Type: Private Family Foundation
The Bradley Foundation is a private, Wisconsin-based tax-exempt family foundation with a stated mission to “protect the principles and institutions of American exceptionalism.” It is one of the chief funders of the right-wing, supporting groups such as the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, the Hudson Institute, and the American Legislative Exchange Council, which is a network of right-wing corporate lobbyists. ALEC writes model state legislation that includes policies that restrict voting rights, dismantle environmental regulations, buttress corporate power and profits, privatize the public school system, and reduce workers’ rights. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, from 2001 to 2009 Bradley “doled out nearly as much money as the seven Koch and Scaife foundations combined.” However, it is also the case that the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation has funded mainstream American institutions such as the ACLU, the Institute for Educational Advancement, and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.
Unfortunately, the Foundation consistently provides financial support to groups that create and spread conspiracy theories, false information, and stereotypes that disparage Islam and Muslims. During the 2014-2016 period, it granted more than $1.8 million to anti-Muslim hate groups, including $765,000 to the David Horowitz Freedom Center and $110,000 to the Middle East Forum. Other recipients include the Middle East Media Research Institute and the American Islamic Congress, an organization with close ties to the administration of George W. Bush.
