Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now

Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) describes itself as the United States' "largest community organization of low- and moderate-income families, working together for social justice and stronger communities." In 2009, it made headlines when undercover conservative activists James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles, posing as a pimp and a prostitute, videotaped the Baltimore, Maryland ACORN office giving them advice on starting a brothel.

Its chief executive, Bertha Wilson, dismissed the idea that it could not function without federal funds, as it had done so for many years before it started receiving them. “We didn’t have government funding for years. We may not have government funding in the future.” She told the National Press Club that ACORN typically receives about $2.5 million to $3 million annually from the federal government – roughly 10 percent of its $20 million to $25 million annual budget. Member dues and private sources make up the rest.

The Bureau of the Census and the Internal Revenue Service ended their partnerships with ACORN.