civitas institute
July 16, 2021 -
Long before journalist Hannah-Jones' tenure fight with the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees, the influential conservative policy network built and funded by millionaire businessman and GOP power broker Art Pope had turned its attention to her reporting on racism with attacks and distortions reminiscent of its dishonest treatment of climate science. Pope denied direct involvement in the tenure controversy, but his organizations' messaging carries weight in a UNC system where he's a major donor and serves on the powerful Board of Governors thanks to the Republican legislature he helped elect.
August 30, 2019 -
Despite record global temperatures and near-unanimity among climate scientists that human activity is to blame, the North Carolina-based John Locke Foundation continues to cast doubt on the science of global warming and to stymie efforts to address the problem through public policy — and mainstream media outlets keep boosting its message and lending it credibility.
June 2, 2017 -
Among the corporate sponsors of this year's Conservative Leadership Conference organized by the Art Pope-founded Civitas Institute are Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and Duke Energy.
December 2, 2016 -
A think tank founded and largely funded by GOP mega-donor Art Pope has jumped into the still-unsettled North Carolina gubernatorial race with a lawsuit challenging same-day registration — a program the legislature killed in 2013 but a federal court revived for this year's election.
May 19, 2016 -
In a recent National Public Radio interview, the businessman and conservative mega-donor denied funding anti-LGBT rights groups that support North Carolina's "bathroom bill." But the record clearly shows he has.
May 6, 2016 -
Where does North Carolina's leading conservative donor stand on the state's so-called "bathroom bill"? Art Pope hasn't publicly stated his position on HB2, but he has a long history of funding groups and politicians that support the law, which the Justice Department says illegally discriminates against transgender people.
February 25, 2015 -
Charles and David Koch, who run the Koch Industries conglomerate and support a national network of conservative political groups, plan to spend close to $900 million on the 2016 elections -- and they're getting help from businesspeople in the South.
