Freedom Foundation
| Freedom Foundation | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Olympia, Wash. |
| Type: | 501(c)(3) |
| Top official: | Aaron White, CEO |
| Founder(s): | Bob Williams and Lynn Harsh |
| Year founded: | 1991 |
| Website: | Official website |
The Freedom Foundation (formerly known as the Evergreen Freedom Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank based in Olympia, Washington. The organization's website describes itself as: "More than a think tank. We’re more than an action tank. We’re a battle tank that’s battering the entrenched power of left-wing government union bosses who represent a permanent lobby for bigger government, higher taxes, and radical social agendas."[1]
Background
Freedom Foundation was founded in 1991 as the Evergreen Freedom Foundation by former Washington Rep. Bob Williams and Lynn Harsh. The group's website said that Williams and Harsh "[envisioned] a traditional think tank advancing free-market, limited government ideals."[1] The group changed to its current name in 2012.[2]
As of July 2025, the group's official mission statement was:[1]
| “ | The Freedom Foundation promotes free markets and limited, accountable government at every level. We do this by taking on the largest, most relentless obstacle to these objectives — public-sector unions that claim to represent workers but only want to plunder their paychecks and use the money to fund radical political candidates and causes.[3] | ” |
Leadership
As of July 2025, the following individuals held leadership positions at Freedom Foundation:[4]
- Tom McCabe, Chairman of the Board
- Aaron White, Chief Executive Officer
- Brian Minnich, Executive Vice President
- Bob Wickers, Chief Financial Officer
- Michael Ciccio, National Director
- Hunter Tower, East Coast Director
- Jason Dudash, West Coast Director
- Ross Purgason, Washington State Director
Work and activities
Legislative and policy work
Ballot initiative rights
The Freedom Foundation (when it was the Evergreen Freedom Foundation), was involved in a public dispute about initiative rights in the state of Washington. In 2008, the organization released as position statement on these rights, saying, "The Evergreen Freedom Foundation believes that the rights of initiative and referendum are important tools for the people to use as a last resort to ensure limited, accountable government and to preserve individual liberty. These rights should not be unduly burdened with regulations on the petition process, nor undermined by misuse of the emergency clause."[5]
In 2007, the foundation released a study, "Where's the Emergency?" about the Washington State Legislature's use of the emergency clause in that state's direct democracy laws. The study reported that in 2007, 11 percent of all bills introduced in the legislature contained an emergency clause. When a bill with an emergency clause is passed, the law goes into effect immediately. Washington is a state with veto referendum, but bills with the emergency clause go into effect immediately and cannot be subject to a veto referendum. The Freedom Foundation's study looked at the bills passed with emergency clauses and argued that the use of this claused indicated that "legislators merely wanted their bills to be implemented quickly, or more concerning, want to preempt citizen interference in a controversial law."[6]
Government transparency
In 2009, SB 6818 established a website for the public to see state spending. According to the National Taxpayers Union, the Evergreen Freedom Foundation was "particularly instrumental to raising the visibility of this reform." On the issue of the changes to government transparency laws, Andrew Moylan of EFF said, "Accountability in government is not a left or right issue -- it's a right or wrong issue. Washington's namesake would be proud that more than 200 years after his death, the state has taken this revolutionary step."[7]
In 2013, the group opposed a Washington State Supreme Court ruling that allowed the governor to claim executive privilege and refuse public records requests. Dave Roland of the Freedom Foundation responded to the decision, saying, "The Washington State Constitution makes clear that the people of this state are supposed to control their government. Today’s decision abandons that constitutional principle and strips the people of the crucial ability to inform themselves about the decisions their governor has made and, perhaps more importantly, the information the governor relied on to make those decisions."[8]
Union membership
One of the major areas of focus for the Freedom Foundation is union labor and whether workers are required to pay union dues. In 2015, The Olympian reported that the Freedom Foundation was working to stop automatic union paycheck deductions. CEO Tom McCabe told the paper that the organization focused on diminishing unions' political influence, especially the SEIU. McCabe said, "Together, we have diminished government union power while providing union members a shelter from union bullies. ... We have implemented a plan to bankrupt SEIU, our state’s largest union."[9] Earlier in 2015, the organization sued the state and SEIU 925 on behalf of four homecare providers who objected "to being forced to pay union fees and otherwise associate with the union."[10]
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope. Know of one we missed? Click here to let us know.
Finances
The following is a breakdown of the Freedom Foundation's revenues and expenses from 2011 to 2023. The information comes from ProPublica
| Year | Revenue | Expenses |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | $2.1 million | $2.9 million |
| 2012 | $3.2 million | $2.2 million |
| 2013 | $1.8 million | $2.3 million |
| 2014 | $2.2 million | $2.2 million |
| 2015 | $3.3 million | $2.8 million |
| 2016 | $4.1 million | $4.1 million |
| 2017 | $4.6 million | $5.2 million |
| 2018 | $6.0 million | $5.4 million |
| 2019 | $6.6 million | $6.5 million |
| 2020 | $6.4 million | $5.8 million |
| 2021 | $9.9 million | $8.3 million |
| 2022 | $12.4 million | $12.1 million |
| 2023 | $17.2 million | $17.2 million |
See also
External links
- Freedom Foundation official website
- Freedom Foundation on Facebook
- Freedom Foundation on X
- Freedom Foundation on Instagram
- Freedom Foundation on YouTube
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Freedom Foundation, "About," accessed July 29, 2025
- ↑ FindLaw, "Freedom Foundation v. Washington State Department of Transportation Division of Washington State Ferries," accessed June 9, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Freedom Foundation, "Team Members," accessed July 29, 2025
- ↑ Evergreen Freedom Foundation, "Initiative and Referendum Rights," archived June 21, 2010
- ↑ Evergreen Freedom Foundation, "Where's the emergency?" accessed June 9, 2016
- ↑ National Taxpayers Union, "Taxpayer Group Applauds Washington State for Passing Spending Transparency Legislation," November 11, 2009
- ↑ Freedom Foundation, "Release: Washington Supreme Court kowtows to Gregoire," October 17, 2013
- ↑ The Olympian, "Freedom Foundation has unions in its sights," October 3, 2015
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "Labor law challenged: Freedom Foundation sues SEIU 925," March 5, 2015
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