Project 2025 August 28th Update

Project 2025 is a 920-page plan spearheaded by the powerful and extreme far-right Heritage Foundation. More than 100 organizations support this blueprint for autocracy. Their stated goal is to create an “ideal” America that would see women, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, people of color, and others deprived of their hard-won constitutional rights and the erosion of environmental and education protections. It also advocates for a frightening centralization of power in the executive branch. Rooted in hate and Christian Nationalism, the plan promises to “rescue the country.” Read GPAHE’s full analysis of Project 2025 and the groups behind it.

GPAHE tracks the activities of those behind Project 2025, and their plans for an authoritarian and Christian Nationalist America, no matter who is president, and the groups in this extremist movement are relentlessly implementing initiatives at local, state, and federal levels.

This week we look at where the policies outlined in Project 2025 are already taking hold, six billionaire families funding Project 2025, and Heritage Foundation’s rival, America First Policy Institute’s, other plan to instill a more conservative government and society.

Project 2025 Is Happening Now

As Project 2025 continues to shape the American political landscape, its influence is becoming increasingly apparent across numerous states. This 920-page policy document, far from being a mere blueprint for future conservative governance, is already a force actively reshaping state-level institutions and policies. 

As journalist Andra Watkins reports, from education to immigration, and from healthcare to religious freedom, the tenets of Project 2025 are being put into action, often in ways that challenge traditional notions of American values.

In February 2024, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita launched a controversial online portal called “Eyes on Education,” which encourages the public to report instances of perceived “woke” content in schools, Rolling Stone reported. The website, which claims to be non-partisan, allows users to submit evidence of “objectionable curricula, policies, or programs” and displays a selection of such content organized by school district. 

Examples of “social indoctrination” content flagged on the site include images of Pride and Black Lives Matter flags, materials on supporting transgender students, and reading lists addressing topics like white privilege and anti-racism. Some documents posted on the site contain personally identifying information of teachers and community members, effectively exposing them to potential public scrutiny and harassment. 

In Oklahoma, the education system under Superintendent Ryan Walters has become a proving ground for Project 2025 policies, particularly in the realm of religious influence in public education. Walters’ actions have thrust the state into the national spotlight, raising significant questions about the separation of church and state and the role of religion in public schools.

In a bold move that aligns closely with Project 2025’s vision, Walters recently announced that Oklahoma will require schools to teach the Bible and have a copy in every classroom. As of June 27, 2024, Oklahoma schools are now required to incorporate the Bible as part of the curricula in grades five through 12. The memo sent to all school districts instructs schools to refer to the Bible and the Ten Commandments for their “substantial influence on our nation’s founders and the foundational principles of our Constitution.”

This directive came just days after the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled against a publicly funded religious charter school, which would have been the country’s first. Walters called the ruling “sanctioned discrimination against Christians,” vowing that it “cannot and must not stand.” His reaction underscores the tension between his push for Christian influence in education and constitutional protections against state-sponsored religion.

Walters’ efforts extend beyond Bible instruction. Since taking office in January 2023, he has consistently fought to “put God back in schools.” He pushed for and received approval from Governor Kevin Stitt for a package of regulations that included time for prayer in schools and expanded the state Education Department’s “foundational values” to acknowledge a “Creator” and the existence of good and evil.

These actions have drawn sharp criticism from civil liberties groups. Americans United for Separation of Church and State called Walters’ new Bible policy a textbook example of Christian Nationalism, accusing him of “abusing the power of his public office to impose his religious beliefs on everyone else’s children.” The organization has indicated readiness to take legal action, similar to their lawsuit against a new Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools.

Walters has also been at the center of controversies regarding LGBTQ+ issues in schools. He publicly vilified an Oklahoma principal with a side gig as a drag performer, who ultimately resigned. Additionally, Walters pushed an emergency rule to prevent students from changing the genders listed on their school files, aligning with Project 2025’s stance on gender and sexuality education.

The superintendent’s actions have not been without political consequences. Governor Stitt recently issued an executive order prohibiting state agencies from entering into sole-source contracts with marketing and public relations firms after Walters hired a public relations firm associated with Project 2025 at $200 per hour to help him get national media attention.

While Walters’ actions in Oklahoma represent some of the most overt implementations of Project 2025-style policies in education, similar trends are visible in other states. 

Florida, under Governor Ron DeSantis, has also emerged as a primary laboratory for policies that closely mirror Project 2025’s recommendations. The state’s controversial “Parents Rights in Education Act,” dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by critics, aligns closely with Project 2025’s call for parental control over curriculum, particularly regarding formal discussions of gender and sexuality in the classroom.

