Organization Dossier
Turning Point USA
Founded June 5, 2012 by Charlie Kirk (18) and Bill Montgomery. Phoenix, Arizona. Led by Charlie Kirk 2012–2025; by Erika Kirk since September 18, 2025. Mission: "to identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets, and limited government."
$115.5M
FY2025 revenue
$389M
Raised 2012–23
458
Employees FY24
850+
Chapters claimed
$7.2M
PAC raised 2024
Tax Returns & Contributions
Follow the Money
Every figure traces to IRS Form 990 filings (ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, EIN 80-0835023), FEC.gov committee records, or named press reporting. Self-reported claims and single-sourced figures are flagged in place. FY2026 — the fiscal year covering the post-assassination surge — is not yet filed.
TPUSA revenue by fiscal year · Form 990
Turning Point Action (c)(4) revenue
Chase the Vote reality check: the stated 2024 goal was $108M. TPAction's combined revenue across the two fiscal years spanning the election was ~$64.7M, and FEC-reported independent expenditures ran only $1.39M (via Turning Point PAC — c4 field spending is not FEC-itemized). The "315,000+ ballots chased" figure is self-reported.
Largest documented donors
01
Bradley Impact Fund
Largest intermediary/DAF channel · since 2014
$23.6M
02
Wayne Duddlesten Foundation
Largest direct donor in IRS records
$13.1M
03
Jack Roth foundation
$8.7M
04
Bernie Marcus foundation
First gift $72,600 in 2015
$7.1M
05
Charles B. & Ann Johnson
$4.6M
06
William Dunn
$4.5M
07
Dean Buntrock
$4.1M
08
Ed Uihlein Family Foundation
2014–2016, incl. $175K in 2016
$275K
09
Foster Friess
First donor — met Kirk at the 2012 RNC; widow pledged $1M in 2025
$10K first
10
Robert Shillman (Cognex) — canceled
The "$2M a year" donor in Kirk's authenticated final texts — withdrew over refusing to cancel Tucker Carlson
−$2M/yr
Donor visibility is limited by design — heavy flow through donor-advised funds (DonorsTrust, Bradley Impact Fund) obscures original donors. ~500,000 donors gave $85M in FY2024 (Fortune). Post-assassination: no official surge total disclosed; a "$240M in 60 days" figure circulates but is single-sourced and unverified. Documented pieces: Lynn Friess $1M · GiveSendGo $5.4M · family fund $2.3M.
Scrutiny on record
Sen. Whitehouse IRS letters (2021, 2024)
Asked the IRS to review 501(c)(3) status over political activity; no enforcement action documented. American Bridge filed a parallel complaint.
Arizona dark-money complaint
TP political arms accused of violating Arizona disclosure law; unresolved in the public record.
Form 990 oddities
FY2024 gap between a $6M printing-contractor payment and $1.3M in listed printing expense (Paddock Post); first-class/charter travel disclosed. Charity Navigator: 3/4 stars.
Owens claim — flagged, hers alone
Candace Owens says Kirk expressed concerns about TPUSA finances before his death (Ep 243). Unsubstantiated; disputed by TPUSA.
Electoral Record · Turning Point Action & Turning Point PAC
Helped Elect · Tried and Failed
TPUSA (the c3) does not endorse. Electoral work runs through Turning Point Action and Turning Point PAC. Field spending is c4 activity largely invisible to the FEC; dollar figures are the PAC's reported independent expenditures. Sitting leaders link to their PowerVote profiles.
Wins
Donald Trump · President · 2024
Chase the Vote ballot-chasing in AZ/WI (+GA, NV, MI-07). AP-verified: ~30,000 dormant AZ Republicans turned out vs ~20,000 Democrats — credit shared with the RNC, the campaign, and America PAC. PAC IEs: $872,820 pro-Trump, $508,491 anti-Harris.
JD Vance · VP selection 2024 · Senate OH 2022
Kirk advocated "in public and private" for the VP pick (per Vance himself); $10,947 in PAC support for his 2022 Senate run.
Tom Barrett · U.S. House MI-07 · 2024
TPAction concentrated its entire Michigan program on this district; claims ~16,000 additional voters.
Tim Sheehy · U.S. Senate MT · 2024
PAC IEs $11,277; unseated Jon Tester.
