Organizational History
Note: People for the American Way Foundation was founded in 1981 originally under the name Citizens for Constitutional Concerns, Inc. In 1985 the name was changed to People for the American Way and in 1998 it was changed to People for the American Way Foundation. In addition, other affiliated organizations were founded under the People for the American Way banner, including a 501(c)(4) group, and a political action committee. The 501(c)(4) group existed as "People for the American Way Action Fund" from 1984 through 1997, then as "People for the American Way" starting in January 1998. The history of these changes will be detailed below. To avoid confusion, the term "PFAW/F" will be used in the organizational history and Scope and Content Note as an umbrella term to refer to the work of these organizations generally in this collection. Researchers will have to refer to the records to determine whether the work was actually conducted by the 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), or the political action committee.
People for the American Way is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, advocacy organization for progressive causes. Founded in 1981 by writer and producer Norman Lear and other civic and religious leaders, PFAW initially organized to oppose the influence of religious and social conservatives in the public sphere. Throughout its history, PFAW/F's mission evolved to include initiatives to promote public education, civil and voting rights, separation of church and state, and civic participation.
PFAW/F's work in the 1980s under President Anthony T. Podesta focused on the founders' original intent of exposing and challenging the political influence of conservative religious groups through various research, legal, and communications strategies. Early initiatives included opposing Robert Bork's nomination to the Supreme Court, rallying against campaigns to prohibit flag burning and other first amendment rights, and fighting against the censorship of textbooks and attacks on public school curricula. In 1984, recognizing the increasing impact of lobbying to shape public policy, PFAW/F created the People for the American Way Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) organization, as its lobbying arm to focus on legislative and policy advocacy work with Congress, federal agencies, and state legislatures.
Through the early 1990s under the leadership of President Arthur Kropp, PFAW/F expanded its field activity and became more involved in politics outside of Washington, D.C. Some of the issues dominating PFAW/F's agenda during this period included challenging Senator Jesse Helms's attacks on the National Endowment for the Arts, opposing the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, developing "The San Diego Model" to prevent religious group's takeovers of local school boards, and lobbying for support of the Civil Rights Act of 1991. Programs established during this time included "Artsave," designed to assist artists in resisting censorship threats; First Vote, a classroom-based voter registration program; and Students Talk About Race (STAR), a project that trained students to lead discussions about diversity and tolerance.
When Carole Shields became president in 1996, she advocated for a more aggressive political stance at all levels of government. This process led to notable structural changes. In 1998, People for the American Way became People for the American Way Foundation (PFAWF), a 501(c)(3) organization, and People for the American Way Action Fund became People for the American Way, a 501(c)4 organization. In the same year, PFAW/F created the People for the American Way Voters Alliance, a political action committee established to become involved in federal elections and support work on behalf of or in opposition to candidates. PFAW/F's involvement in public schools also grew as it teamed with the NAACP to form Partners for Public Education, organized to oppose funding of religious and private schools with public money in the form of vouchers.
During the 2000s under President Ralph G. Neas, PFAW/F continued its political activity by taking a more grassroots approach at the local level and launching voter education and mobilization campaigns focused on the impact of the presidential elections on the Supreme Court. In the aftermath of the 2000 elections, PFAW/F created the Election Protection Coalition to challenge voter disenfranchisement and help individuals overcome obstacles preventing them from voting. This time period also saw the development of various leadership programs including Young People For (YP4), The Young Elected Officials Network, and the African American Ministers Leadership Council.