Turning Point USA facts for kids

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Turning Point USA

Abbreviation	TPUSA
Formation	June 5, 2012; 13 years ago (2012-06-05)
Type	Nonprofit organization
Purpose	Advocacy of conservatism on education campuses
Headquarters	4940 East Beverly Road Phoenix, Arizona 85044
Region served	United States
Leader	Charlie Kirk
Revenue (2023)	US$81 million

Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is an American organization that teaches young people about conservative ideas. It is a nonprofit organization, which means it uses its money to help its cause, not to make a profit. TPUSA works on high school and college campuses across the United States.

Charlie Kirk and Bill Montgomery started TPUSA in 2012. The group has grown quickly and is now a major voice for conservative students. TPUSA has other groups that work with it, like Turning Point Action and TPUSA Faith.

TPUSA has created websites like Professor Watchlist. This site lists college teachers who, according to TPUSA, are unfair to conservative students or share very liberal ideas. TPUSA also tries to help conservative students get elected in student governments. In 2021, they launched the School Board Watchlist. This website shares names and photos of school board members who supported rules like mask mandates or certain ways of teaching about race.

TPUSA often holds big events and conferences. These include the Student Action Summit and AmericaFest. The organization gets its money from people and groups who support conservative causes.

History of Turning Point USA

Donald Trump speaks at the 2019 Student Action Summit.

In May 2012, Charlie Kirk was 18 years old. He gave a speech at Benedictine University. A retired businessman named Bill Montgomery was impressed by Kirk. Montgomery encouraged Kirk to focus on political work instead of going straight to college.

One month later, after Kirk finished high school, they started Turning Point USA. Montgomery helped with the paperwork and guided Kirk. He often called himself a co-founder of the group.

At a big Republican meeting in 2012, Kirk met Foster Friess, a person who donates a lot to Republican causes. Friess agreed to help fund TPUSA. Other important people, like Ginni Thomas, also advised the organization.

Between 2016 and 2017, TPUSA raised over $8.2 million. During this time, records showed that the group supported conservative students in student government elections. Major donors included Bernard Marcus (co-founder of Home Depot) and Richard Uihlein.

In March 2023, TPUSA announced a partnership with the BLEXIT Foundation. This means they would work together to share their messages.

Leaders and Important People

Charlie Kirk's Role

Kirk speaking at Culture War Tour, October 22, 2019

Charlie Kirk is a well-known Republican activist. He is the founder and leader of Turning Point USA.

Kirk has spoken at major events, including the 2016 Republican National Convention. He supported Donald Trump during his presidential campaigns. Kirk also became the CEO of Students for Trump in 2019. In 2020, he was a main speaker at the Republican National Convention.

Some former employees and student volunteers said that TPUSA employees, including Kirk, worked closely with the campaigns of Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio in 2016. For example, Kirk helped send student volunteers to work for a pro-Cruz group. Also, students were asked to hand out materials for Cruz.

In October 2016, Kirk took part in a Fox News event that supported Donald Trump. TPUSA said it would cover expenses for students who attended.

Bill Montgomery's Contributions

Bill Montgomery (1940–2020) was a businessman and a part of the Tea Party movement. He helped Charlie Kirk start Turning Point USA in 2012. Montgomery was the organization's secretary and treasurer until April 2020.

Montgomery passed away in July 2020 due to health problems.

Other Key People

Tyler Bowyer became the chief operating officer (COO) of TPUSA in 2017.
In February 2019, Benny Johnson joined TPUSA as chief creative officer.
In May 2019, Candace Owens left her role as communications director. This happened after some of her past comments became public.
Also in May 2019, Kyle Kashuv resigned from TPUSA. This was after some inappropriate comments he made earlier were shared.
In 2019, Alex Clark became the host of POPlitics.
In 2021, Jack Posobiec joined TPUSA to host the show Human Events Daily.

TPUSA Activities and Goals

The New York Times has called TPUSA the most important conservative youth group in the country. TPUSA says its goal is to find, teach, train, and organize students. They want to promote ideas like freedom, free markets, and limited government.

TPUSA has groups at over 850 college campuses. These groups help students register to vote. TPUSA workers aim to talk to many students each semester. Student volunteers use different themes to share conservative ideas, such as "The Healthcare Games" and "Game of Loans."

