# Entity: Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADF International)

# Entity: Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADF International)

## Basic Information
- **Type**: US-based legal advocacy organisation (international subsidiary of ADF)
- **Status**: Active
- **HQ (US parent)**: Scottsdale, Arizona
- **International HQ**: Vienna, Austria
- **UK presence**: ADF UK (adfinternational.org/en-gb)
- **Executive Director (ADF International)**: Paul Coleman
- **US parent revenue**: $120M (2025), $109M expenses
- **Operates in**: 100+ countries
- **US parent EIN**: 54-1660459

## Role in Ecosystem

ADF International is the global arm of Alliance Defending Freedom, a US 501(c)(3) conservative Christian legal advocacy group. It funds and supports legal cases across Europe and the UK that align with Christian right / social conservative agendas — particularly anti-abortion, anti-LGBT, anti-trans, and "religious freedom" cases.

ADF is significant because:
1. It's a **massive US funder** ($120M revenue) operating in 100+ countries
2. It funds UK legal cases directly
3. The **UK government cited ADF International** in free speech proposals (openDemocracy, Feb 2021)
4. It represents the **US Christian right → UK legal system** pipeline
5. It overlaps with far-right narratives on "culture war" issues

## Money IN (Funding Received)

| Date | From | Amount | Type | Confidence | Source |
|------|------|--------|------|------------|--------|
| 2025 | US donors / ADF parent | $120M | Revenue | CONFIRMED | ProPublica 990 |
| Ongoing | US conservative donors | Unknown | Donations | CONFIRMED | IRS 990 |

**Narrative**: ADF's parent organisation has $120M annual revenue (2025). ADF International is funded primarily through the US parent. ProPublica shows Schedule F (foreign activities), Schedule I (grants to other orgs), and Schedule R (related organisations) — all relevant for UK funding tracing.

## Money OUT (Funding Given)

| Date | To | Amount | Type | Confidence | Source |
|------|------|--------|------|------------|--------|
| Ongoing | UK legal cases | Unknown | Legal funding | CONFIRMED | ADF International website |
| 2025 | **Livia Tossici-Bolt** (anti-abortion buffer zone case) | Unknown | Legal defense funding | CONFIRMED | The Guardian Dec 2025 |
| Ongoing | European legal cases (ECHR) | Unknown | Legal funding/amici briefs | CONFIRMED | Global Extremism Project report |
| 2020-2021 | UK free speech cases | Unknown | Legal support | CONFIRMED | openDemocracy |
| 2025 | Dark money anti-abortion group linked to Reform | Unknown | Funding surge | CONFIRMED | Good Law Project |
| Ongoing | Grants to partner organisations | Unknown | Grants (Schedule I) | CONFIRMED | IRS 990 |

**Narrative**: ADF International funds legal cases across Europe and the UK. Their grants programme explicitly offers case funding for cases dealing with "religious freedom, sanctity of life, and marriage and family."

### Confirmed UK Cases Funded

**Livia Tossici-Bolt case** (The Guardian, Dec 2025): ADF's UK branch funded the case of an anti-abortion campaigner convicted in April 2025 for breaching a buffer zone outside an abortion clinic near Bournemouth. The council spent £90,000 prosecuting her for praying.

**Dark money anti-abortion group linked to Reform** (Good Law Project): A surge of funding for a dark money anti-abortion group that has "actively framed the zones, which prohibit handing out anti-abortion leaflets or obstructing anyone accessing or working at an abortion clinic, as an infringement on freedom of speech."

**UK government free speech proposals** (openDemocracy, Feb 2021): UK government cited ADF International in white paper on free speech proposals.

## Companies / Entities Controlled

| Company Name | Number | Role | Status | Notes |
|-------------|--------|------|--------|-------|
| Alliance Defending Freedom (US) | 54-1660459 (EIN) | Parent organisation | Active | 501(c)(3) |
| ADF International (Vienna) | Unknown | International subsidiary | Active | HQ in Austria |
| ADF UK | Unknown | UK branch | Active | adfinternational.org/en-gb |

## Known Associations

| Person/Org | Relationship | Evidence |
|-----------|-------------|----------|
| Paul Coleman | Executive Director, ADF International | ProPublica 990 |
| UK government | Cited in free speech proposals | openDemocracy Feb 2021 |
| European Court of Human Rights | Files amici briefs | Global Extremism Project |
| Various UK Christian right groups | Case partners | ADF website |

