What Freedom Foundation does

Freedom Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization (EIN: 94-3136961) founded in 1991 in Olympia, Washington, originally as the Evergreen Freedom Foundation by Lynn Harsh and Bob Williams. It operates an integrated four-pillar model — education, litigation, legislation, and community activation — aimed at reducing government union influence by helping public-sector workers (teachers, government employees, homecare providers) opt out of union membership and decertify unions. The organization reports having assisted 285,000+ workers in leaving unions nationwide, with associated union cost avoidance of $828,911,443.

Its core technology consists of online self-service platforms: OptOutToday.com for union opt-out education, EmpoweredEmployees.org (launched May 2026) for broader union-alternative pathways including decertification, independent unions, and disaffiliation from vertical affiliates, and ProtectIDTaxpayers.com for Idaho-specific legislative campaign outreach. The platforms provide information, step-by-step opt-out guidance, and intake for direct assistance, supplemented by direct staff outreach, unfair labor practice complaint filing (litigation counsel team), and legislative advocacy in coordination with a coalition of 12+ conservative policy organizations.

Freedom Foundation funds operations through charitable donations from individuals and supporter organizations and provides all services free of charge to public employees. It is led by CEO Aaron Withe and Director of Research and Government Affairs Maxford Nelsen, with 129 employees and active operations across all 50 states, with concentrated legislative campaigns in Idaho, Florida, Arizona, California, Oregon, and Washington. Recent state-level legislative wins include Idaho HB 516 and Florida SB 1296, and the organization advanced the federal STUDENT Act in 2025, signaling an upward shift toward federal labor reform.

Name

Freedom Foundation

Legal name

Freedom Foundation

Website

https://freedomfoundation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Freedom Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1991 that helps public-sector workers opt out of unions and decertify union representation through digital self-service platforms (OptOutToday.com, EmpoweredEmployees.org), direct assistance, litigation support, and state-level legislative advocacy in coordination with a 12-organization conservative coalition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Advocacy Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

Keywords

• Union opt-out services
• Public sector labor policy
• Nonprofit advocacy
• Workers rights education
• Union accountability research

Headquarters

HQ city

Olympia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on charitable donations from individuals and organizations to fund operations. EIN: 94-3136961.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Freedom Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free services to public employees seeking to opt out of union membership and understand union alternatives. It complements these direct-assistance services with policy research, unfair labor practice litigation against unions, and legislative advocacy campaigns to end taxpayer support for government unions. Its three flagship digital platforms — OptOutToday.com, EmpoweredEmployees.org, and ProtectIDTaxpayers.com — serve as the primary touchpoints for its national outreach across all 50 U.S. states.

Product overview

The Freedom Foundation is a 501(c)(3) advocacy organization (EIN: 94-3136961) that operates several interconnected platforms and services focused on public sector labor reform. Core offerings include OptOutToday.com for union opt-out assistance, EmpoweredEmployees.org for union alternatives education, and ProtectIDTaxpayers.com for Idaho campaign outreach. The organization supplements these with policy research reports (such as the 'Why We Fight' series), legislative advocacy efforts, and litigation support for workers. Impact metrics include helping over 285,000 workers opt out of unions nationwide and $828,911,443 in total union dues cost avoided.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OptOutToday.com: A website operated by Freedom Foundation to help workers opt out of union membership
• Teacher Freedom Alliance

Products and services

• OptOutToday.com Self-service website operated by Freedom Foundation that provides information and resources to help public employees opt out of union membership and stop paying dues used for political activities. Targeted at union-represented public sector workers in all 50 states.
• EmpoweredEmployees.org Website providing unionized public employees with tools and information to understand their representation options, including decertifying unwanted unions, forming independent unions, or disaffiliating from legacy union organizations. Targeted at union-represented public employees seeking alternatives to their current union.
• ProtectIDTaxpayers.com Idaho-specific campaign microsite supporting legislation to end taxpayer support for teachers unions, part of Freedom Foundation's three-year effort in Idaho.
• Union Opt-Out Assistance Services Direct, no-cost assistance services helping public employees leave unions, including education about rights under Janus v. AFSCME, assistance with resignation procedures, and advocacy for workers whose opt-out requests were ignored or blocked by unions.
• Labor Policy Research Comprehensive policy research on public labor policy, union contracts, taxpayer support for unions, and union political spending. Includes investigative reports on union practices that inform Freedom Foundation's legislative campaigns and Supreme Court briefs.
• Litigation Support Services Legal advocacy services filing unfair labor practice complaints against unions on behalf of workers, including cases involving forged signatures, coerced membership, and refusal to honor resignations. Includes the 36-charge California ULP action against SEIU and UDW unions.
• Legislative Advocacy Services Direct advocacy with state legislators to pass laws ending taxpayer support for unions, including HB 516 and HB 745 in Idaho, SB 1296 in Florida, and HCR 2040 in Arizona, in coalition with 12+ aligned conservative organizations.
• Florida Union Accountability Webpage State-specific accountability webpage tracking Florida union decertification outcomes and legislative reform impact, launched following the signing of SB 1296 requiring unions to demonstrate 50% ballot participation for certification.

