A Liberty-Lover's List of Favorite Year-End Donation Recipients
UPDATE: I am adding the Substack of Dr. Naomi Wolf to this list. Why hers, in particular? Because she has taken up some of the hardest, and dirtiest, work of pure journalism that, in ordinary circumstances, would be performed by big publications with budgets for such things. She has no such budget, and those big publications will of course not touch her for the very reason that she IS doing actual journalism – something they abandoned years ago.
OK, and I’ll add my friend Kevin McKernan. One of Naomi’s counterparts in the world of science, Kevin is an independent scientist, doing the kind of work that you’d ordinarily think would come from the major academic institutions and public health agencies. (OK, that was a joke.) Kevin’s work just might be instrumental in holding accountable the criminal enterprise that was the Covid-19 vaccines.
Yes, there are other worthy Substackers deserving of your support. These two jump out at me though, because of the nature of the work they’ve been doing, and its importance to fighting some of the biggest threats to human liberty and thriving that we face today.
These are some of my favorite places to donate money at any time of year. I'm posting it now, in case it's helpful for others who are looking to make year-end donations.
My criteria are: The cause has to be one that I support, of course; The organization has to have a good track record in actually supporting and taking action on behalf of this cause; For the charities, they have to have a good track record in terms of how they spends their money (how much goes to overhead, vs. actual projects, etc.).
Lastly, I try to direct my support towards those organizations that I believe are truly "striking at the root" of the problem. Those that are really targeting their efforts in the most meaningful ways possible. So, not so much those that spend their time lobbying politicians to do the right thing, or drafting legislation (although some of these also do some of that), etc. I'm more interested in the folks who are doing things like: a) Taking on the bad guys in court (IJ, ICAN, HSLDA); b) Promoting real solutions that might actually lead to a free society (Tenth Amendment Center); and c) Educating and spreading information in a way that nobody else is (Brownstone and Mises). The charities I've listed are those that I've found to be best in terms of how they spend the money they get.
I'm sure I've left some good ones off of this list. If anyone has more suggestions that meet the above criteria, please feel free to leave them in the comments.
And Happy New Year!
The Mises Institute
The Mises Institute has a long tradition of upholding liberty and opposing statism, regardless of world circumstances or which party is in power. They've been putting the Beltway "libertarian" think-tanks to shame for years, and each year educate hundreds of students in the principles of Austrian economics. When the free society arrives, the Mises Institute will be recognized as one of the bedrocks that has made it possible.
The Brownstone Institute
The brainchild of Jeff Tucker, one of the very best in the liberty movement, Brownstone has been one of the very few publications to publish consistently, thoroughly, and honestly about the most important issues of the "Covid Era" (is that what we're going to call it now? And is it over yet?) From mask mandates, to the devastating harms caused by the lockdowns, and the dangers of the Covid-19 vaccines, the Brownstone Institute has not shied away from any of it. They deserve our support.
The Institute for Justice
Takes on stupid government regulations that harm ordinary people, all over the country, and wins.
Anti-War.com
They actually mean it.
(Donations are matched today, December 26th!)
The Tenth Amendment Center
Educating about practical and effective ways that Americans can (and do!) take back their power from the federal government, at the local level. This is very, very important.
ICAN
The legal team from the Informed Consent Action Network has taken aim at some of the biggest and most important targets of our time: Mask mandates, vaccine mandates, government fraud in promoting the Covid fear campaign. They have had many impressive victories, including overturning a Mississippi law that denied parents the right to a religious exemption for school vaccine requirements. This ruling could have implications for the entire nation. These guys are David against Goliath, and they are winning. But they need our support to continue the good fight.
HSLDA
The Homeschool Legal Defense Association provides important information and support for homeschooling families, and also assists in cases where families are threatened by the state. And they do it with a lean and efficient team. These are good folks, helping other good folks. Let's help them.
Medecins Sans Frontiers
A great track record for bringing medical care to some of the most dangerous places in the world. Yes, that medical "care" includes some things I believe are actually harmful. But I believe that harm is outweighed by the desperate need for emergency medical care in the places these folks go.
(Also has an active donation matching, through December 31.)
Mercy Corps
Another charity with a great record for putting donation dollars to good use, and bringing life-saving help to where it is most needed. I looked into them years ago and was happy with what I found. If anyone knows of any groups doing a better job, I'd love to know about them.
And yes, they are working to get aid to Gaza.
And finally, our family's own personal choice:
The Dup15Q Alliance
This is the organization for families of those who were born with Dup15Q Syndrome – the genetic syndrome our daughter has. Over the years, the group has grown from a small group of families supporting each other with information and experiences, to a driver of medical research that might actually result in a treatment for this genetic condition. I know it's not on every liberty-lover's list, but it is on ours.