charities. Critics warn repeal could create a channel for anonymous, tax-deductible political spending.
Online Political Spending in 2024 | Brennan Center for Justice | Brennan Center | 2024
Finds substantial digital political spending originated with organizations capable of concealing some or all donors, highlighting transparency problems affecting ideological advocacy generally.
Texas Churches Made Barred Donations to Abilene City Council Candidate | Jessica Priest and Jeremy Schwartz | ProPublica / The Texas Tribune | May 5, 2023
Documents direct financial contributions from three churches to a pastor running for Abilene City Council, illustrating the legal boundary between charitable religious organizations and political campaigns.
Churches Are Breaking the Law by Endorsing in Elections, Experts Say. The IRS Looks the Other Way. | Jeremy Schwartz and Jessica Priest | ProPublica / The Texas Tribune | October 30, 2022
Investigates churches openly endorsing candidates despite federal restrictions and the limited enforcement of the Johnson Amendment.
Tell Us How Religious Organizations in Your Area Involve Themselves in Elections | Jessica Priest and Jeremy Schwartz | ProPublica | October 30, 2022
Explains forms of church election involvement including candidate endorsements, campaign fundraising, distribution of campaign literature and voter guides.
Concerned Women for America — Political Guidelines for Churches and Pastors | Concerned Women for America | CWA | Updated 2022
Explains legal boundaries governing political activity, fundraising, candidate appearances and church resources while encouraging Christians to participate in civic affairs.
Harmful Riders in the Omnibus Spending Bill Could Have Been Worse | Brennan Center for Justice | Brennan Center | March 2018
Discusses attempts to repeal the Johnson Amendment and concerns that churches might consequently become vehicles for undisclosed political spending.
Final Tax Bill Will Not Include a Provision Allowing Churches to Endorse Political Candidates | Campaign Legal Center | Campaign Legal Center | December 15, 2017
Covers a congressional battle over the Johnson Amendment and the relationship between church political activity, charitable tax deductions and campaign-finance transparency.
A Dark Money Loophole of Biblical Proportions | Ian Vandewalker | Brennan Center for Justice | February 3, 2017
Argues that allowing churches to participate directly in campaigns could create unusually opaque political-financing channels because churches generally disclose less financial information than other nonprofits.
How Trump's Plan to Repeal the Johnson Amendment Could Unleash “Super Dark Money” Into Our Elections | Campaign Legal Center | Campaign Legal Center | February 3, 2017
Explains how tax-deductible church donations could potentially become a source of anonymous election spending if restrictions on partisan church activity were removed.
IRS Publication 1828 — Tax Guide for Churches and Religious Organizations | Internal Revenue Service | IRS | 2015
Detailed federal guidance concerning lobbying, candidate appearances, voter education and political campaign activity by churches.
Passing the Plate for Politics | Matt Branaugh | Christianity Today | June 14, 2012
Examines Maine churches taking special collections benefiting a political action committee campaigning against a same-sex-marriage ballot initiative and explains the relevant nonprofit rules.
Historical Development of Christian Political Fundraising
The Genesis of Christian Nationalism | Phoebe Petrovic | Wisconsin Watch / ProPublica | October 26, 2024
Traces the historical development of Christian nationalist political activism and the institutions that helped turn religious conservative organizing into an influential electoral force.
Christian Right | Encyclopaedia Britannica | Britannica | Current
Provides historical context for the network of organizations, ministries, activists and donors commonly described as the Christian right.
The Christian Coalition | Encyclopaedia Britannica | Britannica | Current
Background on Pat Robertson's organization and its role in mobilizing evangelical Christians as an organized political constituency.
Moral Majority | Encyclopaedia Britannica | Britannica | Current
Historical overview of Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority, an important predecessor to today's Christian political fundraising and voter-mobilization organizations.
Rev. Falwell's Moral Majority: Mission Accomplished? | Paul Taylor | Pew Research Center | May 17, 2007
Reviews the Moral Majority's role in normalizing organized evangelical political activism and establishing infrastructure later used by Christian conservative movements.
Christian Coalition Shrinks as Debt Grows | Alan Cooperman and Thomas B. Edsall | The Washington Post | April 10, 2006
Examines the financial decline of the Christian Coalition, once one of the principal fundraising and grassroots organizing institutions of the religious right.
Coalition of Politically Active Christian PAC — Committee Overview | Federal Election Commission | FEC | 1998–
Federal records preserve the history of an explicitly Christian political committee organized to participate in federal elections.
International Christian Political Fundraising and Activism
After Protests Turn Violent, Kenyan Churches Stand With Gen Z | Morgan Lee | Christianity Today | July 2, 2024
Reports renewed calls to restrict politicians' use of church platforms and fundraising events following Kenya's 2024 protests over the government's finance bill.
The Kenyan Presidential Election Is Over. The Conversation About Christians and Politics Has Just Begun. | Fredrick Nzwili | Christianity Today | September 2022
Examines political donations to churches during Kenya's presidential campaign and debate among Christian leaders about accepting money from candidates.
Most Kenyan Churches Ban Politicians From Pulpits, Except for Methodists | Fredrick Nzwili | Christianity Today / Religion News Service | September 24, 2021
Discusses concerns in Kenya about politicians using church appearances, donations and fundraising events to gain political influence.
