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Non-profit

American Bridge 21st Century Foundation

Location:

WASHINGTON, DC
Tax ID:

27-5278038
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(4)

Budget (2022):

Revenue: $20,712,901
Expenses: $15,970,417
Assets: $2,407,973
Type:

Political advocacy group
Formation:

2010
Founder:

David Brock
President:

Pat Dennis
Chair:

Cecile Richards
PAC Affiliate:

American Bridge 21st Century (AB PAC)
Budget (2023):

Revenue: $6,001,649
Expenses: $8,571,260
Assets: $-1,310,056 34

References

  1. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). American Bridge 21st Century Foundation. 2023. Part I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/275278038/202443069349300119/full

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

For more information, see American Bridge 21st Century (Super PAC)

American Bridge 21st Century Foundation is the 501(c)(4) advocacy arm of American Bridge 21st Century, a PAC created by Democratic Party operative David Brock to campaign against Republican politicians. 1

American Bridge 21st Century Foundation is a major donor to its PAC counterpart. In the 2024 election cycle, the group gave $31,330,000 to its PAC counterpart. 2

Early Years

In a 2010 New York Times article about the American Bridge 21st Century‘s founding, David Brock boasted of his ability to raise substantial amounts of money from wealthy donors. Said Brock, “My donor base already constitutes the major individual players who have historically given hundreds of millions of dollars to these types of efforts1

American Bridge’s early supporters included Rob McKay, then-chair of the Democracy Alliance, businessman Robert Dyson, and television producer Marcia L. Carsey. Former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (D) was the group’s first chair.1

Activities

Brett Kavanaugh Confirmation

In July 2018, American Bridge 21st Century announced its plan to work against the confirmation of then-federal appellate Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, through personal vetting. It claimed to looking into researching areas including FOIA requests, research through library collections and special collections, real property, corporate and nonprofit affiliations, national personal civil and criminal cases, comprehensive audio video search, and an anonymous tip line. 3 On October 6, 2018, the Senate voted in favor of confirming Brett Kavanaugh 50-48-1 following the confirmation hearings, where he was sworn in as a Supreme Court justice that same day. 4

Coronavirus Pandemic

On March 21, 2020, American Bridge 21st Century began a $50 million effort to increase its budget, from nearly $30 million to over $80 million, to expand efforts to “weaken” President Donald Trump during the 2020 elections. 5 In addition to this planned “massive push,” American Bridge ran advertisements in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania attacking President Donald Trump’s alleged incompetence in handling the coronavirus pandemic and “downplaying the crisis.” 6

Reaction to Roe v. Wade Overturning

On June 8, 2023, then-American Bridge 21st Century co-chair and former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards gave an interview with Brock-affiliated publication the American Independent to discuss the U.S Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in June the previous year and her reaction to it. She claimed that, “after Kansas, and going through the midterm elections, and certainly continuing on into Wisconsin, the voters have been very clear. They do not want to live in a country where the government is making decisions about pregnancy.”  7 She also claimed that the Democratic Party understands that the issue of abortion access “is a question about personal freedoms for everyone, everyone. Of course, it’s about abortion, but that was just the first attack. 7 In addition she criticized the Republican Party for “[wanting] to get into our personal lives. They want to play God about our decisions and our families […] All they want to do is wage a culture war on America. I believe that’s where the lines are drawn. 7

2024 Election Cycle

“Republicans We’re Watching”

As of 2023, the American Bridge 21st Century website contains a sub-section titled, “Republican’s We’re Watching” with a listing of Republicans from local, state-level, and national positions from all 50 states while displaying media hits and reactions from the organization on each candidate particularly in response to positions listed Republicans might have on issues including abortion access, gun control, voting rights, and campaign financing. 8

Research Books

Prior to the 2024 presidential election, American Bridge 21st Century launched an online research hub titled, “Trump Research Book,” that allows editors to add or review information added regarding then-former President Donald Trump’s time in office as well as events prior to and following his administration. The organization claimed that the page was “organized into multiple reports designed to help tell the full story about Trump’s failed presidency and make the case against his 2024 campaign.” 9 10