DeSantis has also championed education savings accounts and vouchers, policies that Project 2025 advocates for nationwide. Florida’s “Stop WOKE Act” of 2022 further exemplifies the state’s alignment with Project 2025, limiting discussions of race and gender in state universities and banning certain diversity practices in workplaces.

Southern states like Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi have implemented various policies aligned with Project 2025, particularly in the areas of abortion rights and religious expression in public spaces. All three states have enacted strict abortion bans, and Louisiana has passed a law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in every classroom.

Texas has already enacted numerous policies aligned with Project 2025’s goals, particularly in areas of abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, education, and immigration. The state has implemented strict abortion bans, including measures that allow citizens to sue anyone who aids in an abortion.

A group of states including Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, and South Dakota have joined legal challenges that align with Project 2025 goals, particularly in the realm of immigration and healthcare. These states are part of a 15-state lawsuit against the Biden administration’s attempt to provide access to affordable health insurance for Dreamers under the Affordable Care Act.

As these initiatives continue to take shape across multiple states, they offer a preview of what a nationwide implementation of Project 2025 might entail. The project’s influence extends far beyond its official status, shaping legislation, judicial decisions, and cultural norms across the country. From school curricula to healthcare access, from immigration enforcement to religious expression in public spaces, the impact of Project 2025 is being felt in nearly every aspect of American life.

In the end, Project 2025 is not just a plan waiting to be enacted, or something that can be disavowed out of existence. It’s a reality already unfolding across America, reshaping policies state by state. As the nation grapples with these changes, one thing is clear: the blueprint laid out in Project 2025 is no longer just a conservative dream — it’s a force actively reshaping the American landscape, policy by policy, lawsuit by lawsuit, state by state.

Project 2025’s Billionaires Club

Behind the scenes of Project 2025 lies a web of wealthy donors whose financial influence extends far beyond the Heritage Foundation. An analysis of financial records by climate change organization DeSmog reveals that just six family fortunes have funneled over $120 million into the initiative’s advisory groups since 2020, raising questions about the true diversity of viewpoints among ultra-conservative organizations.

At the forefront of this financial network is the Coors family, whose brewing empire laid the foundation for the Heritage Foundation itself. Peter H. Coors, great-grandson of Adolph Coors, continues the family tradition through the Adolph Coors Foundation. Since 2020, they’ve donated $2.7 million to Project 2025 groups, with contributions flowing to organizations like the Heritage Foundation. Hillsdale College, which The New Yorker called “the Christian liberal-arts college at the heart of the culture wars,” received nearly $900,000 from the Coors Foundation. 

The foundation’s influence extends further through a $5.9 million donation to DonorsTrust, a philanthropic partner that supports numerous conservative causes, including many Project 2025 advisors. Products in the Molson Coors  line include Coors, Molson, Killians, Pilsner Urquell, Redds, Sol, Steel Reserve, Blue Moon, Hamm’s, Icehouse, Mickey’s, Miller, Fosters, Grolsch, Olde English “800” and Keystone, among others.

Charles Koch, the industrialist known for his sprawling network of conservative causes, has contributed at least $9.6 million to Project 2025 advisors in recent years. His largest single donation, $3.8 million, went to the Texas Public Policy Foundation, an organization with deep ties to both Heritage and the Trump administration. 

According to the report, the Uihlein family, founders of the shipping supply company Uline, have poured $13 million into Project 2025 groups. Richard Uihlein, an ultra-conservative mega-donor the New York Times described as “a scion of one of the founders of Schlitz beer, [Uihlein] underwrites firebrand anti-establishment candidates who typically defend broad access to assault weapons and assail transgender rights. He has also bankrolled partisan newspapers and backed Roy Moore in Alabama even after he was accused of sexual misconduct with underage girls.” 

Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, through their Ed Uihlein Foundation, have made substantial contributions to organizations like the Project 2025 supporter the Foundation for Government Accountability ($6.6 million), a limited-government think tank that has railed against “the Biden administration’s radical climate agenda,” and the American Cornerstone Institute ($2.5 million), a Project 2025 supporter founded by former Trump cabinet member Dr. Ben Carson. 

Though Richard Mellon Scaife passed away in 2014, his legacy of conservative philanthropy lives on through the foundations he once controlled. The Sarah Scaife Foundation and the Allegheny Foundation have contributed $21.5 million to Project 2025 advisors since 2020, including $4.1 million directly to the Heritage Foundation. 

