John Tillman is a conservative activist who runs the Illinois Policy Institute (IPI), a libertarian think tank, and the American Culture Project, which seeks to advance Republican Party interests.
The annual award "pays tribute to those in the state public policy movement whose achievements have greatly advanced the free market philosophy.
"[4] He also runs the Franklin News Foundation, which obtained funding during the COVID-19 pandemic to push for opposition to COVID-19 public health restrictions.
[2] The organization runs Facebook pages that present themselves as non-partisan local news and community-building hubs, but which are intended to promote content that advance Republican Party interests.
[2] By 2021, the organization ran Facebook pages in Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Virginia, as well as sought to expand to Arizona, Iowa, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin.