What Advancing American Freedom does

Advancing American Freedom (AAF) is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit conservative policy advocacy organization founded in 2021 by former Vice President Mike Pence. It develops and disseminates policy positions on behalf of the Republican Party and the broader conservative movement, with thematic focus on tax policy, border security, election integrity, free-market economics, and constitutional governance. Core offerings include a policy advocacy program (anchored by a 90-page report and a $10 million campaign supporting the One Big Beautiful Bill Act), the Court is Adjourned podcast on legal issues, the OB3-60 One Big Beautiful Booklet digest, a leadership development/internship program, and a network-building initiative that functions as recruiting infrastructure for the movement.

The organization earned roughly $13 million in 2025 across disclosed fundraising, which it directed toward recruiting approximately 15 former Heritage Foundation employees — including the heads of the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, the Center for Data Analysis, and the Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies — during a period of open ideological dispute with Heritage. AAF runs a multi-channel distribution operation including six/seven-figure digital ad buys, Substack, active social handles (X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube), press releases, and direct engagement with congressional offices; it also maintains a legal-advocacy function through amicus briefs in cases such as Burlap and Barrel v. Trump, V.O.S. Solutions, Choice Refrigerants v. EPA, and NRSC v. FEC.

AAF's revenue model is donations-based as a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization; it does not sell commercial products or services and discloses no revenue. Leadership includes Founder Mike Pence, Chairman Marc Short, President Tim Chapman, EVP Paul Teller, VP of Policy John Shelton, VP of Communications Sydney Stubbs, General Counsel J. Marc Wheat, Senior Legal Fellow Hans von Spakovsky, and board members Edmund Schweitzer and former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, with Roger Custer as Director of Development and Paul Glader directing leadership programs. Operations are concentrated in the United States, with a stated global distribution reach via digital channels.

Name

Advancing American Freedom

Legal name

Advancing American Freedom

Website

https://advancingamericanfreedom.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Advancing American Freedom is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(4) conservative policy advocacy organization founded in 2021 by former Vice President Mike Pence. It serves Republican lawmakers and the conservative movement through policy research, paid campaigns, legal amicus briefs, and a podcast.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Advocacy Services

NAICS

Political Organizations (813940), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

Keywords

• Conservative policy advocacy
• Policy research services
• Political messaging campaigns
• Legal advocacy amicus
• Nonprofit think tank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advocacy and Policy Influence: The organization generates revenue through donations to support conservative policy advocacy, grassroots campaigns, and political messaging initiatives. They run multi-million dollar advertising campaigns and policy research operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Advancing American Freedom is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit policy advocacy organization that develops and disseminates conservative policy research, runs grassroots messaging and advertising campaigns, files legal advocacy (amicus briefs) on constitutional issues, and offers leadership development programs for the conservative movement. Its work centers on policy solutions, legal advocacy, network building, and leadership development serving Republican policymakers and conservative audiences.

Product overview

Advancing American Freedom is a conservative nonprofit policy organization that serves as a platform for developing and advancing conservative policy solutions and principles. The organization's portfolio consists of policy publications (such as the OB3-60 One Big Beautiful Booklet analyzing major legislation), a legal podcast series ('Court is Adjourned'), leadership development programs, and network-building initiatives. These offerings work together to promote conservative principles on issues including life, liberty, economic freedom, and constitutional governance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ob3-60: The One Big Beautiful Booklet: A policy booklet containing 60 clear, digestible one- and two-page memos describing key provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill.
• Court is Adjourned with Hans von Spakovsky

Products and services

• Court is Adjourned with Hans von Spakovsky A podcast series hosted by AAF Senior Legal Fellow Hans von Spakovsky that examines legal issues wrapped around political and cultural happenings, from the nation's capital to Hollywood, covering cases, laws, and issues affecting freedoms and liberty. Targeted at conservative audiences seeking clear explanations of legal and constitutional developments.
• OB3-60: The One Big Beautiful Booklet A collection of 60 one- and two-page policy memos describing key provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, providing policy analysis and messaging guidance for Republican lawmakers, conservative audiences, and grassroots advocates.
• Policy Solutions (Policy Advocacy Services) Core policy development and advocacy service that strengthens life, liberty, and conservative principles through strategic advocacy, policy reports, congressional engagement, and issue campaigns. Targeted at Republican policymakers, conservative movement organizations, and the conservative public.
• Leadership Development Programs (Internship Opportunities) Internship and leadership development programs designed to strengthen the bench of conservative leaders and inject conservative principles deeper into the movement. Targeted at students and early-career conservatives.
• Network Building (Join the Movement) Movement-building and donor/supporter engagement program that builds and connects networks within the conservative movement to advance shared policy goals, including grassroots mobilization and donor cultivation.
• Legal Advocacy (Amicus Brief Services) Legal advocacy service in which AAF files amicus curiae briefs and supporting coalitions before the U.S. Supreme Court and federal appellate courts, addressing constitutional issues including presidential tariffs, the Nondelegation Doctrine, election integrity, and First Amendment political party coordination.

Quantifiable outcome

• Launched $10 million campaign with 90-page policy report and 20+ congressional meetings

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Independent InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvancing American Freedom and the Independent Institute led a coalition of 10 other amici in Burlap and Barrel and Basic Fun v. Trump, a case challenging illegal tariffs from the executive branch.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Club for Growth: Club for Growth is a conservative advocacy organization focused on free-market economic policy, tax cuts, and pro-growth political candidates. It operates multi-million dollar advocacy campaigns similar to AAF's $10M OBBA campaign and targets overlapping donor and congressional audiences.
• The Heritage Foundation: Heritage is the preeminent U.S. conservative think tank producing policy research and legal advocacy. AAF directly poached 15+ Heritage staff in late 2025 and competes for the same donor base, congressional access, and ideological positioning within the conservative movement.
• Young America's Foundation: YAF is a conservative youth and movement-building organization that runs leadership programs, campus outreach, and internship pipelines. AAF's leadership development programs and internship offerings overlap directly with YAF's movement-building mission.
• America First Policy Institute: AFPI is a Trump-aligned conservative policy organization founded post-2020 that rapidly built policy infrastructure to advance the America First agenda. It is the ideological counterweight to AAF within the conservative movement and competes for aligned donor and policymaker attention.
• Americans for Prosperity: AFP is a major conservative advocacy organization backed by the Koch network that runs grassroots campaigns, policy research, and paid media on free-market priorities. AAF's VP of Communications previously led communications at AFP, and both compete in the same donor and policy space.
• Eagle Forum: Eagle Forum is a conservative advocacy organization promoting traditional conservative and social conservative principles, with grassroots mobilization and policy advocacy. AAF explicitly positions itself as defending traditional conservative principles, putting it in direct thematic competition.
• Claremont Institute: Claremont is a conservative think tank focused on the American founding, constitutional principles, and 'post-liberal' conservative thought. Its emphasis on constitutional and rule-of-law advocacy closely mirrors AAF's legal advocacy work and amicus activity.
• FreedomWorks: FreedomWorks is a grassroots conservative advocacy organization promoting free-market and limited-government policies. It operates a similar model of donor-funded campaigns, policy research, and congressional engagement targeting the same donor pool as AAF.

Broad incumbents

• American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC): ALEC is a conservative policy organization focused on state-level model legislation and convening state legislators. It competes for the same conservative donor base and policy attention, particularly on issues like tax cuts, election integrity, and federalism that AAF's OBBA and SAVE Act campaigns address.
• Federalist Society: The Federalist Society is the leading conservative legal organization shaping judicial and legal-policy outcomes through networks of lawyers, judges, and academics. AAF's amicus and legal advocacy work (e.g., with Hans von Spakovsky and J. Marc Wheat) overlaps with the Federalist Society's influence pipeline.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AmericanFreedom
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQJ7yVaVbP1GgaH66XYApXA
• Facebookfacebook.com/AdvancingAmericanFreedom
• Instagraminstagram.com/advancingamericanfreedom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/advancing-american-freedom

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Advancing American Freedom