Business-Managed Democracy

Business-Managed Environment

Corporate Funding of Front Groups

Corporate front groups have flourished in the United States. Several large companies donate money to more than one front group. For example in 1991:

Dow Chemical was contributing to ten front groups including

• the Alliance to Keep Americans Working
• the Alliance for Responsible CFC Policy
• the American Council on Science and Health,
• Citizens for a Sound Economy (now Freedom Works) and
• the Council for Solid Waste Solutions.

According to Mark Megalli and Andy Friedman, in their report on corporate front groups in America, oil companies Chevron and Exxon were each contributing to nine such groups. Other companies which donate to multiple groups include

• Mobil,
• Du Pont,
• Amoco,
• Ford,
• Philip Morris,
• Pfizer,
• Monsanto and
• Proctor and Gamble.

These large corporations “stand to profit handsomely by linking their goals with what they hope to define as a grassroots populist movement.”