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What are the names of organizations affiliated with Turning Point USA (e.g., Turning Point Action, Students for Trump) and their tax classifications?
Executive summary
Turning Point USA (TPUSA) has listed multiple affiliated organizations on its tax filings; recent reporting and TPUSA’s own Form 990 identify at least Turning Point Endowment, Turning Point Action (a 501(c)[1] social‑welfare group), and America’s Turning Point, Inc. as related entities [2] [3] [4]. Public records and press coverage show those affiliates serve different functions — charitable/educational, political advocacy, and endowment management — and have drawn scrutiny over political activity and transfers among the entities [2] [5] [3].
1. Who TPUSA itself lists as affiliated organizations
TPUSA’s 2023 tax return and subsequent reporting name three related tax‑exempt bodies: Turning Point Endowment; Turning Point Action; and America’s Turning Point, Inc. — each appears on TPUSA’s 2023 filing as an affiliated organization [2] [4]. Paddock Post’s analysis of TPUSA’s Form 990 also notes grants to two affiliated organizations (America’s Turning Point and Turning Point Endowment) operating out of the same office as TPUSA [3].
2. Turning Point Action — a political/advocacy affiliate
Turning Point Action is described in reporting as a social‑welfare organization that operated as a 501(c)[1] and spent money on political activity, including roughly $1 million in support of Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign, according to Forbes’ review of TPUSA filings [2]. That characterization matches SourceWatch and CNBC accounts which identify Turning Point Action as TPUSA’s 501(c)[1] affiliate involved in mobilization and public political activity [6] [5].
3. America’s Turning Point — education and student outreach
America’s Turning Point, Inc. is listed as a related organization that focuses on student education efforts; TPUSA’s filings and reporting show it received grants or assistance from TPUSA and operates from the same office, suggesting a close operational relationship with TPUSA’s campus and youth programming [2] [3].
4. Turning Point Endowment — the financial/long‑term arm
The Turning Point Endowment appears on tax filings as one of TPUSA’s related tax‑exempt entities; Paddock Post and Forbes note this endowment received intra‑network grants and operates within the TPUSA institutional structure [3] [2]. The endowment role, as described, is consistent with organizations that hold longer‑term funds and make grants to programmatic affiliates [3].
5. What the records show about money flows and classification
TPUSA’s 2023 Form 990 and analyses say TPUSA granted millions to affiliates — for example, $10 million of $13 million in reported grants went to two affiliated organizations in one reporting year — indicating substantial financial transfers among the listed entities [3]. Forbes documents that TPUSA listed these three related tax‑exempt organizations on its return and that the (c)[1] affiliate undertook political spending in 2020 [2].
6. Disputes and regulatory attention
TPUSA and its affiliates have faced scrutiny about whether political activity imperils tax‑exempt status. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse urged an IRS review of TPUSA’s tax exemption after events in January 2021; reporting cites Turning Point Action’s role in organizing buses to a rally and the resulting questions about appropriate political activity for tax‑exempt groups [5]. SourceWatch also recounts complaints and concerns about TPUSA’s political involvement and the 501(c)[1] affiliate’s activities [6].
7. What the sources do not provide or confirm
Available sources do not provide exhaustive legal determinations from the IRS about revocation or change of status for any TPUSA affiliate — they report listings, classifications claimed on filings (e.g., (c)[1] for Turning Point Action), and investigatory calls or allegations, but not final regulatory adjudications [2] [5]. Detailed current IRS letters, full text of each affiliate’s Articles of Organization, or separate Form 990s for every affiliate are not included among the provided documents [4] [7].
8. Competing perspectives and implicit agendas
Forbes and Paddock Post present critical financial detail showing intra‑network grants and political spending by the (c)[1] arm [2] [3]. TPUSA’s own filings (Form 990) report affiliated payments and program descriptions but are, by nature, produced by the organization itself; watchdogs and some lawmakers frame those facts as potential misuse of tax‑exempt privileges, while TPUSA has disputed accusations regarding violations of exempt rules [3] [5]. Readers should note the implicit agendas: watchdogs and some news outlets emphasize regulatory risk and political activity, TPUSA emphasizes its educational mission in filings and public statements [4] [3].
If you want, I can pull the specific lines from TPUSA’s Form 990 that list each affiliate and the amounts transferred (available in the Form 990 cited) or summarize the separate public filings for Turning Point Action and America’s Turning Point if those documents are provided.