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Free Enterprise Project
| Free Enterprise Project | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Washington, D.C. |
| Top official: | David A. Ridenour |
| Year founded: | 2007 |
| Website: | Official website |
The Free Enterprise Project (FEP) is a group that, according to its website, "files shareholder resolutions, engages corporate CEOs and board members, submits public comments, engages state and federal leaders, crafts legislation, files lawsuits and directs media campaigns to push corporations to respect their fiduciary obligations and to stay out of political and social engineering."[1]
FEP is part of the National Center for Public Policy Research, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that, according to its website, is "a non-partisan, free-market, independent conservative think tank."[1][2] FEP was founded in 2007.[1]
Mission
As of 2025, the project's website said the following:
| “ | [T]he National Center for Public Policy Research’s Free Enterprise Project (FEP) is the original and premier opponent of the woke takeover of American corporate life and defender of true capitalism.[1][3] | ” |
Work
| Environmental, social, and corporate governance |
|---|
|
| • What is ESG? • Enacted ESG legislation • Arguments for and against ESG • Opposition to ESG • Federal ESG rules • ESG legislation tracker • Economy and Society: Ballotpedia's weekly ESG newsletter |
The Free Enterprise Project published an overview of its work in a 2020 Investor Value Voter guide. The guide contained the following descriptions of FEP's work:[4]
- Shareholder activism: "[W]e engage corporate America through shareholder activism. Why would a conservative organization engage in activity that is largely the providence of liberal interest groups? It is precisely because the left has been so effective at moving corporate America into its cultural lane that we must engage. For decades, business leaders have only heard from the political left – so much so that we’ve reached a point where large companies routinely take actions that offend conservative and traditional values with impunity. We aim to balance the discussion."[4]
- Shareholder proposals: In 2020, FEP filed 25 shareholder proposals. "As conservatives and libertarians, we believe in strong property rights and a large and well-functioning private sector. This makes shareholder activism a great fit for us. Shareholders are simply proportional owners of the companies in which they own shares. It’s entirely right and proper that they – we – as owners should have our voices heard in how the companies are run."[4]
- Voter guide: The FEP 2020 Investor Value Voter Guide says: "Standing against [As You Sow (AYS)] and its allies, like David fighting a field of Goliaths, is our small FEP team. We create proposals of our own [...] while urging you, as shareholders, to cast your proxies in favor of them. We also oppose many AYS and allied proposals."[4]
Leadership
As of May 2025, Stefan Padfield was the only listed FEP leader, holding the position of executive director, according to the website.[5]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Free Enterprise Project. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- National Center for Public Policy Research website
- National Center for Public Policy Research on Facebook
- National Center for Public Policy Research on Twitter
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 National Center for Public Policy Research, "About the Free Enterprise Project," accessed May 20, 2025
- ↑ National Center for Public Policy Research, "About The National Center," accessed May 20, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Free Enterprise Project, "Investor Value Voter Guide 2020," accessed February 2, 2021
- ↑ "About," accessed April 22, 2021
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