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Family Policy Alliance
Founded2004; 20 years ago (2004)
FounderJames Dobson
20-0960855 (EIN)
Location
Key people
Craig DeRoche (President & CEO)[1]
Revenue$2,435,770 for the 501(c)3[2]
$1,314,136 for the 501(c)4[3] (2022)
Websitefamilypolicyalliance.com
Formerly called
CitizenLink,
Focus on the Family Action

Family Policy Alliance (FPA), formerly CitizenLink and Focus on the Family Action,[4] is an American conservative Christian organization that acts as the lobbying arm of Focus on the Family[5][6][7] at the level of state government politics. It is an umbrella organization for an "alliance" of state organizations known as Family Policy Councils[8] which are state-level Focus on the Family affiliates.

The stated mission of Family Policy Alliance is "to advance biblical citizenship, equip and elect statesmen, promote policy and serve an effective alliance, all committed to a common vision".[9] The organization opposes and advocates against same-sex marriage,[10] transgender rights,[11] legal abortion, sexual consent education,[12] marijuana decriminalization,[13] and the Equal Rights Amendment. CEO Craig DeRoche considers these social phenomena "a demonic onslaught" which he attributes to Satan.[14] FPA supports Reaganomics[15] and traditional gender roles.[10] It considers LGBT rights to be a dangerous "LGBT agenda."[16]

As an organization with 501(c)(4) tax status, FPA faces fewer political lobbying restrictions than its affiliate[6] Focus on the Family. FPA lobbying includes "rigorous training by experienced Christian legislative leaders" for politicians who align with the organization's conservative priorities. The organization maintains a 501(c)(3) called Family Policy Foundation or alternatively Family Policy Alliance Foundation. It is a different organization than The Family Foundation, although both are a part of Focus on the Family and have similar goals.

It was founded in 2004 by James Dobson and operates from Focus on the Family headquarters in Colorado Springs.

History

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Focus on the Family headquarters in Colorado Springs, which is also headquarters of Family Policy Alliance

The alliance of lobbying groups that FPA currently coordinates was built by James Dobson, a Southern California psychologist and evangelical Christian radio broadcaster, beginning in the 1980s. Dobson is the founder of Focus on the Family, which described the alliance-building as a "behind-the-scenes" program to affect legislation and culture without appearing to be coordinated.[17] According to The United Methodist Reporter members were urged to keep the existence of the alliance a secret so that they would appear to be diversity of different groups, rather than a coordinated effort.[18] The members of this alliance became known as Family Policy Councils.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Focus on the Family and its state-level Family Policy Councils were associated with highly-visible culture wars, including strong opposition to legal abortion and same-sex marriage.[19] The alliance was unable to maintain its secrecy and became more widely known in the 1990s. The organization Family Policy Alliance has operated since 2004, coordinating the state Family Policy Council organizations. It shares Focus on the Family's Colorado Springs headquarters building.

Partnership with Women's Liberation Front

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In 2017, FPA filed an amicus brief jointly with Women's Liberation Front, a trans-exclusionary radical feminist organization, to the US Supreme Court. The brief, in opposition to a lower court ruling for a transgender student, stated "pro-family Christians and radical feminists may not agree about much, but they agree that redefining "sex" to mean "gender identity" is a truly fundamental shift in American law and society."[20] The head of FPA Kansas called this partnership "co-belligerence with strange bedfellows."[21]

Georgia elections

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At the time of the Trump–Raffensperger phone call, FPA of Georgia sent a fundraising email in support of Trump's attempts to overturn the results of the US presidential election. The group's executive director, Cole Muzio, expressed concern that Georgia has become more liberal and that the church in Georgia has become weaker. Muzio says that these demographic trends are a form of "cheating" in elections, requiring FPA to respond by advocating for election laws favoring conservative Christians.[22]

Journalist Sarah Posner considers this action by FPA to be part of a larger trend in which the American Christian right embraces voter suppression techniques.[22]

Project 2025

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FPA is a member of the advisory board of Project 2025,[23] 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.[24]

UDRP dispute

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In 2024 the Family Policy Foundation filed a Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) complaint against a website which criticized it as "a fake charitable organization with a mission to keep gay people at an inferior legal status."[25] The World Intellectual Property Organization denied the attempt to seize the critical website on the grounds that the organization uses a "confusing" mixture of names (Family Policy Foundation, Family Policy Alliance, and Family Policy Alliance Foundation, all of which are difficult to distinguish from The Family Foundation) which do not establish strong trademark protections.[26][27]

Criticism

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According to its website, critics of Family Policy Alliance refer to it as a hate group.[28]

