1792 Insights
The 1792 Exchange is committed to delivering sharp, data-driven analysis of corporate America’s political entanglements. Discover what investors, executives, and concerned citizens should know regarding why businesses should return to neutral, mission-focused operations.
Risks Associated with HRC Foundation Partnership
July 17, 2026What Is the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF)? The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF) is the educational and charitable affiliate of the Human Rights Campaign, operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. HRCF advances LGBTQ+ priorities through research, resources, benchmarking tools, programs, and public education intended to shape policies and practices across workplaces, municipalities, healthcare systems, schools, and other institutions.1,2 What Does the HRCF Do? Administers an annual Corporate Equality Index (CEI), which evaluates companies based on workforce protections, benefits, culture, and outreach and engagement related to LGBTQ+ issues.3–5 Administers an annual Municipal Equality Index (MEI), which evaluates cities based on their non-discrimination laws, benefits, contractor standards, municipal services, law enforcement, and local leadership related to LGBTQ+ issues.6–8 Administers a biannual Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), which evaluates hospitals and healthcare facilities based on their training, patient services, employee benefits and policies, community engagement, and responsible citizenship related to LGBTQ+ issues.9,10 Operates a Welcoming Schools program that provides LGBTQ+ training, lesson plans, booklists, in-person training/programming, and other resources for youth-serving professionals to create “gender-inclusive” schools and support transgender and non-binary students.11–15 Risks of Corporate Partnership Partisan Alignment Risk HRCF’s programs promote policy frameworks and institutional standards widely associated with progressive policy priorities.16,17 …
Risks Associated with HRC Corporate Partnership
July 17, 2026What Is the Human Rights Campaign (HRC)? The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), functioning as a 501(c)(4), is the largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization in the United States. Founded as a political action committee in 1980 to support pro-LGBTQ+ candidates, it has since expanded into programs, research, campaigns, lobbying, and mobilization to support and advance pro-LGBTQ+ policies, legislation, and officials.1 What Does the HRC Do? LGBTQ+ issue advocacy and lobbying for LGBTQ+ policy and legislation at the federal, state, and local levels.2 Electoral engagement aimed at mobilizing pro-LGBTQ+ voters and supporters to elect pro-LGBTQ+ leaders.3 Institutional advocacy to advance LGBTQ+ policies and practices in major systems, including schools, workplaces, hospitals, and communities.4 Risks of Corporate Partnership Partisan Alignment Risk HRC is a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization involved in lobbying and electoral activity, advancing policy priorities aligned with the Democratic Party platform.5–7 Corporate sponsors have been accused of taking political sides through association.8 HRC’s endorsements overwhelmingly favor Democratic candidates, creating a partisan perception.9 HRC’s affiliated PAC overwhelmingly funds Democratic candidates, including presidential candidates.10–12 Corporate support for the HRC, particularly when not balanced by comparable support for organizations promoting conservative or traditional values, could be perceived as political side-taking.13 Controversial Policy Advocacy HRC’s advocacy extends …
HRC National Dinner Sponsorships Plummet 54.5%
July 16, 2026The Human Rights Campaign is currently recruiting sponsors for its 2026 National Dinner, and its sponsorship materials provide a revealing comparison. Because these advertisements list sponsors from the previous year, 1792 Exchange was able to compare the 2024 and 2025 National Dinner sponsor rosters. The result: HRC National Dinner sponsorships have declined by 54.5%. This sharp decrease fits a broader pattern. HRC corporate sponsorships fell 38% from 2024 to 2025, while participation in the organization’s Corporate Equality Index among Fortune 1000 companies declined 61% from 2025 to 2026. These developments are especially notable because corporate sponsorship of the HRC/HRCF and their events and participation in the CEI had historically moved in only one direction: upward. That trajectory began to change following Tractor Supply’s June 2024 apology, when it became the first major company to publicly distance itself from both the HRC and the CEI. However, this decline did not occur in isolation. A dedicated group of organizations, investors, and journalists has increasingly exposed the extent of the HRC’s influence over corporate policies and practices. At the same time, a broader cultural, political, and legal movement has challenged DEI programs and corporate support for modern gender ideology. Together, these developments have brought the reputational, legal, …
Faith-Aligned Investors, Big Tech, and the Fight Against Child Exploitation
July 8, 2026Some advocates say investors shouldn’t underestimate shareholders’ ability to sway a company’s views. Dustin DeVito is the director of research at the nonprofit 1792 Exchange, which encourages corporations to promote free speech, freedom of religion, and free enterprise. He said company executives sometimes aren’t aware of what’s happening down in the trenches of their businesses’ day-to-day operations, and all they may need is for shareholders to bring a concern to their attention. “When issues are being voted on at a company’s annual general meeting, if you have shares in a company, you have a vote,” explained DeVito. “If you have shares, you have the ability to get in touch with investor relations … [and] have those conversations with the executives.” DeVito also said that CSAM is a new part of the social discussion—one that companies don’t have decades of experience dealing with. “People have not really been taking this seriously or talking about it in a comprehensive way until very recently,” DeVito said. “So just based on just where these companies have been over the past few years, I think there really is a chance for people to have direct engagements with the executives.” The full article can be found …
The Course of ESG Investing
July 8, 2026As ESG-related practices have come under increasing scrutiny in the United States and abroad, newly released data paints a clearer picture of the current state of ESG investing. Two realities stand out: Perhaps the clearest example of the ESG exodus lies in the investor movement away from ESG mutual funds. These funds have bled $65.7 billion since 2022, roughly 20% of their average assets. Additionally, new fund launches have collapsed from 116 in 2021 to just nine last year, and BlackRock has slashed its support for ESG shareholder proposals from 40% in 2021 to less than 2% (7/358) in 2025. Even the 2026 proxy season backs this up: no ESG proposal won majority support. But this does not mean ESG will disappear. Many of its most committed proponents are doubling down, pursuing ESG through less visible channels, or lying low until a more favorable political and regulatory environment emerges. For example, CalPERS has all but dropped the word “ESG,” now calling it “sustainability integration,” while still on track to nearly double its climate-related holdings to $100 billion by 2030. BlackRock’s Larry Fink stopped using the term too, calling it “weaponized.” The rhetoric has cooled, but the strategy has not. Investors have …
1792 Exchange applauds the meaningful progress at Charles Schwab
July 8, 2026Inspire Investing deserves strong credit for years of dedicated corporate engagement and a broader commitment to policies that advance human dignity, viewpoint diversity, and long-term shareholder value. Inspire began engaging Schwab in 2023, constructively raising key issues around political neutrality, employee benefits, and workplace culture. Their persistence helped bring these matters forward and supported productive, ongoing dialogue with the company. We especially commend Charles Schwab for their action to stop covering medical gender interventions for minors and to exit the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index. The company confirmed to Inspire that its current self-insured health plan, as well as third-party administered plans available to employees, no longer cover gender-transition surgeries or pharmaceutical treatments for minors. Schwab has also ceased participation in the HRC’s index. These steps reflect strong leadership in refocusing on core business priorities rather than ideological agendas. The company further clarified that religious organizations remain eligible for its employee gift-matching program. Based on these developments, Inspire withdrew its shareholder proposal. Schwab is to be applauded as only the second major company we know to publicly taking this step to protect minors (after Walmart). We know other companies have taken or are considering taking similar action, and we encourage …