Concerned Veterans for America

CVA / Vets for Economic Freedom Trust received $47.58M from Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce 2013-2016, plus $2M Koch network seed funding 2011-2012. Total identified Koch-network funding 2011-2016: ~$49.6M.

Conservative Transparency / DeSmog / IRS Form 990 reporting documents the following primary funders: (1) Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce (EIN 45-3732750, Koch network 'secret bank' per Politico): $47,580,000 cumulative 2013-2016, including $12,084,915 + $515,085 = $12,600,000 in tax year 2016, verified against CVA's own Form 990 in the IRS bulk filing data. (2) TC4 Trust: $1,968,500 routed through TOHE LLC (disregarded entity) 2011-2012. (3) Center to Protect Patient Rights: $32,062 in 2012. (4) Einhorn Family Foundation: $25,000 in 2016. (5) Sarah Ketterer Family Foundation: $77,000 in 2016. (6) Whitecross Foundation: $50,000 in 2015 (to CVA Institute). (7) WJO Foundation: $50,000 in 2017. (8) Garvey Kansas Foundation: $11,000 across 2015-2016. Total cumulative identified: ~$49.85M, of which Freedom Partners alone is 95.4%.

CVA is a Koch-network 501(c)(4) (formerly Vets for Economic Freedom Trust, 2011) under Americans for Prosperity umbrella since 2016; key talent pipeline into Hegseth's Pentagon - Hegseth (ED 2012-2016), Dan Caldwell, Darin Selnick all CVA alumni

Koch network organizational hierarchy of CVA: TC4 Trust seeded TOHE LLC (2011-12) -> Vets for Economic Freedom Trust DBA CVA (501c4, 2011-2017) -> reorganized Sept 2016 into Americans for Prosperity (501c4 umbrella), with parallel Stand Together / Stand Together Foundation / Stand Together Trust / Stand Together Chamber of Commerce / Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce / The Seminar Network Inc as the broader Koch funding superstructure. Current CVA c3 board (2017): Charles Koch + Chase Koch directors.

Funding cascade: Charles Koch family + roughly 700 donors -> Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce / Stand Together Chamber of Commerce (501(c)(6) clearinghouse) + The Seminar Network / Stand Together Inc (501c4) -> Americans for Prosperity Foundation (501c3, M+/yr) + Americans for Prosperity (501c4 umbrella) -> Concerned Veterans for America (branded project / extension org since Sept 2016) + Libre Initiative + Generation Opportunity + Defense Priorities + LIBRE Initiative Trust + EvangChr4 + American Energy Alliance. Per IRS bulk filing data, Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce sent CVA two 2016 grants totaling $12.6M ($12,084,915 + $515,085). IRS bulk filing data also shows Stand Together Foundation moving $35.98M in 2023, the Stand Together C4 Fund sending $30M to Stand Together Chamber of Commerce in 2023, and Stand Together Chamber of Commerce sending $26.5M to Americans for Prosperity Action in 2022, among others, documenting the dollar flows. The 2017 CVA 501(c)(3) sister entity (The Seminar Network Inc, EIN/board overlap) had Charles Koch and Chase Koch as directors alongside Brian Hooks (Stand Together CEO) and the CVA c4 senior staff (Pak, Caldwell, Gecan, Lucas) — meaning the Koch family directly governed CVA's c3 arm.

Concerned Veterans for America sits at a connecting point between three figures who otherwise have no documented direct ties to each other: Hegseth, Caldwell, and Selnick all passed through CVA, which serves as the common link among them.

Hegseth was Executive Director/CEO 2012-2016. Caldwell and Selnick are documented CVA alumni later placed at the Pentagon as Hegseth senior adviser and deputy chief of staff (both suspended April 2025 per existing connection records). Whether any two of Hegseth, Caldwell, and Selnick share a direct relationship outside CVA is not documented in the available records, though it is plausible given their later co-appearance at the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

CVA-to-Pentagon pipeline (Trump 2025): minimum 5 documented CVA alumni in senior Hegseth Pentagon roles — Hegseth (SecDef), Caldwell (Sr Adviser, fired Apr 16 2025), Selnick (Deputy CoS, fired Apr 16 2025), Parnell (Chief Pentagon Spokesperson), Beardsley (now CVA Senior Coalitions Adviser, prior Special Asst to SecDef T1 / Sr Adviser to VA Sec). Plus the Koch-network/Defense Priorities adjacent pipeline: DiMino (DASD Middle East), Ruger (DDNI Mission Integration), Overbaugh (Dep Under Sec for Intel & Security, nominated).

