Kansas Appleseed's connections to dark money sources and George Soros' nonprofits
Using "nutrition and public health as cover to push voter turnout campaigns and election 'reforms.'"
This article gives a brief history of Kansas Appleseed and then jumps into financial details from its IRS 990 tax filings.
The article concludes with a summary of donations to Kansas Appleseed found in the IRS 990s filed by other progressive nonprofits.
Brief History
A Feb. 2023 Capital Research Center’s “Blueing Kansas” article gives this overview of Kansas Appleseed:
Kansas Appleseed Center … uses nutrition and public health as cover to push voter turnout campaigns and election “reforms.” The group demands expanded use of absentee ballots and drop boxes to collect them, and it rails against allegations of election fraud. Notably, it also lists Integrated Voter Engagement on its homepage.
Kansas Appleseed is one of 19 Appleseed Foundation’s “justice centers” across the US and Mexico.
1999
Long-time Wichita Attorney Jack Focht was the first president of Kansas Appleseed when it formed in 1999 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Focht led efforts as part of Kansans for Simple Justice to stop elections of judges in Kansas.
2001
A 2001 IRS 990 filing said Kansas Appleseed’s early projects were about potential changes in how district court judges were elected or selected, and a review of issues regarding teenagers in foster care.
2015
By 2015 their focus shifted to
advocacy related to childhood hunger in Kansas,
juvenile justice research to reduce incarceration of children in Kansas,
unmet needs of immigrants in Kansas.
2020
In 2000 Appleseed added “working in Southeast Kansas to encourage non-partisan civic participation, providing expertise and training for local activists.”
2021
Kansas Appleseed bought the story from the Kansas Health Foundation that voting is part of healthcare and claimed:
Civic engagement is vitally important to engaging with our communities to increase justice, health outcomes, and overall civic health.
Using voter data and some of the most advanced tactics and resources available, Kansas Appleseed substantially increased voter turnout and volunteer activism.
Should this type of involvement in elections be a major part of 501(c)(3) “charitable” nonprofit’s activities?
The acknowledgements section of the report is notable since Movement Voter Project had been funded by a George Soros nonprofit Open Society Policy Center:
“Movement Voter Project” cannot be found while searching IRS 990s since it files under another name, “All Hands on Deck Network.”
George Soros’ Open Society Foundations grants page shows the “doing business as” connection, however.
2022
Kansas Appleseed published a dubious report about “Impacts of Voter Suppression in Kansas” in July 2022 where they claim a relationship between voting and health.
Appleseed sees “voter suppression” for common sense election integrity measures, such as “adding a signature-match provision on advance voting ballots.”
2023
Kansas Appleseed’s most recent IRS 990 filing identifies three largest “program services” for work they performed that year:
$327,985 “to work with formerly incarcerated youth, state agencies, and partner organizations to ensure community-based alternatives to incarceration are implemented.”
$327,984 “to increase participation and access to child nutrition programs, advocating for protecting and expanding SNAP, and engaging more Kansans in grassroots efforts to fight hunger.”
$163,020 “to encourage non-partisan civic participation, providing expertise and training to local activists.”
2024
Kansas Appleseed Litigation Director, Teresa Woody, was named the 2024 Appleseed Advocate of the Year.
Nonprofit Tax Filings
Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice
Summary of IRS 990 tax filings from 2018-2023 for 501(c)(3) nonprofit Kansas Appleseed:
Known Donors
An exhaustive search of all available IRS 990s identified nonprofit donors for $4.2 million in contributions to Kansas Appleseed. This is about three-fourths of the $5.6 million raised from 2018-2023.
Direct grants from George Soros’ nonprofit, Foundation to Promote Open Society, and the “dark money” Tides Foundation are notable:
The largest contributions to Kansas Appleseed were three grants totaling $2.4 million from the Kansas Health Foundation in Wichita. Over $600,000 of these KHF funds were used by Kansas Appleseed for Integrated Voter Engagement. Another $110,000 for IVE was given by Health Forward Foundation in Kansas City.
The 1985 sale of Wesley Medical Center in Wichita and the 2003 sale of Health Midwest hospital system in the Kansas City area resulted in the formation of these healthcare nonprofit foundations that are now involved in Kansas elections.
Other large nonprofit contributors to Kansas Appleseed include:
$350,000 from Public Welfare Foundation. Influence Watch says this organization “is a left-of-center grantmaking organization founded in 1947 that claims to focus on issues of criminal justice, juvenile penal changes, and labor union-backed employment policy.”
$346,500 from MAZON, A Jewish Response to Hunger, which appears to be a noble cause.
$205,750 from Food Research and Action Center. Influence Watch says FRAC “is a left-of-center organization that seeks to end hunger by lobbying in support of increasing taxpayer-funded nutrition programs.” FRAC also receives funding from the Tides Foundation.
Related
Kansas Appleseed for Law and Justice received $741,150 from three health foundations for Integrated Voter Engagement from 2017-2024:
$606,250 from the Kansas Health Foundation (Wichita)
$110,000 from Health Forward Foundation (Kansas City)
$24,900 from REACH Healthcare Foundation (Overland Park)
Progressive organization re:Power (formerly Wellstone Action formerly New Organizing Institute) listed these Kansas organizations as their partners.
Kansas Appleseed, Kansas Health Foundation, Kansas Values Institute, Kansas Trial Lawyers Association, and Planned Parenthood Great Plans.