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Education nonprofit promoting political violence received taxpayer funding

  //politics-government.news-articles.net/content/ .. olitical-violence-received-taxpayer-funding.html
  Published in Politics and Government on Saturday, October 25th 2025 at 6:00 GMT by Washington Examiner
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Washington Examiner investigation: An education nonprofit that promotes political violence is funded with taxpayer dollars

A recent investigation by the Washington Examiner has turned a spotlight on a tax‑exempt nonprofit that uses public money to disseminate extremist propaganda in schools. The report, which follows the organization’s history, the funding it has received, and the fallout from federal and state scrutiny, raises serious questions about the safeguards—or lack thereof—protecting public education from extremist influence.

The nonprofit in question

The organization, officially registered as The Center for Public Education (CPE), was incorporated in 2015 and has maintained 501(c)(3) status since its inception. Public filings describe CPE as a “civic‑education nonprofit that promotes critical thinking, democratic values, and responsible citizenship.” However, the Examiner’s deep dive reveals a very different reality.

According to the Examiner’s research, the nonprofit’s curriculum is built around a controversial course titled “The History of Political Violence.” The course claims to teach students about the historical contexts of political upheaval while simultaneously glorifying extremist groups that have used violence to pursue ideological goals. Videos in the syllabus feature former members of the Patriots for Freedom movement, and the materials encourage students to “defend the nation against perceived enemies” through direct action, including paramilitary training.

The organization’s leadership is equally troubling. Its executive director, Michael O’Brien, has a documented history of affiliations with white‑supremacist and militia networks. The Examiner uncovered a series of social‑media posts in which O’Brien praises “violent resistance” as a legitimate means to an end and urges his followers to “take up arms if necessary.” The report cites a 2020 interview in which O’Brien stated that CPE’s goal was “to create a new generation of citizen‑soldiers ready to defend our values.”

Funding from the public purse

One of the most damning aspects of the investigation is the amount of taxpayer money CPE has appropriated. The Examiner’s audit of public grant databases shows that CPE has received:

In total, over $1.8 million in public funds has been funneled to CPE. The Examiner’s analysis indicates that all disbursements were approved by state and federal grant reviewers who had no record of any red flags about the organization’s extremist content. Several reviewers later claimed they were “unaware of the curriculum’s political bias” and were “impressed by the organization’s outreach metrics.”

The Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) has not yet issued a formal audit of CPE’s financial statements, but the agency has confirmed the grant approvals and that the organization maintained its tax‑exempt status. The OIG spokesperson said the agency is “monitoring the situation” and “will investigate any potential violations of federal grant rules.”

Legal and regulatory responses

The Examiner’s follow‑up included a request for comment from the Internal Revenue Service. An IRS spokesperson confirmed that CPE retains its 501(c)(3) status but has not been subject to any investigation into its activities. “The IRS only examines an entity’s compliance with tax‑exempt requirements, not the content of its programs,” the spokesperson explained.

The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division also entered the conversation. A press release from the DOJ cited an ongoing civil‑rights lawsuit against CPE, alleging that the nonprofit’s extremist teachings “discriminated against students of minority backgrounds and contributed to a hostile learning environment.” The DOJ’s complaint cites the National Association of Scholars’ report that links extremist content to increased incidents of hate‑based violence in schools where CPE programs were adopted.

A separate lawsuit filed by a coalition of educators and civil‑rights advocates in Washington state seeks to compel the Department of Education to terminate all CPE contracts and to recover the federal and state funds that were misappropriated. The plaintiffs argue that the grants were “in violation of the Anti‑Discrimination Act” and that the organization’s programs “undermine the democratic principles that public schools are intended to uphold.”

Broader implications

The Washington Examiner’s investigation has exposed a potential loophole in how federal and state educational funds are monitored. While grant reviewers focus on measurable outcomes—such as student engagement or test scores—they may overlook the ideological content of the programs they fund. The CPE case suggests that extremist groups can masquerade as civic‑education nonprofits and, by exploiting public grant systems, infiltrate mainstream educational settings.

The report calls for a comprehensive review of grant‑making protocols. Experts quoted in the Examiner argue that:

1. Content vetting should be mandatory, with curriculum samples required before a grant is awarded.
2. Independent oversight—potentially by the Department of Education’s OIG—should include audits of program materials.
3. Stakeholder feedback from teachers, parents, and students should be formally incorporated into the grant approval process.

The Examiner also highlighted that other nonprofits with extremist ties have received public money in the past. A link to a 2021 Washington Post piece on a nonprofit that promoted antisemitic rhetoric in schools is included in the article, underscoring that CPE is not an isolated incident.

Conclusion

The Washington Examiner’s expose reveals that a tax‑exempt nonprofit—despite its façade of civic education—has been actively promoting political violence in schools and has done so with the help of taxpayer money. The investigation has prompted federal and state agencies to re‑examine the safeguards in place to prevent extremist influence in public education. If left unchecked, the case illustrates how easily public funds can be used to advance divisive ideologies under the guise of curriculum development. The next steps will hinge on whether lawmakers and regulators act swiftly to tighten grant oversight and to hold the organization accountable for its extremist agenda.