Hobby Lobby CEO, Heritage Foundation finance director not the same person | Fact check

The claim: The owner of Hobby Lobby is also the finance director of the Heritage Foundation

A Nov. 9 Threads post (direct link, archive link) draws a line connecting a retail giant and a conservative think tank.

“The Heritage Foundation is behind Project25 (sic),” the post reads. “Their Director of Finance is David Green. Owner of Hobby Lobby. You know what to do.”

The post was reposted about 100 times in 18 days.

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Our rating: False

While the founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby has been a significant supporter of conservative causes, he is not the Heritage Foundation’s finance director – and he no longer owns the arts-and-crafts retailer. Men named David Green hold both positions, but it's two different men.

Photos, resumes make difference clear

While David Green of Hobby Lobby is a staunch supporter of conservative causes, he’s not the same David Green at the Heritage Foundation.

"It’s entirely misinformation – they're two separate men,” Noah Weinrich, a Heritage spokesperson, told USA TODAY in an email. “The Hobby Lobby CEO has never been an employee of Heritage.”

Pictures of the two men on websites for Hobby Lobby and the Heritage Foundation show two clearly different men. Basic biographical details make it even clearer.

Fact check: Trump's CIA director, 'border czar' picks were Project 2025 contributors

Heritage’s Green graduated from Virginia Tech in 1994 and lists almost 30 years of work for banks, auditing firms and nonprofits on his LinkedIn profile.

Hobby Lobby’s Green founded his company in 1970, according to the company’s website. He also no longer owns it – announcing in 2022 that he gave away ownership to use its profits to support ministries and other Christian causes.

The social media post’s linking of the Heritage Foundation to Project 2025 is accurate, as the foundation organized more than 100 conservative groups to develop the playbook for the incoming Republican presidential administration.

USA TODAY could not reach the social media user who shared the claim for comment.

PolitiFact and Reuters also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources

• Noah Weinrich, Nov. 26, Email exchange with USA TODAY

• LinkedIn, accessed Nov. 26, David Green, CPA, CGMA

• Hobby Lobby, accessed Nov. 26, Executive Team - David Green

• Hobby Lobby, accessed Nov. 26, Our Story

• The Heritage Foundation, accessed Nov. 26, David Green

• FOX News, Oct. 21, 2022, My decision to give away ownership of Hobby Lobby: I chose God

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Common name shared by Heritage, Hobby Lobby officials | Fact check