Turning Point USA supports groups like the NRA and the use of fossil fuels. They are against groups like Black Lives Matter. TPUSA also works to fight against certain ideas they call "Cultural Marxism" in universities. Kirk has described universities as "islands of totalitarianism."

Annual Summits and Conferences

Turning Point USA holds several large national conferences each year. These include the Student Action Summit and the Young Women's Leadership Summit (YWLS). They also host the Young Black Leadership Summit and the Young Latino Leadership Summit. TPUSA helps attendees with lodging and sometimes meals. People can also apply for help with travel costs.

Student Action Summit

The Student Action Summit (SAS) is one of TPUSA's main yearly events. It brings together high school and college students from all 50 states. The summit helps students learn about conservative ideas and values. It includes networking, leadership workshops, and guest speakers.

The 2025 Student Action Summit had its largest attendance ever, with 5,000 people. Speakers included Tom Homan, Kristi Noem, Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump Jr., and Tucker Carlson. Charlie Kirk also spoke to the crowd.

AmericaFest

In December 2021, Turning Point USA started AmericaFest. This is a four-day conference with conservative speakers and country music. Speakers in 2023 included Glenn Beck, Roseanne Barr, Mike Lindell, and Tucker Carlson. This event was TPUSA's biggest conference yet, with 13,000 attendees.

In December 2024, AmericaFest was held in Phoenix, Arizona. Keynote speakers included Donald Trump, Ben Shapiro, Charlie Kirk, and Tucker Carlson.

Young Women's Leadership Summit

The Young Women's Leadership Summit (YWLS) has been held for ten years. It brings together Republican women for discussions on topics like "God's design in your career." Speakers often talk about dating, parenting, and nutrition advice.

The 2025 YWLS had over 3,000 women attending. Charlie Kirk and his wife Erika Kirk spoke at the event. The National Rifle Association (NRA) was a main sponsor in 2017 and 2018. The YWLS aims to promote women's leadership and encourage women to get married, have children, and focus on their homes.

Professor Watchlist Website

Turning Point USA runs a website called Professor Watchlist, which started in November 2016. Kirk has said the site aims to "document and expose college professors who discriminate against conservative students." It also lists those who "promote anti-American values" or "advance leftist propaganda."

As of December 2016, the site had over 250 professors listed. Reports have said the list sometimes has mistakes. It includes professors for things they didn't exactly say or do, or for being rude to students. TPUSA says the list just collects reports about what professors say. They believe it's an example of freedom of speech.

In October 2023, a teacher at Arizona State University who was on the Professor Watchlist was followed by a TPUSA crew. The teacher said he was pushed during the incident. The university president said TPUSA was at fault for harassment and violence. TPUSA, however, blamed the teacher on social media.

School Board Watchlist Website

In 2021, TPUSA launched the School Board Watchlist. Kirk said this site would "hold district leaders accountable for 'dangerous agendas'." The website shares names and photos of school board members. It focuses on those who supported mask mandates, mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations, or certain ways of teaching about history, race, and gender.

Involvement in Student Government Elections

Turning Point USA has tried to influence student government elections at many colleges. These include Ohio State University and the University of Maryland. Some conservative candidates at the University of Maryland withdrew from elections because they didn't report help from TPUSA.

A private brochure for TPUSA donors described a plan to win most student government positions at many large universities. The goal was to stop progressive groups, allow more free speech, and promote "American Exceptionalism." TPUSA said it helped over 50 conservatives become student body presidents. However, some reports found that TPUSA's success rate was much lower than claimed. Some students TPUSA said they supported actually said they had never talked to anyone from the organization.

Campus Activities

In 2016, Turning Point USA at Grand Valley State University filed a lawsuit against the school. They wanted to stop the school's "Speech Zone" policy, saying it limited students' freedoms. They later reached an agreement.

In September 2017, a teacher at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln was moved to a different role. This happened after a video showed her confronting a student who was recruiting for TPUSA.

In October 2017, some TPUSA students at Kent State University protested against "safe space" culture. They dressed up in diapers like babies. After many people made fun of this online, the chapter president resigned. The Kent State TPUSA chapter later disbanded but has since been restarted.