Elisa Rae Shupe, a former supporter of FPA and speaker at their Statesmen Academy, says that the goal of FPA is "to inflict maximum harm" on transgender people. Shupe regrets providing training to lawmakers on how cause harm. She feels that the FPA exploited her mental illness when they recruited her as a speaker.[29]

State allies

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Family Policy Alliance oversees a network (an "alliance") of 41 state organizations called family policy councils. Together, the alliance employs more than 350 people and takes in revenue of more than $50 million annually as of 2024. Family Policy Alliance writes policy which it disseminates to the state and local level through this network.[14] Its members include:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Leadership". Family Policy Alliance. 12 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Family Policy Foundation". ProPublica.
  3. ^ "Family Policy Alliance". ProPublica.
  4. ^ Draper, Electra (May 19, 2010). "Focus on the Family rebrands political arm as CitizenLink". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  5. ^ Stern, Mark Joseph (March 2, 2022). "How the War on Critical Race Theory Revived Anti-Gay Activism in Schools". Slate. Family Policy Alliance, the lobbying arm of Focus on the Family, advocates against education about race and LGBTQ identities under the umbrella of protecting "parental rights."
  6. ^ a b Peters, Jeremy W. (March 29, 2021). "Why Transgender Girls Are Suddenly the G.O.P.'s Culture-War Focus". The New York Times. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  7. ^ Just, Amie (September 6, 2019). "Drew Brees on Focus on the Family video: I was not aware of, don't support anti-LGBTQ views". The Times-Picayune / The New Orleans Advocate. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  8. ^ "About Us". Family Policy Alliance. 12 June 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  9. ^ "GuideStar Charity Check". GuideStar. Candid. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  10. ^ a b Brenneman, Todd (2014). Homespun Gospel: The Triumph of Sentimentality in Contemporary American Evangelicalism. Oxford University Press. p. 135-136. ISBN 978-0199988983.
  11. ^ Hanna, John (June 24, 2019). "Kansas to allow trans residents to change birth certificates". AP News. Associated Press. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  12. ^ Staver, Anna (February 27, 2019). "Colorado sex education bill: Separating fact from fiction". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  13. ^ Robinson, Carin (2018). "Colorado: Hiking in Rocky Terrain". God at the Grassroots 2016. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 117. ISBN 978-1538108925.
  14. ^ a b Rabey, Steve (April 8, 2024). "Family Policy Alliance battles 'Satan' with plan to end abortion and IVF, outlaw porn, stop transgender identity and take over public schools". Baptist News Global.
  15. ^ Stephens, Hilde Løvdal (2015). "Money Matters and Family Matters". Religion and the Marketplace in the United States. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 102. ISBN 978-0199361809.
  16. ^ Hudgens, Nicole. "Who can you trust?". Family Policy Alliance.
  17. ^ Chandler, Russell (March 4, 1989). "Evangelical Broadcaster Seeks 'Pro-Family' Lobby". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  18. ^ Boczkiewicz, Robert E. (March 10, 1989). "Conservative Christians organizing 'pro-family' coalitions within states". The United Methodist Reporter. Religious News Service. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  19. ^ Raz, Guy (February 12, 2012). "Focus On The Family's President On Group's Work". NPR. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  20. ^ Bookbinder, David [1] Archived 2019-05-11 at the Wayback Machine Brief of amici curiae.
  21. ^ Herbert, Danedri (April 21, 2017). "Eric Teetsel, Family Policy Alliance of KS Prez, Answers Sentinel's 20 Questions". The Sentinel. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  22. ^ a b c Posner, Sarah (September 28, 2021). "How the Christian right embraced voter suppression". Vox.
  23. ^ "Advisory Board". The Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on November 19, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  24. ^ Mascaro, Lisa (August 29, 2023). "Conservative Groups Draw Up Plan to Dismantle the US Government and Replace It with Trump's Vision". Associated Press News. Archived from the original on September 22, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  25. ^ "FamilyPolicyFoundation.org: UDRP against criticism domain failed all three points". Domain Gang. April 10, 2024.
  26. ^ Raheja, Ankura (April 16, 2024), ""A Complex and Unusual Scenario": Common Law Trademark, Free Speech, "Impersonation" and More", Internet Commerce Association
  27. ^ Gibson, Christopher S.; Lothian, Andrew D.S.; Hill, Richard. "Administrative Panel Decision: Family Policy Foundation v. John Skinner" (PDF). WIPO.
  28. ^ "Texas". Family Policy Alliance.
  29. ^ Newton, Jacob (March 13, 2023). "'Their goal was to inflict maximum harm': Behind the scenes of the anti-trans movement". KELOLAND Local News and Weather.
  30. ^ Moseley-Morris, Kelcie (April 26, 2022). "'It's Christ or chaos': Idaho's newest family policy center and its biblical beliefs". Idaho Capital Sun.
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