Bradley Foundation

History

The foundation was established in 1942, shortly after the death of Lynde Bradley, to further the philosophy of the Bradley brothers. The Bradley brothers had helped found the Allen-Bradley Company, a major electrical controls manufacturer. The foundation's credo is "The good society is a free society."

In 1965, after the death of Harry Lynde Bradley, Lynde's brother, the foundation expanded and began to concentrate on public policy. In 1986, the foundation gave away $23 million, more than it had in the previous four decades.

The Bradley Foundation's former president, Michael S. Joyce, helped to create the Philanthropy Roundtable.

In 2011, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote that "The Bradley Foundation acts like a venture capital fund for conservative ideas."

Funding areas

The foundation describes itself as supporting limited government. The New York Times described the Bradley Foundation as "a leading source of ideas and financing for American conservatives." A 2013 report from the Center for Public Integrity found that the Bradley Foundation was a contributor to Donors Trust, a donor advised fund which is not required to disclose the identity of its donors.

In a 2018 interview, the foundation's CEO, Richard Graber, described its four major areas of funding as "constitutional order", education (in particular school choice), civil society, and arts and culture.

The Bradley Foundation is a major funder of state-level initiatives opposing public sector unions, particularly in Wisconsin. The foundation has made grants to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), The associated Bradley Impact Fund in 2020 gave $6.5 million, its largest donation that year, to Project Veritas.

Bradley Prize

The Bradley Prize is a grant to "formally recognize individuals of extraordinary talent and dedication who have made contributions of excellence in areas consistent with The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation's mission." As many as four prizes of $300,000 each are awarded annually. Winners have included Fouad Ajami (2006), John Bolton (2007), Martin Feldstein (2007), Victor Davis Hanson (2008), Leonard Leo (2009), William Kristol (2009), Paul A. Gigot (2010), Jeb Bush (2011), Edwin Meese III (2012), Roger Ailes (2013), Paul Clement (2013), Mitch Daniels (2013), Yuval Levin (2013), Kimberley Strassel (2014), Ayaan Hirsi Ali (2015), James Ceaser (2015), Gary Sinise (2016), Peter Berkowitz (2017), Charles R. Kesler (2018), Glenn Loury (2022), John H. Cochrane (2023), Jay Bhattacharya (2024),

The Bradley Prizes for 2020 were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Board of directors

The Bradley Foundation has an 11-member board of directors that includes James T. Barry III, John Beagle, Paul Clement, Patrick English, Robert P. George, Richard Graber, Victor Davis Hanson, Cleta Mitchell, Art Pope, Reid Ribble, and Eugene Scalia.

References

References

1. (9 May 2013). "Lynde And Harry Bradley Foundation Inc - Nonprofit Explorer".
2. (February 2, 2018). "Bradley Foundation CEO Richard Graber Talks Education Reform & the Foundation's New Strategic Plan". [[Milwaukee Magazine]].
3. "Priority Giving Areas". Bradley Foundation.
4. (9 December 2024). "Bradley Foundation granted $14.5 million to Wisconsin organizations in 2024". BizTimes - Milwaukee Business News.
5. (2013). "Energy and the Politics of the North Atlantic". SUNY Press.
6. The 1985 acquisition of the Allen-Bradley Company by [[Rockwell International Corporation]] resulted in a portion of the proceeds going to expand the foundation, swelling its assets from $14 million to over $290 million.[http://www.bradleyfdn.org/bradley_brothers.asp The Bradley Brothers]. Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. {{Webarchive. link. (2011-05-13)
7. [[John J. Miller (journalist). John J. Miller]] (2003), "The Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation", in ''[http://www.iviewit.tv/CompanyDocs/grebe3.pdf How Two Foundations Reshaped America]'', [[Philanthropy Roundtable]]
8. "Philanthropy Roundtable: History".
9. "Bradleyfdn.org".
10. (8 June 2015). "Behind Scott Walker, a Longstanding Conservative Alliance Against Unions (Published 2015)". [[The New York Times]].
11. Abowd, Paul. (2013-02-14). "Donors use charity to push free-market policies in states".
12. (2013-12-03). "DonorsTrust—the Right's Dark-Money ATM—Pumps Out Record $96 Million".
13. In that interview, Graber said that the foundation would deemphasize some areas in which it had previously made grants, including [[national security]] and foreign policy. Between 2008 and 2011, Bradley contributed to the [[David Horowitz Freedom Center]] ($4.2 million), the [[Center for Security Policy]] ($815,000) and the [[Middle East Forum]] ($305,000).Annysa Johnson, [http://archive.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/islamic-rights-groups-report-rips-bradley-foundation-funding-b99103166z1-224649321.html/ Islamic rights group's report rips Bradley Foundation funding], ''[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]]'' (September 20, 2013).
14. Nelson, Anne. (May 2022). "10 People You’ve Never Heard of Who Are Destroying Democracy". [[The New Republic]].
15. (15 December 2021). "Project Veritas nearly doubled its funding in 2020 while amplifying baseless election fraud claims". [[Washington Post]].
16. Bice, Daniel. (November 19, 2011). "From local roots, Bradley Foundation builds conservative empire".
17. "The Bradley Prizes - Past Winners".
18. (June 4, 2018). "War of Ideas: Conservative Intellectuals Have a Friend in This Foundation".
19. (June 13, 2013). "Roger Ailes wows conservatives in accepting Bradley prize". [[The Washington Post]].
20. (13 June 2014)[http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2013/06/13/_anti_americanism_needs_to_be_answered_roger_ailes_gets_serious.html "Anti-Americanism Needs to Be Answered": Roger Ailes Gets Serious] ''[[Slate (magazine). Slate]]''. Retrieved 20 January 2014
21. (May 22, 2014). "Strassel Wins Bradley Prize: 'Potomac Watch' columnist honored for journalistic excellence". [[The Wall Street Journal]].
22. (May 17, 2016). "Gary Sinise to Receive Bradley Award and $250,000 for His Charitable Foundation". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
23. Foundation, The Lynde and Harry Bradley. "Amity Shlaes 2021 Bradley Prize Winner".
24. (22 March 2022). "Bradley Foundation: Glenn Loury, distinguished economist and scholar, selected as a 2022 Bradley Prize winner".
25. "Welcome To The Bradley Prizes".
26. "Our People {{!}} The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation {{!}} Milwaukee, Wisconsin".