. Jim Sleeper is a lecturer in political science at Yale, a former columnist for Newsday and the New York Daily News, and author of The Closest of Strangers: Liberalism and the Politics of Race in New York.. Its major grants come from the ultraconservative Earhart, John Templeton, and Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundations; the Scaife family foundations; the Koch-linked Donors Trust, and funders that sustain a myriad of conservative campus-targeting organizations that include FIRE, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, the David Horowitz Freedom Center Its given $15 million to Young Americas Foundation, more than $8 million to the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, as well as smaller donations to the Leadership Institute. OKeefe also regularly incites his loyal internet followers to practice their own brand of investigative journalism. He takes pleasure in targeting college campuses that he perceives as suppressing free speech. In 2015, Project Veritas released a video purporting to show administrators at several colleges and universities literally shredding a copy of the Constitution in response to an undercover actor posing as a student upset by the document. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images. Media Matters has mapped out some of the biggest actors behind astroturf conservative campus activism, creating an echo chamber of seemingly grass-roots right-wing student media and campus groups that are actually propped up by a handful of the same conservative funders and, sometimes, even prominent hate groups. It also operates a campus leadership program that identifies, organizes, and trains conservative college students to promote and defend their values on campus. The institutes national field program boasts more than 1,878 campus groups that advocate for limited government, the free market, traditional values, and national defense.. The same foundations also supportand FIRE has applaudedthe duplicitously named Citizens United ruling that, in the name of expanding free speech, opens election campaigns, and therefore public deliberation about how to regulate corporations, to business-corporate fiduciaries of incorporeal whorls of shareholders, who cannot really deliberate about anything but the size of their dividends. The David Horowitz Freedom Center (DHFC) is an anti-Muslim hate group founded and run by extremist David Horowitz, whom the Southern Poverty Law Center has called a driving force of the anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant and anti-black movements. DHFC says it combats the efforts of the radical left and its Islamist allies to destroy American values, and that it focuses this endeavor on our nations campuses, where the Freedom Center protects students from indoctrination and intimidation and works to give conservative students a place in the marketplace of ideas from which they are otherwise excluded. DHFC operates several projects, including an online outlet called FrontPage Magazine and DiscoverTheNetworks.com, a so-called Guide to the Political Left which largely claims to show connections between anybody on the left and the terrorists. DHFC has also launched anti-Muslim campus campaigns in recent years, including Stop the Jihad on Campus and Stop the Jew Hatred on Campus, and peppered campuses with offensive posters that sometimes cite individual students or professors by name and call them terrorists. The DHFC utilizes information from a dangerous doxxing website called Canary Mission -- which compiles information about individuals who support the BDS movement, including publishing photos of professors and students and links to social media profiles -- to inform its posters and campaigns. Im more afraid of top-down attempts to control Twitter than I am of the cultural harm it produces.. [50], In 2021, in response to the board of trustees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill declining to give Nikole Hannah-Jones tenure, FIRE released a statement saying "if it is accurate that this refusal was the result of viewpoint discrimination against Hannah-Jones, particularly based on political opposition to her appointment, this decision has disturbing implications for academic freedom. Such offenses often prompt not intimidation and silence but more speech, including criticism from liberals. FOUNDATION FOR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS IN EDUCATION (FIRE) Address: 170 S INDEPENDENCE MALL W. PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106. FIRE has partnered with anti-LGBTQ hate group Alliance Defending Freedom for some of these cases. Part of the push may challenge the American Civil Liberties Unions primacy as a defender of free speech. [citation needed], Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, Challenges to college residence life programs, Last edited on 26 February 2023, at 08:37, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, "Once a Bastion of Free Speech, the A.C.L.U. In recent years, OKeefe has strongly aligned himself with the so-called alt-right, offering exclusives of his videos to Breitbart.com and befriending dangerous online trolls like Lucian Wintrich, Gavin McInnes, and Milo Yiannopoulos. FIRE is unable to take other submissions by phone. OKeefes overhyped videos often fall flat and rarely match their billings. The report calls the organization libertarian but, confusingly, notes elsewhere in the text that FIRE is often regarded as libertarian or conservative and is viewed suspiciously by some liberal or progressive students and faculty.. 