Anna Paulina Luna · U.S. House FL-13 · 2022
The PAC's largest 2022 House spend: $103,271.
Mike Lee · U.S. Senate UT · 2022
$50,000 in PAC independent expenditures.
Ron Johnson · U.S. Senate WI · 2022
$10,649 in PAC support.
Losses
Blake Masters · U.S. Senate AZ · 2022
The PAC's signature bet: $192,419 support plus anti-Kelly spending, on top of the home-state ground game. Lost by ~5 points.
Mehmet Oz · U.S. Senate PA · 2022
Largest 2022 IE: $225,000 (+$25,000 opposing Fetterman).
Herschel Walker · U.S. Senate GA · 2022
PAC IEs $13,326; lost the December runoff.
Kari Lake · Governor AZ 2022 · Senate AZ 2024
Full TPAction home-state effort twice. 2024: lost by 2.4 points while Trump won Arizona by 5.5 — ran ~8 points behind him.
Karoline Leavitt · U.S. House NH-01 · 2022
PAC IEs $42,703; lost the general. Later White House press secretary.
Brad Schimel · WI Supreme Court · Apr 2025
Commit 100 redeployed: 30+ "Super Chase" events, Kirk and Don Jr. rallies. Lost by 10 points.
John Gibbs · U.S. House MI-03 · 2022
Beat impeachment-voter Peter Meijer in the primary, then lost the seat to Democrats — the canonical "won the primary, lost the seat" case.
The pattern a fair scorecard shows: demonstrably strong at turning out voters for Trump and winning Republican primaries; repeatedly unable to carry non-Trump Republicans in generals (Masters, Oz, Walker, Lake twice, Schimel). The 2022 "candidate quality" fight cut both ways — the candidates whose quality was questioned were exactly the ones the PAC spent for.
Primary fights & party power
RNC chair, Jan 2023 — LOST, then won late
Kirk and Bowyer led the Dhillon-over-McDaniel push; McDaniel won 111–51 — then was pushed out in March 2024 with Kirk among the loudest voices.
2026: Ken Paxton over John Cornyn — WON
Endorsed Feb 9, 2026; Paxton took the runoff 63.8% — first Texas senator denied renomination since 1970.
2026: Zach Lahn (IA governor) — WON, beating Trump's own pick
Lahn defeated Trump-endorsed Rep. Randy Feenstra June 2 (~80,504 to 78,737).
2026 slate pending — Nov 3
Julia Letlow v. Bill Cassidy (LA) and Ralph Norman v. Lindsey Graham (SC) unresolved. Endorsees include Andy Biggs (AZ gov), Byron Donalds (FL gov), Marsha Blackburn (TN gov), Tom Tiffany (WI gov), Mike Collins (GA), Barry Moore (AL), Harriet Hageman (WY) — plus ~50 House endorsements. Chase the Vote reopened in Arizona.
January 6 record
The buses
Kirk tweeted Jan 4, 2021 of "80+ buses full of patriots" — deleted after the riot; a spokesperson later said seven. One police-assaulting rioter documented on a Turning Point bus (Media Matters). Kirk pleaded the Fifth to the Jan 6 committee, Dec 2022.
Tyler Bowyer, fake elector
Indicted April 2024 (nine counts, AZ). Federal pardon Nov 2025 — doesn't reach state charges; state case dismissed without prejudice, refiling possible as of Aug 2026. Remains TPAction COO.
2028 positioning
All-in on Vance
AmFest Dec 2025 straw poll: Vance 84.2% — record margin. Erika Kirk endorsed Vance for 2028 from the AmericaFest stage; the org is reported to be preparing to deploy for him in key states. Trump's presidential record →
Major Events & Tours
Timeline
Founded by Charlie Kirk (18) and Bill Montgomery
First donor: Foster Friess, $10K, met at the 2012 RNC. Montgomery handled incorporation; secretary/treasurer until 2020.
Professor Watchlist launches
250+ professors listed by December; 12,000+ faculty sign an AAUP solidarity letter asking to be added.
New Yorker exposé
Field director Crystal Clanton's “i hate black people” texts revealed; Trump praises TPUSA the next day.
Turning Point UK collapses at launch
“A tsunami of online mockery” (BBC); 100+ parody accounts.