The group also had a “DeSantis Research Book” online hub meant to compile information about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) and argue against his 2024 presidential run with the home site claiming that he was a “failed governor. He’s a threat to Social Security and Medicare. He’s a corrupt and authoritarian career politician, and he’s a policy extremist who’s out of touch with the voters on every issue.”  11 American Bridge 21st Century president Pat Dennis commented on the DeSantis research book by claiming that Gov. DeSantis was “caught up in culture wars, unfit for office and utterly unprepared for the public pressure that comes with a contentious Republican presidential primary.”  12 Dennis gave a separate interview with the Tampa Bay Times and commented on the DeSantis research hub being a way for the organization to “be prepared for every scenario so that we can quickly adjust to the GOP darling of the moment and define Republicans early and often […] At American Bridge, our candidate is chaos, and whoever emerges from the Republican presidential primary should be bruised and battered.” 13

Repro-Files

As of May 2023, American Bridge 21st Century had an online research forum called the “Repro Files” to collect information on Republican candidates running in state and local elections whom it claimed had a track record of taking “positions to end abortion access and restrict reproductive rights and health care options.”  14 The site also had a sub-section focusing on Republican presidential candidates running in 2024 and their stances on abortion and reproductive health. The site also claims that it is, “a resource for allies in the fight to protect abortion access and reproductive health care by exposing anti-choice legislators in order to hold them accountable at the ballot box.” 14

Election Advocacy

In February 2024, American Bridge 21st Century attacked former President Donald Trump for “blatant racism” in ads targeted towards Black voters. The ads featured attacks on Trump for alleged racist business practices to his handling of the 2020 George Floyd protests and the Black Lives Matter movement. 15

In March 2024, American Bridge 21st Century announced that it was going to also focus on U.S. House races for the first time in its history. Erin Sullivan would head up the House operations. 16

In July 2024, American Bridge 21st Century announced a $20 million ad buy in the states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan attacking then-former President Donald Trump on “abortion, democracy, and freedom.” 17

In September 2024, American Bridge 21st Century launched an abortion-focused $15 million ad campaign in the so-called “Blue Wall” states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania attacking then-former President Donald Trump on abortion. The group planned to spend $150 million overall in the 2024 election. 18

In October 2024, American Bridge 21st Century spent $200,000 texting Puerto Rican voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made remarks disparaging Puerto Rico at a rally for former President Donald Trump. 19

Second Trump Administration

In November 2024, American Bridge 21st Century announced that it would create the “MAGAFiles” as a clearinghouse of opposition research and information about second Trump administration appointees. 20

In early 2025, American Bridge 21st Century planned to bring Democratic donors together for a conference on what Democrats should do during the second Trump administration. The gathering, which was in its seventh iteration and rechristened as “Democracy Matters,” examined what Democrats did wrong in 2024 and how they could address those problems. 21

In March 2025, American Bridge 21st Century announced that it would launch a new database to track the state-by-state impacts of the second Trump administration’s agenda. The database would show the effects of Trump administration budget cuts on the states. 22

2025 Virginia Gubernatorial Election

In April 2025, American Bridge 21st Century released a recording of Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears (R) praising tariffs enacted by President Donald Trump behind closed doors. She had previously refused to comment on the tariffs publicly. 23

Controversy

Mike Stark

Also see Mike Stark

On October 16, 2018, American Bridge 21st Century activist Mike Stark was arrested after he was accused of “grabbing and yanking” the arm of the female campaign manager for then-Nevada Republican gubernatorial nominee and then-state Attorney General Adam Laxalt. According to his accuser, Stark attempted to enter a room in the East Las Vegas Community Center to film and question Laxalt when he “physically pushed his body on [her] multiple times” and twisted her arm aggressively. Stark was charged by the Las Vegas Police Department with battery and fired by American Bridge shortly thereafter.24 25

Immigration Letter

In 2019, American Bridge 21st Century signed a letter condemning the immigration policy of the first Trump administration and urging American CEOs not to employ anyone involved with the policy. It accused these officials of being directly guilty for physical abuse, sexual assault, and even the death of illegal immigrant children. The letter was titled “An Open Letter to America’s CEOs” and dated April 6, 2019. 26