## UK Government Connection

**openDemocracy (Feb 2021)**: "UK government cites US anti-LGBT 'hate group' in free speech proposals"

A UK government white paper on free speech proposals cited ADF International. This is significant because:
- ADF is designated as a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center
- The UK government was using their work to shape policy
- Shows how US Christian right organisations influence UK policy

## Ideological Alignment with UK Far-Right

ADF's agenda overlaps significantly with UK far-right narratives:
- **Anti-Muslim**: "Religious freedom" cases that challenge Islamic practices
- **Anti-LGBT**: Opposes same-sex marriage, trans rights
- **Anti-abortion**: Funds pro-life legal challenges
- **Anti-"woke"**: "Free speech" defences that align with culture war narratives

This ideological overlap means ADF-funded cases often advance narratives that the UK far-right also promotes.

## Legal / Regulatory Questions

**US tax-exempt status**:
- 501(c)(3) organisations are supposed to be non-political
- ADF's international legal advocacy is arguably political activity
- Has IRS investigated?

**UK Electoral Commission**:
- Does ADF's case funding count as political activity?
- Are there Electoral Commission implications for ADF-funded UK cases?

**Foreign influence**:
- US organisation funding UK legal cases
- UK government citing their work in policy proposals
- Regulatory gaps for foreign legal advocacy funding

## Media Coverage

| Date | Outlet | Headline | Key Claims | URL |
|------|--------|----------|-----------|-----|
| 2021-02-19 | openDemocracy | "UK government cites US anti-LGBT 'hate group' in free speech proposals" | UK government white paper cited ADF International | https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/uk-government-cites-us-anti-lgbt-hate-group-in-free-speech-proposals/ |
| 2024-06-14 | CBS News | "How the group behind the Supreme Court abortion drug case is..." | ADF International funded UK anti-abortion case | https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alliance-defending-freedom-adf-supreme-court-abortion-drug-case-global/ |
| 2021-11 | Global Extremism Project | "THE ALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM'S ROLE IN..." (PDF) | ADF files ECHR briefs | https://globalextremism.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/ADFI_Report_2021-1.pdf |
| 2020-11-26 | Hansard (UK Parliament) | "Covid-19: Freedom of Religion or Belief" | ADF International reports cited in Parliament | https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2020-11-26/debates/33E19414-B2EA-4958-AC19-DBF68FFD1F91/Covid-19FreedomOfReligionOrBelief |

## Research Notes

**Key questions**:
- **Total UK case funding**: How much has ADF spent on UK legal cases? Need 990 Schedule F analysis.
- **Specific UK cases**: Full list of UK cases ADF has funded or supported?
- **UK government relationship**: How did ADF get cited in UK government free speech proposals?
- **Paul Coleman**: Full profile — UK connections, background?
- **Grant recipients**: Who receives ADF grants in the UK? (990 Schedule I)
- **Overlap with other US funders**: MEF, TPUSA, Heritage Foundation — shared UK recipients?

**Leads to follow**:
- IRS 990 Schedule F (foreign activities) — search for "United Kingdom" entries
- IRS 990 Schedule I (grants) — UK grant recipients
- ADF International case database (website)
- UK court records for ADF-supported cases
- openDemocracy investigation into UK government/ADF relationship
- Cross-reference with other US Christian right funders (MEF, FRC, Heritage)

**Red flags**:
- $120M US organisation funding UK legal cases
- UK government citing "hate group" in policy proposals
- Ideological overlap with UK far-right narratives
- 501(c)(3) funding arguably political legal activity internationally
- Part of broader US Christian right → UK influence pipeline

**Significance**: ADF International represents:
1. **US Christian right → UK legal system** pipeline
2. Massive financial resources ($120M) deployed internationally
3. UK government legitimising a US "hate group"
4. Legal cases that advance far-right-aligned narratives
5. Regulatory gaps for foreign legal advocacy funding

## Last Updated
- **Date**: 2026-06-14
- **Researcher**: Initial data collection session
- **Next actions**:
  - IRS 990 Schedule F analysis (UK foreign activities)
  - IRS 990 Schedule I analysis (UK grants)
  - Full list of ADF-funded UK cases
  - Paul Coleman profile
  - UK government/ADF relationship investigation