Barre Seid, the enigmatic industrialist behind electronics manufacturer Tripp Lite, made waves in the philanthropic world with his 2020 donation of 100 percent of Tripp Lite’s shares, valued at $1.65 billion, to Marble Freedom Trust, a nonprofit controlled by Federalist Society co-chairman and radical Catholic Leonard A. Leo. Through Marble Freedom Trust and its affiliated organizations, at least $22.4 million has flowed to Project 2025 groups since 2020. The largest recipient has been Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which received $11.9 million. Seid and Leo’s influence extends to other Project 2025 advisors as well, including a $2 million donation to Independent Women’s Voice and reported major support for the Heartland Institute, which supports Project 2025 and wholeheartedly rejects the notion of climate change.

The Bradley family rounds out this list of major donors, with their foundation contributing a staggering $52.9 million to Project 2025 advisors since 2020. The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, originally established by the founders of the Allen-Bradley electronics company, has become a conservative powerhouse under the leadership of figures like Michael W. Grebe and current chairman Art Pope, a longtime ally of the Koch network. Their donations have supported a wide array of Project 2025 advisors, including Turning Point USA, which received over $7.7 million. The foundation’s single largest donation was $27.1 million to America First Legal, founded by former Trump advisor Stephen Miller, who originally was a sponsor of Project 2025 before distancing himself and his organization. Other recipients of Bradley Foundation support include the Heartland Institute and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, another former Project 2025 supporter who now rejects association with the project.

These financial ties paint a picture of a tightly-knit network rather than a broad coalition, and many of the funded organizations have overlapping leadership and long standing connections. For instance, the Texas Public Policy Foundation saw its CEO, Brooke Rollins, join the Trump administration, while her successor, Kevin Roberts, went on to lead the Heritage Foundation itself. This revolving door between funded organizations and positions of political power underscores the potential influence of Project 2025 beyond its stated advisory role.

The donors’ interests often align with specific policy goals outlined in Project 2025, particularly in areas like environmental regulation and climate change policy. The presence of groups like the Heartland Institute among Project 2025 advisors has raised concerns among environmental advocates about the potential impact on climate policy should these recommendations be implemented.

The complex web of financial support behind Project 2025 serves as a reminder of the outsized influence that a small group of wealthy individuals can have on shaping policy agendas and potentially the future direction of the American government.

The Other Project 2025

The America First Policy Institute (AFPI), a relatively new player in conservative policy circles, has quickly become a significant force in shaping right-wing thought. Founded in 2021 by former Trump administration officials Linda McMahon, Larry Kudlow, and Brooke Rollins, AFPI has positioned itself as a formidable rival to the long-established Heritage Foundation, creating a notable divide in conservative policy-making spheres.

As Politico notes, AFPI boasts an impressive roster of nearly 200 policy experts, including nine former Cabinet members, 20 White House senior staff, and nearly 50 senior administration officials from the Trump era. This concentration of experience has allowed AFPI to rapidly gain influence and credibility within conservative circles.

However, AFPI’s rise has not been without controversy. A fierce rivalry has developed between AFPI and the Heritage Foundation, particularly its Project 2025 initiative. This conflict stems from both ideological differences and personal rivalries.

The tension between these two organizations reflects a broader schism within the conservative movement. AFPI is generally seen as more sympathetic to the pre-Trump conservative consensus, Politico reports. In contrast, Project 2025, led by Heritage president Kevin Roberts, has become a hub for younger, more ardent supporters of the MAGA movement.

The intensity of this rivalry was starkly illustrated when James Bacon,  a senior Heritage advisor described AFPI’s policy work as a “Trojan Horse by which the establishment can retake control of personnel” in a 2023 email obtained by the Financial Times. “I understand that all the America Last Republicans are afraid of being cut out of the next Administration. They should be,” Bacon wrote.

AFPI supporters have retaliated by questioning Heritage’s relevance. A source close to AFPI pointed out to The Daily Beast, “At least the people at AFPI, half of them worked for the administration … Heritage is trying to figure out a way to be relevant.”

AFPI has developed its own comprehensive policy agenda. Like rival Project 2025, AFPI’s plan aims to provide a roadmap for conservative governance, particularly in the event of a Republican administration. AFPI’s policy document, while more concise at 250 pages compared to Project 2025’s 900 pages, outlines similar priorities in energy and environmental policy.