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Free Enterprise Project

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Free Enterprise Project
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Basic facts
Location:Washington, D.C.
Top official:David A. Ridenour
Year founded:2007
Website:Official website


The Free Enterprise Project (FEP) is a group that, according to its website, aims to provide "full-service shareholder activism and education."[1] FEP is part of the National Center for Public Policy Research, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that, according to its website, is "supportive of a strong national defense and dedicated to providing free market solutions to today’s public policy problems." According to its website, it "annually files more than 90 percent of all right-of-center shareholder resolutions."[1][2] FEP was founded in 2007.[1]

Mission

As of 2021, the Free Enterprise Project had the following mission:

Our mission is to promote environmental and social corporate responsibility through shareholder advocacy, coalition building, and innovative legal strategies.[1][3]

Work

Environmental, social, and corporate governance
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The Free Enterprise Project published an overview of its work in a 2020 Investor Value Voter guide. The guide contains the following descriptions of FEP's work:[4]

  • Shareholder activism: "[W]e engage corporate America through shareholder activism. Why would a conservative organization engage in activity that is largely the providence of liberal interest groups? It is precisely because the left has been so effective at moving corporate America into its cultural lane that we must engage. For decades, business leaders have only heard from the political left – so much so that we’ve reached a point where large companies routinely take actions that offend conservative and traditional values with impunity. We aim to balance the discussion."[4]
  • Shareholder proposals: In 2020, FEP filed 25 shareholder proposals. "As conservatives and libertarians, we believe in strong property rights and a large and well-functioning private sector. This makes shareholder activism a great fit for us. Shareholders are simply proportional owners of the companies in which they own shares. It’s entirely right and proper that they – we – as owners should have our voices heard in how the companies are run."[4]
  • Voter guide: The FEP 2020 Investor Value Voter Guide says: "Standing against [As You Sow (AYS)] and its allies, like David fighting a field of Goliaths, is our small FEP team. We create proposals of our own [...] while urging you, as shareholders, to cast your proxies in favor of them. We also oppose many AYS and allied proposals."[4]

Leadership

As of April 2022, the following individuals were leaders of the Free Enterprise Project:[5]

  • David Ridenour, President
  • David Almasi, Vice President

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Free Enterprise Project. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also

External links

Footnotes

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