How did Charlie Kirk start Turning Point USA and when was it founded?

1. How the idea began — an 18‑year‑old speaker and a mentor’s push

Charlie Kirk’s origin story, as reported by encyclopedias and contemporary news outlets, centers on a May 2012 appearance at a Youth Government Day event where Kirk — then about 18 — captivated teenagers; Bill Montgomery, a retired marketing entrepreneur and Tea Party activist, encouraged him to forgo college and pursue activism full time. A month later, the two launched what became Turning Point USA ^{[1] [2] [5] [6]}.

2. Official founding date and early steps

Multiple sources place the founding in 2012 and describe the launch occurring immediately after Kirk finished high school: the timeline given is May 2012 for the meeting and June 2012 for the formal creation of the nonprofit. TPUSA was set up as a 501(c)^[7] nonprofit focused on organizing on high‑school and college campuses ^{[1] [5] [2]}.

3. What TPUSA was meant to do at the start

Early framing for the organization was explicit: to organize young people behind conservative principles — free markets, limited government and pro‑Republican engagement — and to act as a counterweight to liberal campus groups. That mission appears consistently in reporting and in TPUSA’s own materials ^{[3] [8]}.

4. Kirk’s role and the decision to leave college

Sources report Kirk briefly attended Harper College before withdrawing after one semester to focus on Turning Point USA. The narrative that Montgomery urged Kirk to defer or drop out and that Kirk became the public face and chief fundraiser is common across profiles ^{[2] [9] [5]}.

5. Early supporters, funding and rapid growth (context and caveats)

Reporting and reference works note that donations from conservative donors and foundations helped scale TPUSA after its founding, turning it into a national operation with affiliated entities (Turning Point Action, Turning Point Faith, Turning Point Endowment) and large events. Those same sources also record later controversies about fundraising and finances, including investigative reporting that questioned financial claims and leaders’ compensation — showing the organization’s early grassroots image evolved into a well‑funded national organization ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

6. Where sources converge — and where they differ

There is broad agreement that TPUSA was founded in 2012 by Charlie Kirk with Bill Montgomery’s help and that Kirk was 18 and quickly became TPUSA’s leader ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Differences between sources are mostly about emphasis: some profiles stress Kirk’s charisma and youth as the defining origin; investigative pieces emphasize later financial growth and critique; TPUSA’s own materials stress mission and impact ^{[9] [2] [4]}.

7. What the available sources do not mention

Available sources do not mention an exact legal incorporation date beyond the year 2012 in the clipped reporting here; they also do not provide the specific month‑and‑day incorporation paperwork dates in the excerpts provided. If you need the precise incorporation filing date or the original 501(c)^[7] determination letter, those are not included in the current reporting (not found in current reporting).

8. Why the founding story matters now

The consistent 2012 founding narrative matters because it frames TPUSA as a millennial/Gen‑Z conservative project that intentionally targeted campuses — a strategic choice that shaped its tactics, fundraising and later political influence. Contemporary coverage that follows Kirk and TPUSA from the founding to national prominence underscores how an early mentorship and a quick decision to build rather than pursue college became central to TPUSA’s identity ^{[3] [9] [6]}.

If you want next steps, I can pull together the specific quotes and dates from each source above, or try to locate the formal incorporation filings and IRS determination documents (these exact records are not included in the current set of sources).