03/01/23 10:55 PM EST, Video & Audio All of these organizations stoke public anger against political correctness as a threat to academic freedom and to the free-market economy, which they insist would enhance it. Its great to have the ACLU fighting for racial and reproductive justice and gay rights. Young Americas Foundation is a nonprofit that bills itself as the principal outreach organization of the Conservative Movement by providing essential conferences, seminars, educational materials, internships, and speakers to young people across the country. Its primary projects include preserving Ronald Reagans California ranch, operating the National Journalism Center to train aspiring journalists in the values of balanced reporting (Ann Coulter and Greg Gutfeld are alumni), and running its Center for Entrepreneurship & Free Enterprise. [90] That month, FIRE challenged the New York State Senates practice of blocking critics on Twitter, representing a resident who had criticized gun control legislation. Australia. Today's SPN is the tip of the spear of far-right, nationally funded policy agenda in the states that undergirds extremists in the Republican Party. [28], FIRE has opposed campus speech codes. Milwaukee, June 12, 2021. Maybe the Bard conferees will have better luck. Recently, FIRE took up the cause of defending student groups that did not want to pay extra security costs for hosting serial harasser Milo Yiannopoulos on his campus speaking tour, during which he engaged in targeted public harassment of individual students. Faculty at public colleges and universities can also call FIRE's Faculty Legal Defense Fund Hotline at 254-500-FLDF (3533). Its also donated nearly half a million dollars to the anti-LGBTQ hate group Alliance Defending Freedom. The book is an exhaustive recounting of administrators' abuses of freedom of speech and due process, and a warning that the academy was being undermined by speech codes restrictions that colleges. [54], In May 2007, Valdosta State University expelled T. Hayden Barnes, who had protested against the construction of two new parking garages on the campus which he saw as encouraging the use of private transportation. He has had to issue public apologies, has been arrested for trespassing, and has foiled his own plots, yet his videos have been promoted by President Donald Trump. Faces an Identity Crisis", "Fighting for Free Speech on America's Campuses", "Ilya Shapiro controversy: Georgetown Law students speak out against liberal intolerance, cancel culture", "Free-speech group will spend millions to promote First Amendment cases", "Nonfiction Book Review: The Shadow University: The Betrayal of Liberty on America's Campuses by Alan Kors", "A Maverick Mogul, Proudly Politically Incorrect", "State of Conflict: How a tiny protest at the U. of Nebraska turned into a proxy war for the future of campus politics", "Colleges settle free speech lawsuits as FIRE promises more litigation", "The ACLU Just Got Some Much-Needed Free Speech Competition", "As the ACLU Recedes From Its Core Mission, FIRE Expands To Fill the Void", "The Conservatives Behind the Campus 'Free Speech' Crusade", "First Amendment Organization | Right to Freedom of Speech & Expression", "Foundation For Individual Rights In Education Inc - Nonprofit Explorer", "FIRE announces $75 million expansion into off-campus free speech advocacy, defense", "Foundation for Individual Rights in Education", "Opinion | Please, Georgetown. Glassdoor has 29 Foundation for Individual Rights in Education reviews submitted anonymously by Foundation for Individual Rights in Education employees. Interviews at Foundation for Individual Rights in Education Experience Positive 73% Neutral 27% Getting an Interview Applied online 100% Difficulty 3.0 Average Hard Average Easy Interviews for Top Jobs at Foundation for Individual Rights in Education Intern (4) Summer Intern (2) Internship (1) Legal Intern (1) See more interviews for top jobs YALs foundation arm appears to receive the bulk of its funding from the Charles Koch Foundation and DonorsTrust. Argentina. [87] Later that year, FIRE announced a lawsuit challenging Floridas "Stop Woke Act", claiming the bill unconstitutionally suppresses certain discussions of race and sex on college campuses. Right-Wing Campaign to Block Teaching for Social Justice. Last month, I disclosed the conservative-movement funding, premises, strategy, and practices of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), which purports to protect free speech on college campuses, but expends more energy blamingand chillingpolitically correct activists and administrators. FIRE educates Americans about the Read more about this organization Issue Areas Include Education Human Rights & Civil Liberties Legal Assistance [14][third-party source needed] FIRE has been described as a competitor of the larger ACLU. Some backers see FIRE moving to take on fights ceded by ACLU. The Intercollegiate Studies Instituteis one of the oldest student-oriented educational organizations in the nation, aimed at supporting conservative students with resources to publish right-leaning campus publications, host conservative lectures and events, and generally counter the progressive ideology taking over American colleges. The Intercollegiate Studies Institute receives millions in funding from a handful of private right-wing donors, including more than $8 million in funding from the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation, more than $11 million from the right-wing group of Scaife Foundations, $3.5 million from the conservative Bradley Foundation, and more than $2 million from the F.M. The College Fix is a conservative blog featuring posts from college student reporters about higher-education news. Articles from The College Fix have been cited on Breitbart.com and on Fox News, fueling claims of liberal bias on college campuses with little factual evidence. Krauss placed a monitor in Hindley's class and ordered him to attend racial sensitivity training. FIRE aims to protect college students' First Amendment rights This was a Grant round raised on Oct 18, 2016. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization that aims to protect students' First Amendment rights at U.S. colleges and universities. Not only did FIRE secure more victories than ever, but it also succeeded in bringing liberty to thousands more students by welcoming Arizona State University and James Madison University to its list of Lukianoffs boards of directors and advisers include such prominent free-market conservatives as George Will and T. Kenneth Cribb, who was assistant for domestic affairs to President Ronald Reagan and a former president of the conservative Intercollegiate Studies Institute, which trains students to counter liberal threats to the market economy.. It offers guidance and resources to students for starting and supporting campus chapters, including an abolish abortion app, recruitment strategies and materials, and activism kits. SFLAs resources for students push numerous myths about womens reproductive health care in an effort to demonize choice. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education on Monday announced a $75 million expansion into off-campus free-speech advocacy and defense that will include litigation, public. In response, officials from several of the schools criticized OKeefes attempts at shoddy journalism, and noted that the administrators featured in the videos were attempting to do their jobs by assisting a student who appeared to be experiencing a mental health crisis. To say the least, we have not solved the campus free-speech problem, but we started to realize if we wanted to save free speech on campus we have to start earlier and we have to do things not on campus, the groups president, Greg Lukianoff, said. [15], In June 2022, FIRE announced it was expanding its efforts beyond college campuses, to American society in general. F.M. Now it's trying to sue its critics", "The World and Everything in It: September 5, 2022", "Stanford, Georgetown, U. of Florida listed among 10 'worst free speech colleges' in U.S.", "The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression ranks Penn second-to-last college in free speech", "Week 3: Can Protests Make A Difference? Although the details are purposely obscured, its likely that Charles Koch and his family have additionally contributed to groups in this list through the anonymous donor funds DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund. [4], The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education was co-founded by Alan Charles Kors and Harvey Silverglate in 1999, who were FIRE's co-directors until 2004. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression's (FIRE's) mission is to defend and sustain the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thoughtthe most essential . FIRE receives substantial funding from a handful of conservative private donors, including $3.5 million from anonymous conservative donors through Donors Capital Fund and DonorsTrust, $1.3 million each from the right-wing Bradley Foundation and Sarah Scaife Foundation, and about $1 million between the Charles Koch Foundation and F.M. [59][60] The lawsuit eventually ended with nearly $1 million in damages and fees awarded. [1][2][3] FIRE was renamed in June 2022, with its focus broadened to speech rights in American society in general. In addition to funding medical research and more standard philanthropic endeavors, the F.M. Feb 25. Charles Koch is also a board member at the center. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is a legal and advocacy organization that claims to defend and sustain individual rights at Americas colleges and universities. FIRE primarily handles case submissions from students who believe their free speech rights were violated, connecting some to attorneys, including through its national program designed to file targeted, high-profile cases against public universities. Among those endorsing FIREs expansion are former ACLU President Nadine Strossen and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. Other groups, including the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, say that standard strips away a student's right to due process. [1] Kors served as FIRE's first president and chairperson. Kirby Foundation. Known as Higher Educations Internet Outrage Machine, Campus Reform posts several poorly sourced articles each day alleging professorial bias against conservative students or policies. This past year represented a new level of achievement for FIRE and its cause on campus. Copyright 2023 | The American Prospect, Inc. | All Rights Reserved, The Alt-Labor Chronicles: Americas Worker Centers, The Conservatives Behind the Campus Free Speech Crusade, What the Campus Free Speech Crusade Wont Say. Kirby Foundation. Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, Inc. Mission The mission of FIRE is to defend and sustain individual rights at America's colleges and universities. Students for Liberty is largely funded by a network of anonymous conservative donors through DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund, along with several Koch-affiliated groups. A major focus of CPAC panels and training sessions has always been on recruiting a new generation of right-wing leaders, particularly on college campuses. College campuses have long served as unique places for the free exchange of ideas -- but increasingly theyve also become playgrounds for ideologically driven, right-wing billionaires and the dark-money groups they fund. 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