Patriots Foundation Lawsuit

In April 2020, right-of-center advocacy group Patriots Foundation filed a complaint arguing that was no legal separation between the American Bridge Foundation and the American Bridge PAC with shared staff, office space, and equipment used. However, the American Bridge Foundation has stated that “the two entities have entered into a cost-sharing agreement to allocate shared overhead costs so that neither entity is financially supporting the activities of the other.” 27 In other statements, American Bridge claimed that neither organization has “a formal agreement relating to the allocation of expenses between the two entities” and “allocations were made based on management and budget estimates.” 27

On August 13, 2020, Patriots Foundation filed a lawsuit against the Federal Electoral Commission (FEC) for failing to act on a previously-issued complaint in April against political operative David Brock and four of his organizations. 28 The complaint alleged that Brock had used nonprofits Correct the Record as well as Media Maters, American Bridge 21st Century, and American Bridge 21st Century Foundation to illegally coordinate with Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. 27 According to a statement released by Patriots Foundation, “American Bridge 21st Century PAC claimed that it was independent of the Clinton campaign so that it could make independent expenditures […] American Bridge is run by the same people who run Media Matters and Correct the Record, however, which we know coordinated with the Clinton campaign. 27

Partisan Local News

In November 2022, Capital Research Center reported on the Independent, a new media outlet based in Washington, D.C. which masqueraded as a series of local news websites targeting audiences in battleground states such as Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin. The Independent was founded by David Brock and funded by American Bridge 21st Century, George Soros, and Reid Hoffman. 29

“This F*cking Guy” Campaign

In June 2023, American Bridge 21st Century launched a new campaign titled, “This F*cking Guy,” that it claimed would remind “the public and reporters alike of the daily chaos that Trump created when he was president.” 9 American Bridge 21st Century Pat Dennis commented on the campaign, claiming that it was “easy to forget the unnecessary drama that Donald Trump and his clown car of shady associates created on a regular basis because we’ve been experiencing the benefits of President Biden’s responsible leadership. American Bridge is going to take charge in reminding everyone just how annoying and anxiety-raising the Trump years were as voters head to the ballot box next November.” 9

Overtime Pay Allegation

In November 2024, Susan Hascall, a tracker for American Bridge 21st Century in Texas, sued the group alleging it did not pay her overtime. She claimed since March 2022 she worked nearly 50 hours a week and up to 65 hours a week during election seasons and rarely took lunch breaks. 30

People

Leadership

In December 2022, it was announced that Pat Dennis, who previously worked as American Bridge 21st Century’s vice president of research, would take the position as president of the organization. Prior to joining American Bridge in 2014, he worked within several state and federal campaigns including work as research drector for the Ohio Democratic Party as well as the deputy research director for Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s 2012 Senate race. 31

As of 2023, co-founder David Brock continued to receive a $300,000 salary working as the group’s “senior advisor.” 32

Board of Directors

According to American Bridge 21st Century Foundation’s 2023 tax return, Cecile Richards was the chair of the group but she passed away in January 2025 from cancer. Chris Deri and David Bennhaum worked as treasurers. 32

Financials

According to American Bridge 21st Century Foundation’s 2023 tax returns, the group had revenue of $6,001,649, expenses of $8,571,260, and net assets of $-1,310,056. The group claimed a debt of $2,056,049 was owed to AB PAC. That year, it gave $600,000 to the Democratic Governors Association and $60,000 to the Opportunity for All Action Fund, a “dark money” group which backed Democratic U.S. House incumbents against more left-wing primary challengers. 32 33

In the 2024 election cycle, American Bridge 21st Century Foundation donated $31,330,676 to AB PAC. 2

