About this episode

The episode discusses the financial challenges facing the NRA and the implications of a potential split with its foundation, featuring insights from Brian Mittendorf.

This week, we're taking a look at the state of the National Rifle Association (NRA) as it faces what may be its biggest challenge yet. The NRA has survived 150 years, a corruption lawsuit, and a bankruptcy filing. But it is now staring down a potential crackup with the group's foundation attempting to split off. Ohio State University accounting professor Brian Mittendorf joins the show to explain just how much of a threat to the group's financial stability. Mittendorf said the battle between the foundation and the NRA membership organization, which recently escalated when the foundation's leadership dropped the NRA moniker from the group's name, could be catastrophic for both. The NRA houses most of the actual operations people associate with the group, but the foundation has long served as a key financial backstop. He argued that without it, the NRA could be back on the path to devastation, and without the NRA name, the foundation could struggle to raise new funds. He explained the complex, though not uncommon, financial setup behind the consolidated NRA, which actually involves seven different legal entities. Mittendorf said the foundation's large endowment and low expense…

People in this episode

Host: Stephen Gutowski

Guest: Brian Mittendorf

Topics covered

• NRA financial stability
• NRA foundation
• financial challenges
• membership organization
• nonprofit management

Keywords

• NRA
• financial peril
• Brian Mittendorf
• foundation
• membership organization
• financial stability
• corruption lawsuit
• bankruptcy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: National Rifle Association, Ohio State University

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