Project 2025 is a production of the Heritage Foundation, which is a 501(c)3. They are not allowed to undertake certain political activities. It is possible that they are in violation of their IRS tax-exempt status. This is a huge opportunity, and I NEED YOUR HELP!
Normally, the complaint needs to be related to a specific candidate, or the spending of money over a certain level, however, the relevant IRS information is:
“On the other hand, voter education or registration activities with evidence of bias that (a) would favor one candidate over another; (b) oppose a candidate in some manner; or (c) have the effect of favoring a candidate or group of candidates, will constitute prohibited participation or intervention.”
While Heritage will contend that this is just “education” if it can be proven to the IRS that Project 2025 “favors one candidate over another”, and I think a strong case can be made, they will be in violation. I checked with several lawyers, and we have a chance of prevailing.
There is a 0% chance that the IRS would move on this prior to the election.
BUT
If enough of us file complaints, AND if it is possible to get the information out, it would have the ancillary impact of more people learning about Project 2025. And because too many people have never heard of Project 2025, there is a huge opportunity to energize people to vote against it.
The rest of this post is organized as follows:
Why Getting the Word Out on Project 2025 Matters
What Will Make the IRS Complaint Valid
How to File an IRS Complaint Against the Heritage Foundation
Easy Actions YOU can Take RIGHT NOW (If you don’t feel like reading, just scroll down to this section)
Why Getting the Word Out on Project 2025 Matters
YouGov recently polled on Project 2025 and found that most people who knew about Project 2025 were, shall we say, unimpressed.
You may think Rethuglicans are okay with it, but few have heard about it:
More voters are tuning in since Convicted Felon Trump started talking about it.
If you talk to people about what’s in it, just a fact or two, they tend to not like that their taxes will go up, that they’ll be paying tariffs, greatly increasing the cost of goods they already purchase, and they don’t like that there will be no more student loans. Again, only a sampling. There is a lot of horror from which to pick and choose.
What Will Make the IRS Complaint Valid
Remember that we are trying in our complaints to detail how this document could only apply to one candidate. Here are some options, from which you can choose if you decide to file:
Many of the authors were members of the first Trump administration, and/or are members of his current campaign team, and/or are financial donors to his campaign. (Note: in your complaint, just pick a few and cite them by name, along with the specific section they authored.)
Many of the proposals are completely aligned with the GOP Platform. (You can see a summary of the platform here.) Again, you’d need to pick one or two in your complaint. The logic is that the overlap could only apply to the Republican candidate, and that person is Convicted Felon Trump.
The proposals in Project 2025 are diametrically opposed to the positions of President Biden, and the Democratic Party. The 2024 Democratic Platform won’t be published until next month, but you can easily search any issue and find the positions to compare. For example, you could use the tax information in this article, and compare it to the Biden plan. If you took 20 pages of Project 2025, printed them, taped them to the wall, and threw a dart, you’d hit something that is a Trump proposal and opposite of a Biden proposal.
How to File an IRS Complaint Against the Heritage Foundation
You will need to fill out and submit IRS Form 13909. Download it, fill it out, attach your documentation, and then either scan it back into your computer and email to: eoclass@irs.gov or snail mail the package to: TEGE Referrals Group, 1100 Commerce Street, MC 4910 DAL, Dallas, TX 75242.
You will need this information for the top of the form:
The Heritage Foundation
214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002
EIN: 23-7327730
You will need to write your specific complaint. You cannot just attach a link to the Project 2025 website. If you are citing individual authors and/or sections, you need to detail them as part of your complaint.
Important: Remember to check box #20 under Submitter Information that reads: “I am concerned that I might face retaliation or retribution if my identity is disclosed.”
Easy Actions YOU can Take RIGHT NOW
PLEASE share this post. Hopefully the press will pick up on it and discuss whether Project 2025 is a violation of the Heritage Foundation’s 501(c)3 standing.
Make sure everyone you know is cognizant of Project 2025. When you share this post with them, let them know one or two things you especially find abhorrent in the document.
Remember, to read Project 2025 is to hate Project 2025, and no matter who our candidate is, this is something that will help bring people over to the side of truth, light, and straight Democratic tickets up and down the ballot on November 5th.
Thank you for doing all the heavy work for us!! Sent this out to EVERYONE on my list and am downloading it to do right now. It's brilliant. You're the best!