References

  1. Luo, Michael. “Effort for Liberal Balance to G.O.P. Groups Begins.” The New York Times. November 22, 2010. Accessed April 18, 2017. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/us/politics/23money.html.
  2. “Ab Pac – Committee Overview.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed July 20, 2025. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00492140/?tab=raising&cycle=2024.
  3. “American Bridge SCOTUS Research, Tracking, and Communications Plan.” Politico. Accessed July 11, 2018. https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000164-838b-d782-af64-f39fcc420001.
  4. “Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings and votes.” Ballotpedia, Accessed June 20, 2023. https://ballotpedia.org/Brett_Kavanaugh_confirmation_hearings_and_votes
  5. Schoffstal, Joe. “David Brock Launches $50 Million Effort to ‘Weaken’ Trump in 2020.” The Free Beacon. March 21, 2020. https://freebeacon.com/politics/david-brock-launches-50-million-effort-to-weaken-trump-in-2020/
  6. Stanley-Becker, Isaac. “Democratic Groups to Spend Millions Hitting Trump over Coronavirus Response.” The Washington Post. WP Company, March 17, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democratic-groups-to-spend-millions-hitting-trump-over-coronavirus-response/2020/03/17/5f9fadba-686c-11ea-9923-57073adce27c_story.html.
  7. Sager, Rebekah. “Organizer Cecile Richards believes abortion ‘was just the first attack’.” The American Independent, June 8, 2023. https://americanindependent.com/cecile-richards-abortion-just-the-first-attack/
  8. “Republicans We’re Watching.” American Bridge 21st Century, Accessed June 20, 2023. https://www.americanbridgepac.org/targets/#article
  9. “THIS F*CKING GUY: American Bridge’s Latest Campaign to Hold Donald Trump Accountable.” American Bridge 21st Century, June 16, 2023. https://www.americanbridgepac.org/this-fcking-guy-american-bridges-latest-campaign-to-hold-donald-trump-accountable/
  10. “Trump Research Book.” Trump Research Book, Accessed June 20, 2023. https://trumpresearchbook.com/
  11. “DESANTIS RESEARCH BOOK.” DeSantis Research Book, Accessed June 20, 2023. https://desantisresearchbook.com/
  12. McCammond, Alexi. “Dems dump 500 pages of DeSantis opposition research.” Axios, April 3, 2023. https://www.axios.com/2023/04/03/democrats-2024-ron-desantis-research
  13. Mahoney, Emily L.. “Democratic group publishes 500-page DeSantis opposition research file.” Tampa Bay Times, April 6, 2023. https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2023/04/05/ron-desantis-opposition-research-democrats-donald-trump-2024-american-bridge/
  14. “American Bridge 21st Century: Repro Files.” Repro Files, Accessed June 20, 2023. https://repro-files.com/
  15. Samuels, Brett. “Democratic Group Highlights Trump’s Past Comments in Black History Month Campaign.” The Hill, February 16, 2024. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4471549-democratic-group-highlights-trump-past-comments-black-history-month-campaign/.
  16. Montellaro, Zach. “Dem Oppo Powerhouse American Bridge Sets Its Sights on the House.” Politico, March 21, 2024. https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/21/american-bridge-democrat-opposition-research-house-races-00148119.
  17. Samuels, Brett. “Democratic Group Launches $20m Ad Campaign Targeting Trump after Biden Steps Aside.” The Hill, July 23, 2024. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4789370-democratic-group-ad-campaign-targeting-trump-biden/.
  18. “Icymi: American Bridge Post-Debate $15M Ad Launch.” American Bridge PAC, September 12, 2024. https://www.americanbridgepac.org/icymi-american-bridge-post-debate-15m-ad-launch/.
  19. Piper, Jessica. “Dem Super PAC American Bridge Launches Puerto Rican Texting Campaign over Trump Rally Remarks – Live Updates.” Politico , October 30, 2024. https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/10/30/2024-elections-live-coverage-updates-analysis/puerto-rican-texting-campaign-00186279.
  20. Samuels, Brett. “Democratic Group Launches Opposition Research Effort on Trump Administration.” The Hill, November 15, 2024. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4992722-democratic-super-pac-tracking-trump-administration/.
  21. Schleifer, Theodore. “Democratic Donors Will Gather to Plot Ways Forward under Trump.” The New York Times, December 17, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/17/us/politics/democratic-donors.html.
  22. Samuels, Brett. “Democratic Group to Track State Impacts of Trump Agenda.” The Hill, March 31, 2025. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5222781-democratic-group-to-track-state-impacts-of-trump-agenda/.
  23. Lowkell. “New Audio: Behind Closed Doors, Winsome Earle-Sears Calls Trump’s Tariffs ‘Good,’ ‘to Our Benefit’; Also Says ‘I Think Trump Is Crazy like a Fox.’” Blue Virginia, April 9, 2025. https://bluevirginia.us/2025/04/new-audio-behind-closed-doors-winsome-earle-sears-calls-trumps-tariffs-good-to-our-benefit-also-says-i-think-trump-is-crazy-like-a-fox/.
  24. Watkins, Eli; Merica, Dan. “Liberal group staffer arrested after allegedly forcefully grabbing GOP campaign manager.” CNN. October 17, 2018. Accessed October 18, 2018. https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/17/politics/mike-stark-kristin-davison-nevada/index.html
  25. Singman, Brooke. “Dem operative for Soros-funded group arrested for ‘battery’ against Nevada GOP candidate’s campaign manager.” Fox News. October 17, 2018. Accessed October 18, 2018. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dem-operative-for-soros-funded-group-arrested-for
  26. “An Open Letter to America’s CEOs.” Restore Public Trust. April 6, 2019. https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2019/04/Restore-Public-Trust-Open-Letter-Asylum-04.2019.pdf
  27. Hemingway, Mark. “Did Media Matters shill so hard for Hillary that it broke the law.” The Federalist. August 17, 2020. https://thefederalist.com/2020/08/17/did-media-matters-shill-so-hard-for-hillary-that-it-broke-the-law/
  28. Kerr, Andrew. “Conservative Group Sues FEC For Failing To Act On Allegations Against Media Matters.” The Daily Caller. August 14, 2020. https://dailycaller.com/2020/08/14/conservative-group-fec-lawsuit-media-matters-patriots-foundation-david-brock/
  29. “Video: Local News or Political Propaganda?” Capital Research Center, November 3, 2022. https://capitalresearch.org/article/local-news-or-political-propaganda/.
  30.  Gonzalez, Oriana. “Tracker Sues Democratic Super PAC American Bridge for Unpaid Overtime.” NOTUS, November 18, 2024. https://www.notus.org/money/tracker-sues-democratic-super-pac-american-bridge-for-unpaid-overtime.
  31. “Press Release: American Bridge 21st Century Announces Opposition Research Veteran Pat Dennis as Next President.” American Bridge 21st Century, December 19, 2022. https://www.americanbridgepac.org/american-bridge-21st-century-announces-opposition-research-veteran-pat-dennis-as-next-president/
  32. “Ab Foundation, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed July 20, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/275278038/202443069349300119/full.
  33. Lacy, Akela. “New Dark-Money Group Spending against Progressives Is Suspiciously Well Aligned with Powerful Democrats.” The Intercept, June 8, 2022. https://theintercept.com/2022/06/08/opportunity-for-all-action-fund-dark-money-democratic-primary/.
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: February 1, 2014

