A Tarpon Springs nonprofit founded by conservative influencer Nick Adams is celebrating a decade of teaching civics to American children, but its own public filings paint a far more lucrative picture for the family behind it. In 2024, Adams and his mother collected $587,279 in compensation and benefits from the Foundation for Liberty and American Greatness, or FLAG — 53% of the charity’s revenue. The questions are landing as FLAG holds its 10th-anniversary gala Wednesday, with tickets topping out at $10,000.
FLAG says it promotes civics education for K-12 students nationwide and has distributed more than 1 million classroom resources, according to its official website. The U.S. Department of War has also publicly praised the group, saying FLAG reached 2 million children and featuring Secretary Pete Hegseth at a 2025 Constitution Day event.
But an investigation originally published by ProPublica found little evidence in FLAG’s federal tax filings that the nonprofit was paying schools, teachers or educational distributors. The filings show that FLAG’s annual revenue climbed from $68,000 in 2016 to $1.1 million in 2024, while documented education-related spending was sparse.
Family Compensation Took A Huge Share Of Revenue
Data from ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer shows FLAG reported $1,107,604 in revenue and $1,323,481 in expenses for 2024. Nicholas Adams was listed with $368,846 in compensation plus $16,572 in other benefits, while his mother, Angelika Adamopoulos, received $190,100 plus $11,761 in other benefits.
That combined compensation represented more than half of FLAG’s revenue for the year, even as the organization reported no program-service revenue and no grants paid out. ProPublica also reported that FLAG’s tax filings repeatedly indicated there was no independent review of executive compensation, a governance safeguard experts said could create legal and tax concerns.
Sweepstakes Operation Raises Additional Questions
The reporting also examined FLAG’s direct-mail sweepstakes campaigns, which offered donors chances to win prizes including $1 million. Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says charitable organizations must document how contributions are used and comply with registration and disclosure requirements for solicitations.
According to Talking Points Memo, FLAG’s federal filings do not disclose the sweepstakes operation, and records reviewed by ProPublica contained no documented payment of the advertised $1 million prize. A Better Business Bureau complaint filed in 2024 alleged that the charity repeatedly postponed sweepstakes drawing deadlines.
Adams did not respond to detailed questions about FLAG’s finances, donor operations or educational programming, while new CEO Cooper Rodenburg also did not provide answers, according to the investigation. Adams ceded the CEO role in March as he moved into a State Department position promoting American tourism, exceptionalism and values, but FLAG’s Tarpon Springs operation continues soliciting donations and selling tickets for its anniversary dinner.
