Project 21

The National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), founded in 1982, is a self-described conservative think tank in the United States. Amy Ridenour was the founding CEO and chairman until her death in 2017. David A. Ridenour, her husband, vice president of the organization from 1986 to 2011, has served as the organization's CEO since 2017.

Policy areas

NCPPR's work is in the areas of free markets, environmental and regulatory policy, retirement security, constitutional law, the First and Second Amendments, religious liberty, academic freedom, defense and foreign affairs. Particular areas of interest include global warming denial, endangered species, energy policy, environmental justice, job growth and economic prosperity, property rights, legal reform, health care, Medicare reform, Social Security, civil rights, foreign affairs/defense and United Nations reform/withdrawal.

National Center for Public Policy Research is repeatedly cited as a member of the global warming denial organization Cooler Heads Coalition, which describes its object as "dispelling the myths of global warming by exposing flawed economic, scientific, and risk analysis", but reported on its blog in 2013 that it has not been a member for many years.

NCPPR is a member of the advisory board of Project 2025, a collection of conservative and right-wing policy proposals from the Heritage Foundation to reshape the United States federal government and consolidate executive power should the Republican nominee win the 2024 presidential election.

Publications

Publications include National Policy Analysis papers, Talking Points cards, the newsletters ''What Conservatives Think,'' ''Ten Second Response'', ''In the News'', ''National Center Blog'', and other publications. They also have full editorial control over the contents of the wiki-styled web portal ''GroupSnoop'' which hosts conservative analyses of various high-profile left-leaning non-profits. NCPPR also hosts a global warming denial website ''envirotruth.com'', that provides information on environmental issues with emphasis on property rights. The site was launched in May 2002.

Funding

As of October 31, 2013, the organization's web site reported that its funding breakdown was 94% from individuals, 4% from foundations and less than 2% from corporations. The organization reported receiving 350,000 individual contributions a year from over 96,000 recent contributors.

For the fiscal year ending 12/31/14, the organization's 990 tax return reported revenue of $11,458,636 and expenses of $11,636,451. It reported receiving no government grants.

Project 21

Since 1992, the group has sponsored Project 21, a "national leadership network of black conservatives". Project 21 provides research and commentary on public policy issues from a conservative black perspective to the U.S. news media at large and to African American community newspapers and media outlets. Project 21 is partly funded by the Bradley Foundation, which has bankrolled studies devoted to the supposed genetic intellectual inferiority of blacks.

During the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the National Center for Public Policy Research, a think tank funded in part by the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, arranged for a group of black conservatives to lambaste the rioters and praise the Los Angeles Police Department. From this campaign, NCPRR build Project 21.

According to the organization, Project 21 members, all of whom are black, were published, quoted or interviewed over 35,000 times on a variety of public policy issues since 1992, including on major cable TV programs such as the Fox News Channel's ''The O'Reilly Factor'', ''The Kelly File'', ''Fox & Friends'', and ''The Sean Hannity Show''s, and MSNBC's ''Hardball with Chris Matthews'', as well as major syndicated radio programs including the Michael Savage, Sean Hannity, Mike Siegel and Bill Martinez shows.

Edmund Peterson was the first chairman of Project 21. It was chaired by Mychal Massie. It is now co-chaired by Horace Cooper and Cherlyn Harley LeBon. Fox News contributor Deneen Borelli served as Project 21's first full-time senior fellow from 2006 to 2012.

''The Nation'', in May 2005, reported, "Project 21 remains a crucial gear in the right’s propaganda factory. Without roject 21, itscadres would probably be at home screaming at the TV. But instead, they’re on TV."

Project 21's Jimmie Hollis claims to have attended the November 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, hearing Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech first-hand. He shared some on his recollections in an audio interview conducted with Project 21 on August 26, 2013.

Staff and directors

The board of directors includes author Peter Schweizer, management consultant Victor Porlier, health care analyst Edmund F. Haislmaier, legal commentator Horace Cooper, Young America's Foundation CEO Ron Robinson, Amy Ridenour, and David Ridenour.

Key staff as of 2016 included Jeff Stier, who runs its Risk Analysis Division, Justin Danhof, who runs its Free Enterprise Project, Horace Cooper and Cherylyn Harley LeBon, who run its Project 21, Senior Fellows David Almasi, R.J. Smith, and Bonner Cohen, Distinguished Fellow Deroy Murdock, Media Director Judy Kent, and Digital Media Specialist Jennifer Biddison. Bishop Council Nedd II, Joe R. Hicks, Stacy Washington, Demetrius Minor, Emery McClendon, Niger Innis, Elaina George, Day Gardner, Nadra Enzi, Dutch Martin, Kevin Martin, and Christopher Arps speak or publish under the Project 21 and the National Center banner.

Notable associates

* Peter N. Kirsanow, attorney and a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, is an advisory board member.

Criticism

In February 2014, at Apple Inc.'s annual shareholder meeting, a proposal by the NCPPR as a shareholder to force Apple to "disclose the costs of its sustainability programs" was rejected by 97% vote. The NCPPR representative argued that Apple's decision to have all of its power come from green sources would lower shareholders' profits. CEO Tim Cook "categorically rejected the worldview behind the NCPPR's advocacy. He said that there are many things Apple does because they are right and just, and that a return on investment (ROI) was not the primary consideration on such issues...When we work on making our devices accessible by the blind, I don't consider the bloody ROI... If you want me to do things only for ROI reasons, you should get out of this stock."

Virgin's CEO Richard Branson wrote an article supporting Cook's stance and criticizing the NCPPR stance on climate change. Branson argued that "If 97% of climate scientists agreeing that climate-warming trends over the past century are due to human activities isn’t compelling data, I don’t know what is."

A 1998 article in the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' described the organization's "legal but controversial" computer-generated "fright mail" campaign which targeted millions of seniors, according to the American Association of Retired Persons spokesman, Greg Marchildon.

Jack Abramoff scandal

Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff was a member of NCPPR's Board of Directors; he resigned in October 2004 after NCPPR's Board of Directors concluded he had violated the organization's conflict of interest policy.

In October 2002, Abramoff directed the Mississippi Band of Choctaws to give $1 million to NCPPR, and then told Amy Ridenour to distribute the funds to Capital Athletic Foundation ($450,000), Capitol Campaign Strategies ($500,000) and Nurnberger and Associates ($50,000). In June 2003, Greenberg Traurig, the firm that employed Abramoff, sent $1.5 million to NCPPR, of which Ridenour distributed $250,000 to Capital Athletic Foundation and the remainder to Kay Gold LLC, both controlled by Abramoff. Ridenour said in testimony that she believed Abramoff co-conspirator Michael Scanlon was the owner of Kay Gold (Kaygold).

References

{{reflist, 30em

Further reading

People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch:
Project 21 - A Laughable Attempt to Redefine "Civil Rights"
"Tom DeLay's Right Arm"
''Media Transparency''

''Raw Story'', March 3, 2006

External links

Official site

Organizational Profile
– National Center for Charitable Statistics (Urban Institute)

Amy Ridenour's National Center Blog



Political and economic think tanks in the United States
Jack Abramoff controversies
Organizations based in Washington, D.C.
Organizations of environmentalism skeptics and critics
Conservative organizations in the United States