Quantifiable outcome

• 285K+ workers opted out of unions nationwide
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Americans for ProsperitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Conservative policy organization that co-sponsored and supported Idaho HB 516 legislation to end taxpayer support for teachers unions. One of 12 coalition supporters for the legislative campaign.
• National Right to Work CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Organization dedicated to protecting workers' right to work without being forced to join or pay dues to a union. Coalition supporter for Idaho HB 516 and similar legislative efforts nationwide.
• Moms for LibertymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Parental rights organization that was part of the 12-organization coalition supporting Idaho HB 516 to end taxpayer funding of teachers unions.
• Heritage Action for AmericamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Conservative advocacy organization that was a coalition supporter for Idaho HB 516 legislation ending taxpayer support for teachers unions.
• Americans for Tax ReformmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Taxpayer advocacy organization opposing government spending that was part of the coalition supporting Idaho legislation to prohibit taxpayer support for teachers unions.
• Idaho Republican PartycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026State Republican Party that formally endorsed and supported HB 516 legislation and adopted Resolution 2026-15 calling for prohibition of taxpayer support for teachers unions.
• Florida Governor Ron DeSantiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Signed SB 1296 requiring unions to demonstrate worker support through 50% ballot participation before certification. Freedom Foundation launched Florida union accountability webpage following this legislation.
• Citizens Alliance of IdahominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Idaho-based free-market organization that was one of 12 coalition supporters for HB 516 legislation.
• Foundation for Government Accountability ActionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Policy organization that was one of 12 coalition supporters for Idaho HB 516 legislation.
• Mountain States Policy CenterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Regional think tank that was one of 12 coalition supporters for Idaho HB 516 legislation.
• Idaho Family Policy CenterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Family policy organization that was one of 12 coalition supporters for HB 516 legislation.
• U.S. Senator James RischmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Co-sponsored the STUDENT Act federal legislation to reform the National Education Association's federal charter based on Freedom Foundation recommendations.
• U.S. Representative Russ FulchermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Co-sponsored the STUDENT Act federal legislation to reform the National Education Association's federal charter based on Freedom Foundation recommendations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Goldwater Institute: State-level constitutional litigation and policy organization that litigates to limit government union power. Strongly comparable litigation and policy research model; SPN affiliate.
• Americans for Prosperity: National conservative advocacy organization engaging in grassroots organizing, policy campaigns, and legislative lobbying. Coalition partner with overlapping field mobilization and policy advocacy capacity.
• National Right to Work Committee: National advocacy organization dedicated to protecting workers' right to work without being forced to join or pay dues to a union. Direct peer that operates on the same anti-compulsory-dues mandate and is a Freedom Foundation coalition partner.
• Mackinac Center for Public Policy: State-level conservative think tank producing policy research on labor, education, and government unions. Comparable research-driven advocacy model and SPN-affiliated network partner to Freedom Foundation.
• National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation: Provides free legal aid to workers seeking to opt out of union membership and fights compulsory union fees. Highly comparable in litigation and direct assistance model to Freedom Foundation's union opt-out and ULP work.
• Heritage Action for America: Legislative advocacy arm of the Heritage Foundation that tracks and lobbies on state and federal legislation. Coalition partner with comparable policy-shop and legislative scorecard capabilities.
• Americans for Tax Reform: Taxpayer advocacy organization opposing government spending and union political activity. Coalition partner with overlapping conservative issue advocacy and grassroots infrastructure.
• Foundation for Government Accountability: State and federal policy organization focused on government accountability, welfare reform, and union transparency. Coalition partner with comparable research, legislative advocacy, and policy-shop model.

Emerging players

• State Policy Network: Umbrella network of 60+ state-level free-market policy organizations. Direct comparator as the network that awarded Freedom Foundation's Bob Williams Award finalist recognition and acts as a coalition convener.
• Citizens Alliance of Idaho: Idaho-based free-market advocacy organization that co-supported HB 516. Regional peer with comparable local policy advocacy focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FreedomFdtn
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/EvergreenFF
• Facebookfacebook.com/FreedomFoundationUSA
• Instagraminstagram.com/freedomfoundationusa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/freedom-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Freedom Foundation