The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation named conservative activist Christopher Rufo the first of its three 2025 Bradley Prize winners on Tuesday.
The Wisconsin-based foundation awards its annual prizes to three individuals it believes champion its conservative principles and the legacy of the late Lynde and Harry Bradley. The Bradley Foundation also gives grants to organizations it believes will advance conservative principles.
Rufo, a contributing editor at City Journal and senior fellow and director of the initiative on critical race theory at the Manhattan Institute, is best known for his activism against the promotion of critical race theory and LGBT content in schools and for pushing for the ousting of former Harvard University President Claudine Gay.
Bradley Foundation President Rick Graber said in a statement Tuesday that it is “pleased” to give Rufo the prize and heralded his activism.
“Chris has galvanized a public understanding of American exceptionalism and defends vigorously the principles that have made America a land of freedom and opportunity,” Graber said. “He has reinvigorated conservatives by showing that it’s possible to restore vital American institutions to their intended purpose.”
“Chris’s stated goal to protect, restore, and reanimate the timeless principles of the American Revolution is strongly aligned with the long-standing mission of The Bradley Foundation,” he added.
Rufo said he was “deeply grateful” to be recognized for his work and said winning the prize is an “incredible honor.”
“This award reaffirms my commitment to the principles of freedom, equality, and civic engagement – values that have guided my work. I extend my heartfelt thanks to The Bradley Foundation for their support and to my colleagues, mentors, and family, whose encouragement has been invaluable,” Rufo said in a statement Tuesday.
Graber told the Washington Examiner ahead of the 2024 Bradley Prize ceremony that the prize is intended to continue the legacy of the Bradley brothers and “recognize those individuals within the conservative movement that really reflect those principles.”
“We know the brothers cared deeply about our constitutional order, federalism, separation of power, and individual liberties. We know they truly believed in free enterprise and free markets. They cared deeply about their community, civil society, and they believed that to be an effective citizen in our society, you have to be an informed citizen,” Graber said last May.
The other two recipients of the Bradley Prize will be named later this month. All three winners will be honored at a May 29 ceremony at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., for the award’s 21st year. The prize winners are selected after the foundation’s selection committee considers more than 60 candidates, and the winners are awarded stipends of $300,000.
The 2024 winners of the Bradley Prize were William B. Allen, Samuel Gregg, and Jay Bhattacharya.