In April 2023, a TPUSA student group at San Francisco State University hosted an event. The speaker was former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines. She spoke about keeping trans women out of women's sports. After her speech, protestors gathered. Campus police had to escort her to a room for several hours.

Recognizing Campus Chapters

Some universities have had discussions about whether to officially recognize Turning Point USA as a student group.

At Drake University in 2016, TPUSA was not recognized at first. Students worried about the group's "hateful record" and "aggressive marketing."
At Hagerstown Community College, a student's attempt to start a TPUSA group was initially blocked. The school said it was too similar to an existing group. A lawsuit led the school to change its rules.
In February 2017, Santa Clara University's student government voted against recognizing TPUSA. But in March 2017, the Vice Provost for Student Life overturned this decision, and TPUSA became a recognized group.
Wartburg College's student government also voted against recognizing TPUSA in late 2017. The chapter had to change its rules to get approval.
The student union at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute also voted against recognizing the TPUSA chapter in January 2018.
In 2021, the student court at Wichita State University overturned a decision by the student senate. The court said it was unconstitutional to deny recognition to a Turning Point USA chapter.

Media Presence

In October 2020, Charlie Kirk started hosting a daily three-hour radio show. It is on a conservative Christian radio network called Salem Media.

Turning Point USA's online audience grew a lot in 2020. Their social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram had over 10 million followers combined.

In September 2021, Turning Point USA launched "Turning Point Live." This is a three-hour online talk show.

In 2021, a film by Turning Point USA Productions called A Long Walk in Socialism won an Emmy Award for Cultural/Topical documentary.

In 2022, Turning Point USA worked with Salem Media Group to release "Border Battle." This was a series about America's southern border.

In 2025, Turning Point USA co-produced a documentary with The Daily Wire called "Identity Crisis." This film looks at "radical gender ideology" and "societal failures."

Involvement in Elections

2016 Presidential Election

Some former employees and student volunteers said that TPUSA employees, including Kirk, worked closely with the presidential campaigns of Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. For example, Kirk helped send student volunteers to work for a pro-Cruz group. Also, students were asked to hand out materials for Cruz. A former employee also said TPUSA shared student information with Rubio's campaign.

A TPUSA staff member wrote on Facebook that students who attended an event would have their expenses covered.

2020 Presidential Election

Turning Point USA hosted rallies to support Donald Trump's reelection in 2020. Some of these rallies featured Trump himself or his supporters.

January 6, 2021, Rally

After the 2020 election, Kirk questioned the election results. On January 4, 2021, Kirk announced that Turning Point Action would send buses to a rally in Washington, D.C., on January 6. This rally was to protest the election outcome. They sent seven buses with about 350 people.

Turning Point Action also gave money to some speakers at the rally. However, they did not organize or take part in the march to the Capitol building. The rally ended with a riot and an attack at the U.S. Capitol. Kirk later said on his podcast that it was "bad judgment" to enter the Capitol. A spokesperson for Turning Point Action later said the group does not support political violence.

Turning Point Organizations

Turning Point Action

Turning Point Action is a separate group that works on political campaigns. It focuses on right-wing and conservative ideas. While it says it's separate from Turning Point USA, both groups were started by Charlie Kirk. They also use similar marketing and branding. Kirk has received money from both organizations.

In May 2019, it was reported that Kirk was planning to launch Turning Point Action. This group would be allowed to target Democrats in campaigns.

During the 2020 election, Turning Point Action paid teenagers in Arizona to create many social media posts. These posts shared Turning Point USA content. The teenagers did not always say they were working with the organization.

TPUSA Faith

In 2021, Charlie Kirk started TPUSA Faith. This group aims to get pastors and church leaders involved in local and national political issues. It promotes a "culture war" agenda and wants to attract religious conservatives. Its activities include voter drives based on faith. It also teaches members about TPUSA's main values.

Turning Point Endowment

Turning Point Endowment Inc. is a group that supports Turning Point USA. Its goal is to help TPUSA's charitable work and long-term strength.

Turning Point Academy

In 2021, TPUSA announced Turning Point Academy. This was planned as an online school for families who wanted an "America-first education." TPUSA planned to create lessons with a company called StrongMind. However, StrongMind's main partner, Freedom Learning Group, ended the contract. They did this after finding out the client was TPUSA.