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2022 Dec Form 990 $20,712,901 $15,970,417 $2,407,973 $1,148,418 N $20,713,706 $0 $0 $537,330 PDF
    2021 Dec Form 990 $9,934,660 $16,108,769 $2,285,446 $5,768,375 N $9,927,370 $0 $0 $884,516 PDF
    2020 Dec Form 990 $28,575,524 $23,204,232 $3,431,448 $740,268 N $28,516,219 $75,000 $0 $517,057
    2019 Dec Form 990 $7,700,796 $9,463,698 $1,593,842 $4,273,954 N $7,626,822 $75,000 $0 $385,515
    2018 Dec Form 990 $8,313,646 $7,627,725 $1,467,079 $2,384,289 Y $8,277,945 $42,320 $0 $338,859 PDF
    2017 Dec Form 990 $8,481,083 $9,678,780 $1,062,659 $2,665,790 N $8,470,505 $10,000 $0 $357,272 PDF
    2016 Dec Form 990 $7,071,542 $5,458,746 $3,072,881 $1,833,815 N $7,071,511 $0 $31 $741,975 PDF
    2015 Dec Form 990 $4,632,000 $5,009,986 $756,494 $805,435 N $4,632,000 $0 $0 $260,786 PDF
    2014 Dec Form 990 $1,855,500 $2,268,136 $568,500 $408,590 N $1,855,500 $0 $0 $300,126 PDF
    2014 Jun Form 990 $3,334,429 $3,079,292 $869,647 $297,101 N $3,334,429 $0 $0 $331,502 PDF
    2013 Jun Form 990 $1,945,000 $2,624,839 $489,487 $172,078 N $1,945,000 $0 $0 $302,170 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    American Bridge 21st Century Foundation

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    WASHINGTON, DC 20024