Turning Point Action founded (May) · Students for Trump acquired (July) · Culture War Tour
The fall tour's open-mic Q&As become the Groyper War — Nick Fuentes's followers ambush Kirk on Israel and immigration.
Bill Montgomery dies at 80 (COVID-19)
Co-founder's death draws renewed attention to his uncredited role.
The Charlie Kirk Show joins Salem Radio Network
500–750K daily downloads by 2024.
Turning Point Faith · School Board Watchlist · first AmericaFest
Faith arm claims 8,000+ church partners; AmericaFest grows to 20,000+ by 2024.
Blexit merges into TPUSA
Chase the Vote + You're Being Brainwashed Tour
$108M goal (~$64.7M raised across FY24–25); AZ/WI focus; Trump sweeps the swing states.
Charlie Kirk assassinated at Utah Valley University
First stop of the American Comeback Tour. Full evidence record: kirk-pattern-scan.vercel.app
Erika Kirk elected CEO and board chair, unanimously
54,000–62,000 chapter inquiries within days; “the biggest thing this nation has ever seen.”
Biggest AmericaFest ever — and open civil war on its stage
Vance 84.2% in the 2028 straw poll; Shapiro names the “charlatans.”
All-American Halftime Show
Claimed 20M+ views; no cost figures documented. Reported 60+ staff firings in the same period (unconfirmed).
Primary season power
Paxton over Cornyn; Lahn over Trump's Iowa pick; ~50 House endorsements pending Nov 3.
Named campus tours
Key Figures — tap for full profile
People
Charlie Kirk
Founder · President/CEO 2012–2025
Erika Kirk
CEO & Board Chair since Sept 2025
Bill Montgomery
Co-founder · c. 1939–2020
Tyler Bowyer
COO, Turning Point Action
Andrew Kolvet
Spokesman · Exec Producer, The Charlie Kirk Show
Mikey McCoy
Chief of Staff 2024–2025
Blake Neff
Producer, The Charlie Kirk Show
Justin Streiff
COO & Chief Development Officer, TPUSA
Board of directors · FY2024 Form 990
Erika Kirk
CEO/chair — succeeded Charlie Kirk, Sept 18, 2025
Tom Sodeika
Secretary & treasurer; president/CEO of Precision Payroll of America
Doug DeGroote
Director; wealth manager/CFP
David Engelhardt
Director; attorney and pastor of King's Church, Manhattan
Mike Miller
Director — named on the 990; no reliable public bio found (flagged)
Alignment Map
In Alliance With · In Opposition To
Allies
The Trump family
Trump spoke at TPUSA events from 2019 onward; Don Jr. toured with Kirk in 2019 and 2026; Kirk advised the 2024 transition at Mar-a-Lago.
JD Vance
Kirk introduced him into Trump's orbit (2022) and pushed his VP selection; the org is positioning for Vance 2028.
Salem Media Group
Radio/podcast home of The Charlie Kirk Show since Oct 2020.
Liberty University
Falkirk Center co-founded 2019 (Kirk + Falwell Jr.); ongoing convocation ties.
Major donors
Friess, Bradley orbit, Uihlein, Duddlesten, Fancelli. RNC cooperative post-2024; Bowyer sits on the RNC.
Daily Wire — informal, then fractured
Speaker overlap with no org-level deal; split publicly over Israel in 2025.
Opponents
SPLC
Listed TPUSA in extremism reporting; added to its “hate map” May 2025; Kirk called it a “laughingstock.”
Media Matters
Long-running critical dossiers on what it characterizes as staff racism episodes and extremist ties — its assessments, contested by TPUSA.
AAUP / academia
12,000+ faculty signed the anti-Watchlist letter; sustained academic-freedom criticism since 2016.
ADL
Added TPUSA to its extremism glossary in 2023; retired the entire glossary Sept 2025 under post-assassination pressure.
Nick Fuentes / groypers
The 2019 Groyper War ambushes; enmity through 2025; post-assassination, positioned as Kirk's de facto successor with the young online right.
Candace Owens (post-2025)
Former ally turned chief antagonist. Alleges TPUSA-connected involvement in the assassination — she frames it as investigation, TPUSA as conspiracy theory; no official finding supports her claims, and no court has tested either side. Cease-and-desists outstanding.