Free Congress Foundation - Origin

Origin

In the 1960s and 1970s the labor union-backed National Committee for an Effective Congress was highly influential. In 1974, in part to counteract its influence, Weyrich founded the Committee for the Survival of a Free Congress (CSFC), whose name implied that the United States Congress should stop being dominated by labor and other liberal-leaning interest groups.

The CSFC was organized as a grassroots organization focused on elective politics. It had some success and was a pioneer in political direct mail fundraising. It complemented in a respect the activities of the Heritage Foundation, which Weyrich had also co-founded, which researched tax and regulatory issues. However, Weyrich wanted an organization that would focus on conservative social values.

The CSFC thus became a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, the Free Congress Research and Education Foundation. It also has a sister organization, Coalitions for America, which, as a 501(c)(4), is permitted to lobby, and a political action committee, the Free Congress PAC, that is permitted to directly endorse and contribute to political candidates. The name "Free Congress" no longer directly refers to an effort to free Congress from liberal influence; it is now the equivalent of a brand name that has outgrown its origin and refers only to the organization that bears it.