The nonprofit Turning Point rocketed to prominence by latching on to Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and has raised roughly a quarter-billion dollars since.
FILE - Former President Donald Trump, right, shakes hands with Turning Point CEO Charlie Kirk before speaking during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit, July 23, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. The nonprofit rocketed to prominence by latching on to Trumps 2016 campaign and has raised roughly a quarter-billion dollars since, much of it spent cultivating conservative influencers and hosting glitzy events.
While Turning Point isn't the first organization to draw scrutiny over spending, it has become a unique source of frustration for some Republicans. They point to its support for far-right candidates who struggled in marquee races, as well as the hefty sum they now seek to do work that is already being done by veteran operatives.
But Kirk's zeal for confronting liberals in academia eventually won over an influential set of conservative financiers. It helped that the group operated solely as a nonprofit charity at the time, offering a tax write-off for contributions while cloaking donors’ identities from disclosure. As their finances grew, Turning Point events became more ornate, taking on a nightclub atmosphere with strobe lights, pyrotechnics and thousands of young conservatives in attendance, many of whom had their expenses at least partially paid for by the group.
Specifics about how exactly Turning Point spends its money — and who benefits — are often difficult to discern because the IRS does not require nonprofit groups to publicly disclose detailed accounts of their expenditures. Meanwhile, many of Turning Point’s biggest vendors are limited liability companies that are registered in states that do not require public disclosure of ownership.
In 2021, Turning Point sponsored a wedding reception for Kirk and his wife, Erika Frantzve, at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess luxury hotel, which was also billed as a 9th anniversary celebration and fundraiser for the organization, according to an invitation obtained by AP. In one case, the money was used for purposes that belie the anodyne descriptions included in tax documents.
Joshua Thifault, Turning Point’s senior director of major gifts, earned $443,000 between 2021 and 2022. A company he controls received an additional $129,000 for fundraising work during that time. Thifault did not respond to a message seeking comment at a number listed to him. Now in his late 30s, Bowyer endured several financially rocky years, losing two condos to foreclosure in 2011 amid a divorce. His wages were garnished after a home ownership association sued him for thousands of dollars in unpaid fees, according to property and court records.
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