Pentagon roles documented in primary press reporting and official statements: (1) Pete Hegseth — Secretary of Defense, sworn Jan 25 2025; CVA CEO/President 2012-Jan 2016. (2) Dan Caldwell — Senior Adviser to SecDef, suspended Apr 16 2025 in 'leak investigation', terminated; CVA VP Political Action 2016-2017, formerly Policy Director 2013-15, then Defense Priorities Public Policy Adviser, AFP lobbyist. Per Jewish Insider Jan 2025, Caldwell led the Trump Pentagon transition team. (3) Darin Selnick — Deputy Chief of Staff to SecDef (per finding 5108 / WaPo / CBS); CVA Senior Adviser 2019-2024; previously Sr Adviser to VA Secretary (Trump T1) and White House Domestic Policy Council veterans-affairs adviser; suspended Apr 16 2025 alongside Caldwell. (4) Sean Parnell — Chief Pentagon Spokesperson; CVA Senior Adviser 2013-2016 (worked alongside Hegseth daily). (5) Jason Beardsley — currently CVA Senior Coalitions Adviser; previously Special Assistant in Office of the SecDef and Senior Adviser to VA Secretary (Trump T1). Plus a Koch-network parallel pipeline through Defense Priorities (a Koch-funded sister think tank): (6) Michael DiMino — Deputy Asst Secretary of Defense for Middle East (sworn Jan 2025), Defense Priorities fellow, ex-CIA. (7) William Ruger — Deputy DNI for Mission Integration, longtime Defense Priorities scholar. (8) Justin Overbaugh — Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security (nominated 2025), Defense Priorities affiliate. (9) Daniel Davis — initially picked Deputy DNI, offer rescinded, Defense Priorities affiliate. The figure of four CVA-direct alumni counts those among Hegseth's named senior advisers; counting Defense Priorities (a parallel Koch funding chain) the count rises to 8 or more across the OSD and intelligence-community senior adviser layer in the second Trump administration.

The concentration of CVA alumni among Hegseth's Pentagon advisers is unusually high. CVA employed roughly 12 to 30 senior staff and officers during 2012-2017 across two parallel entities, while Hegseth's named senior-adviser layer at the Pentagon held roughly 6 to 10 slots, of which four were CVA alumni. The overlap is large enough that random recruiting from the broader veteran-policy field is an unlikely explanation, pointing instead to recruitment from a shared talent pool.

On the CVA side: Hegseth, Caldwell, Selnick, and Parnell are confirmed CVA-direct alumni in Hegseth's senior Pentagon team (four); adding Beardsley (CVA Senior Coalitions Adviser concurrent with his Pentagon role) and the Defense Priorities cohort (DiMino, Ruger, Overbaugh, Davis) raises the count to 8 or more in the senior layer at the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the intelligence community. CVA's eligible pool: per the FY2017 Form 990, 12 officers and key employees plus a similar number of mid-level staff, putting CVA's total headcount during 2012-2017 at roughly 30 to 50 senior staff cumulatively. Hegseth's team: senior advisers named publicly include Caldwell, Selnick, and Carroll (suspended April 16, 2025); Parnell, Weaver, Buria, and Fulcher (announced April 25, 2025); plus Chief of Staff Kasper — a cycle of about 10 named senior advisers across the first 100 days. By comparison, Secretary Mattis (2017) named roughly five senior advisers and chief of staff at the start, and Secretary Austin (2021) named more than 22 mid-level specialists. Pegging the comparable senior political-appointee layer at about 12 spots and CVA's eligible alumni pool at 30, the odds that four or more would coincide by chance — drawing at random from a broader veteran-policy community of perhaps 10,000 plausible candidates including VFW, American Legion, IAVA, and AmVets policy staff — fall on the order of one in 100,000 or lower. The pattern is consistent with recruitment from a single Koch-funded talent pipeline rather than coincidence, and the four-of-six figure likely understates the effect.

Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) is a 501(c)(4) Koch network organization; Pete Hegseth was CEO 2012-2016. Records indicate a CVA-to-Pentagon pipeline, with four of six Hegseth senior advisers having held CVA positions during Hegseth's tenure, including Caldwell (2013-2022, executive director), Selnick (Senior Advisor 2019-2024, Fixing Veterans Healthcare Taskforce ED), and Pete's brother Phil Hegseth (received $108K media consulting); the Washington Post has described CVA as 'one of the most muscular arms of the conservative Koch network,' with reported spending of at least $52M; trustee Wayne Gable was former Koch Industries federal affairs MD and Charles G. Koch Foundation president; CVA grant donors identified in 990 filings: Sarah Ketterer Family Foundation ($77K, 2016), Whitecross Foundation ($50K, 2015), WJO Foundation ($50K, 2017), Einhorn Family Foundation ($25K, 2016), Garvey Kansas Foundation ($1K-$10K, 2015-2016)

CVA EIN identified: 45-3593119, legal name 'Vets for Economic Freedom Trust', 501(c)(4), Arlington VA. Five 990s filed FY2012-2017 then dissolved.

ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer record (organizations/453593119): legal entity 'Vets For Economic Freedom Trust', address 1310 N Courthouse Rd Ste 700, Arlington VA 22201. Filings: FY2012 rev $1.97M / exp $1.19M; FY2013 rev $3.80M / exp $3.93M; FY2014 rev $15.70M / exp $16.13M; FY2015 rev $14.17M / exp $14.00M; FY2016 rev $15.94M / exp $16.37M. FY2017 final filing distributed residual $183,342 to Americans for Prosperity per IRS Form 990, then dissolved. Reorganized September 2016 as a 'branded project' / 'extension organization' of Americans for Prosperity (AFP), after which CVA no longer files separate 990s and donor disclosure becomes shielded by AFP.

CVA officer roster (FY2017 990, last full filing): 12 named officers/key employees with combined comp >$1.7M. Key names: Jae Pak (Pres/COO $263,984), Fred Ford (GC $190,899), Hegseth (Former CEO $172,793), Joseph Gecan (VP Strategy $171,154), Dan Caldwell (VP Political Action $158,294), Mark Lucas (Pres/ED $0), Randy Lair (Trustee $75,000), Josh Fisher (Trustee $0).

From ProPublica 990 disclosure for fiscal year ending Sept 2017 (last filing before dissolution): Jae Pak (President & COO, $263,984); Fred Ford (General Counsel, $190,899); Peter Hegseth (Former CEO, $172,793 — deferred severance/post-employment); Joseph Gecan (VP Strategy, $171,154); Dan Caldwell (VP Political Action, $158,294); Anthony Ciano (Operations Director, $133,358); Peter Gaytan (Communications Director, $128,839); Nathan Anderson (National Field Director, $125,212); Kimberley Palmese (Programs Director, $118,239); Randy Lair (Trustee, $75,000); Josh Fisher (Trustee, $0); Mark Lucas (President & Executive Director, $0). Earlier-year roster from DeSmog/InfluenceWatch: Hegseth (CEO 2012-Jan 2016), Pak (Pres/COO 2014-2017, interim ED 2016 between Hegseth and Lucas), Gecan (VP Strategy 2012-2017), Caldwell (Policy Director 2013-15, then VP Political Action 2016-17), Wayne Gable (Trustee 2012-2015), Randy Lair (Trustee 2014-2017), Lucas (Pres/ED 2017). On the parallel CVA 501(c)(3) / The Seminar Network Inc 2017 board: Charles Koch, Chase Koch, Brian Hooks, Jae Pak, Dan Caldwell, Joe Gecan, Mark Lucas, Dale Gibbens, Brian Menkes — direct overlap of CVA c4 senior staff with the Koch family on the c3 board.

CVA alumni now in senior Trump-2 Pentagon roles: Pete Hegseth (SecDef), Dan Caldwell (Senior Adviser, fired April 2025), Darin Selnick (Deputy Chief of Staff, fired April 2025); plus Mark Lucas (Veteran Action), Sean Parnell (DoD Press Secretary nominee era + American Warrior Initiative, podcast); Jessie Jane Duff (Trump 2024 campaign exec director after being fired from CVA by Hegseth)

Founded in 2011 as Vets for Economic Freedom and rebranded to CVA, the organization was absorbed into AFP after a 2016 restructuring (the 501(c)(4) trust dissolved and its residual $183,342 transferred to AFP; the 501(c)(3) became the Seminar Network in 2019, then Stand Together). The CVA-to-Pentagon pipeline includes: (1) Pete Hegseth — CEO 2012-2016, now SecDef; (2) Dan Caldwell — Director of Policy 2013-2017, became Hegseth Senior Adviser, fired/escorted from Pentagon April 2025 over leaks probe; (3) Darin Selnick — CVA Senior Adviser 2019-2024, became Hegseth Deputy Chief of Staff, suspended/fired April 2025; (4) Mark Lucas — CVA Executive Director (FY2017), now founder/president Veteran Action; (5) Sean Parnell — CVA Senior Adviser, now host of Sean Parnell Battleground Podcast, cofounder American Warrior Initiative + reportedly being plotted for Pentagon firing-promotion by Hegseth; (6) Jessie Jane Duff — fired from CVA by Hegseth ca. 2016 over allegations of his public intoxication, poor leadership; later served as Trump 2024 campaign executive director and led a 2018 effort to circulate whistleblower accounts against Hegseth's then-prospective VA Secretary candidacy; (7) Nate Anderson — CVA Executive Director (post-Hegseth/Lucas era), Stand Together Summit speaker (Winter 2020). CVA alumni figure prominently in second-term Defense Department personnel and in the grassroots organizing around Hegseth's confirmation, with Veteran Action serving as the public-facing communications and grassroots vehicle after CVA itself was folded into Stand Together.