| ProEnglish | |
|---|---|
| Motto | The Nation's Leading Official English Advocates |
| Formation | 1994 |
| Type | Public Policy |
| Headquarters | 1601 N. Kent Street |
| Location | Arlington, VA |
| Executive Director | Robert Vandervoort |
| Website | www.proenglish.org |
ProEnglish is an American non-profit lobbying organization that supports making English the official language of the United States.
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Founded in 1994 by John Tanton under the name English Language Advocates and later renamed ProEnglish, ProEnglish's first project was defending an official English initiative passed by the voters of Arizona, after the State of Arizona declined to appeal a decision overturning the initiative in federal court. Its first Chairman was Robert D. Park and its Executive Director was K.C. McAlpin.[1][2]
In addition to conducting research on a wide variety of public education activities to advance its goals, ProEnglish has helped provide pro bono legal assistance to public and private agencies facing litigation or regulatory actions over language. ProEnglish also offers a free advocacy service from its website allowing its supporters to email, call, write, and fax their members of Congress.[3]
ProEnglish is a self-governing project of U.S. Inc., a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, with a three-star rating for organizational efficiency from Charity Navigator. Its leadership structure consists of an eight member board, chaired by Dr. Rosalie Porter. Robert Vandervoort is the organization's current Executive Director.[4]
ProEnglish shares Arlington County, Virginia office space with NumbersUSA.[5][6]
According to their website, ProEnglish is currently engaged in several long-term projects that promote the use of English as the sole unifying language of the United States. First among these is repealing Executive Order 13166, which states that any entity which receives federal funds must provide whatever services it offers in any foreign language spoken by anyone likely to receive those services.
During the fall and winter of 2008 ProEnglish donated $82,500[7] out of the $89,722.76 raised by local English-only advocacy group Nashville English First,[8] to support a referendum concerning a charter amendment declaring English the official language of the city. Initially, Metro Councilman Eric Crafton remarked that "90% of the donors were individuals who had given $100 or less,"[9] but it was later confirmed that over 91% of the funding came from Arlington Virginia based ProEnglish.[7] The referendum was defeated on January 22, 2009.[10]