American Conservative Union
American Conservative Union (ACU), founded 1964, is the oldest U.S. conservative grassroots nonprofit, operating the ACU Ratings scorecard on 15,000 lawmakers, five policy centers, the annual CPAC conferences, and the CPAC+ streaming service for conservative activists, donors, and policymakers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1964
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What American Conservative Union does
American Conservative Union (ACU), also known as CPAC Foundation, is the United States' oldest conservative grassroots organization, founded in 1964 and headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. It operates as a private nonprofit focused on conservative political advocacy, ratings, and grassroots organizing. The organization maintains a platform-plus-programs architecture anchored on four core product lines: the ACU Ratings congressional scorecard, which evaluates voting records of approximately 15,000 historic and active lawmakers against conservative principles; a network of five wholly owned policy centers covering criminal justice reform (Nolan Center for Justice), legislative accountability, human trafficking, regulatory oversight, and corporate accountability; the annual CPAC conferences (including CPAC USA 2026 and CPAC USA 2027); and the CPAC+ subscription streaming service distributing event coverage and original content.
The business model is donation- and event-driven rather than commercial. Revenue mechanics include online donations processed through Revere Payments, conference ticket and sponsorship sales across a global audience of conservative organizations and high-profile individuals, CPAC+ subscription streaming, and ancillary political activity through affiliated super PAC vehicles (notably the American Conservative Fund, which received $9.3M+ and $10.3M+ respectively from DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics, and Bet365 for the 2026 Alabama and Georgia state cycles). The organization does not publicly disclose pricing or financials; one disclosed inflow was a $2.5 million distribution from YouTube's $24.5 million settlement of a Trump lawsuit over the January 6, 2021 channel suspension. Leadership rests with Chairman Matt Schlapp following the March 2026 death of longtime Chairman Emeritus David A. Keene, with the organization currently staffed at 11-50 employees.
American Conservative Union firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- American Conservative Union
- Legal name
- CPAC Foundation
- Website
- https://conservative.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1964
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- American Conservative Union (ACU), founded 1964, is the oldest U.S. conservative grassroots nonprofit, operating the ACU Ratings scorecard on 15,000 lawmakers, five policy centers, the annual CPAC conferences, and the CPAC+ streaming service for conservative activists, donors, and policymakers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
American Conservative Union industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Political Advocacy
- NAICS
- Professional Organizations (81392)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Finance, Economics & Public Administration Congresses (THAHAJAL)
Keywords
Where American Conservative Union is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
American Conservative Union business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
American Conservative Union product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The American Conservative Union (ACU), operating as the CPAC Foundation, is a non-profit conservative advocacy organization that publishes the ACU Ratings scorecard evaluating the voting records of 15,000+ lawmakers, operates five policy centers focused on justice reform, legislative accountability, human trafficking, regulatory freedom, and corporate accountability, and hosts the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). It also offers CPAC+, a subscription streaming service for conservative programming, and funds its activities primarily through donations, event ticket sales, sponsorships, and streaming subscriptions.
Product overview
American Conservative Union operates as a conservative advocacy organization offering a platform-plus-programs architecture centered on its ACU Ratings system for tracking legislator voting records, a network of five policy centers addressing justice reform, human trafficking, regulatory oversight, and corporate accountability, annual CPAC event conferences, and CPAC+ streaming media content. The organization functions primarily as a political advocacy group rather than a technology product company, with its offerings focused on conservative grassroots organizing, legislative accountability, and policy advocacy rather than software products or technical services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ACU Ratings
Companies that use American Conservative Union
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
American Conservative Union technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
American Conservative Union partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
American Conservative Union competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Heritage Foundation: Largest U.S. conservative think tank and advocacy organization. Closely comparable to ACU in mission (conservative policy advocacy, voter education, legislative influence) and structure (501(c)(3) nonprofit with affiliated political operations), though Heritage is significantly larger and more policy-research oriented.
- Turning Point USA: Youth-focused conservative advocacy organization with a strong digital content and conference business. Comparable to ACU in grassroots mobilization and conservative activism, but differentiated by a sharper digital-first approach targeting younger demographics and competing for the same donor and activist base.
- National Rifle Association: Long-established single-issue conservative advocacy organization with a large membership base, annual events, and affiliated political spending arms. Structurally similar to ACU (membership nonprofit + political action), and shares leadership overlap (David Keene served as NRA president).
- Federalist Society: Conservative and libertarian legal organization that influences the judiciary and legal policy through networks of lawyers and students. Comparable to ACU in mission of advancing conservative principles through advocacy, ratings/selection of aligned officials, and conferences.
- Americans for Prosperity: Koch-network funded conservative advocacy organization running grassroots campaigns and policy advocacy. Comparable to ACU in operating multi-issue advocacy, donor-funded grassroots mobilization, and policy center activities; one of the largest direct competitors for conservative donor dollars.
- Club for Growth: Conservative advocacy organization focused on economic policy, limited government, and electing free-market candidates via affiliated PAC and Super PAC. Comparable to ACU in operating legislative ratings, primary election spending, and PAC infrastructure supporting ideological candidates.
- Young America's Foundation: Conservative youth organization running campus activism, conferences, and the Reagan Ranch Center. Comparable to ACU in grassroots conservative mobilization, conferences, and next-generation leadership development; smaller in scale but with overlapping programming.
- Eagle Forum: Conservative advocacy organization focused on traditional values and limited government. Comparable to ACU in grassroots mobilization, conferences (Eagle Council), and conservative policy advocacy; similar size and target audience with overlapping legislative ratings and policy center work.
Broad incumbents
- American Enterprise Institute: Centrist-to-conservative think tank producing policy research across economics, foreign policy, and social issues. Comparable to ACU in policy advocacy role and Washington influence, but operates more as a research institution than a grassroots mobilization organization; broader and more establishment-oriented.
Emerging players
- PragerU: Conservative digital media and education nonprofit producing short-form video content for broad distribution. Comparable to ACU in promoting conservative ideas and reaching grassroots audiences via digital channels; represents the digital-native model that competes with ACU's traditional conference approach.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
American Conservative Union social profiles
Digital presenceAmerican Conservative Union financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
American Conservative Union leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
American Conservative Union subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries6 records
American Conservative Union funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
American Conservative Union M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about American Conservative Union
What does American Conservative Union do?
The American Conservative Union (ACU), operating as the CPAC Foundation, is a non-profit conservative advocacy organization that publishes the ACU Ratings scorecard evaluating the voting records of 15,000+ lawmakers, operates five policy centers focused on justice reform, legislative accountability, human trafficking, regulatory freedom, and corporate accountability, and hosts the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). It also offers CPAC+, a subscription streaming service for conservative programming, and funds its activities primarily through donations, event ticket sales, sponsorships, and streaming subscriptions.
Is American Conservative Union a public or private company?
American Conservative Union is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was American Conservative Union founded?
American Conservative Union was founded in 1964. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is American Conservative Union based?
American Conservative Union is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
Who are American Conservative Union's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Heritage Foundation, Turning Point USA, National Rifle Association, Federalist Society, Americans for Prosperity, Club for Growth, Young America's Foundation and Eagle Forum. American Enterprise Institute is listed as a broad incumbent. PragerU is listed as an emerging player.
Does American Conservative Union have an API?
No public API is recorded for American Conservative Union.
What industry is American Conservative Union in?
American Conservative Union's product category is Political Advocacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHAJAL, Finance, Economics & Public Administration Congresses. Its NAICS code is 81392 and its SIC code is 8600.