I wish I knew. It would take some doing to track any financing for this guy through the usual suspects (Soros, Fenton, Hillary). The only references I've been able to find about the award itself are to Sanchez' receiving it at CPAC. I can't even determine whether or not this was the first ever award with Jeane's name on it.
Sanchez has his reponse to all of this up now on his blog. He has a few comments in there that stick with me and keep my initial impressions intact:
(SNIP) - We all have a tendency to want to hate the enemy; I suppose that’s why Ann Coulter got applause when she used the term ragheads (that was the last Coulter scandal, or was it the Jersey Girls?)
Maybe it's just me but I thought it was odd that he refers to Ann's PREVIOUS CPAC appearance rather than this most recent one, seeing she used the word "faggot", and Sanchez is an admitted gay man.
(SNIP) - I learned a lot at the CPAC, mostly that I’m not as right-wing among the true believers as I feel in a place like New York, where people glibly promote diversity unless you don’t agree with them.
I would assume anyone who was pro-war at Columbia U in NYC (where his complaints stem from) would be considered "right wing".
(SNIP) - Why did I become a conservative? Just look at what I left, and look at who is attacking me to today? Let’s face it people, you’re all cynical enough to know that if I had espoused liberal causes, spoken out against the military, got a liberal award for courage and then outed with a porn-past, you’d be clamoring for my memoir, and nominating me for a diversity ticket with Barack Obama. Instead those who complain about wire-tapping reserve the right to eavesdrop on my private life for political brownie points. Sure, I took a picture with Ann Coulter, I don’t endorse what she said, but anyone in the military would defend her right to say it. I realize that sounds prohibitively phony, but gee it’s really true! The right to say things is precious and like so many others, my decision to serve after September 11th is even a more salient point of my past. I feel I’m duty bound to help out my fellow veterans in any fight, both foreign and domestic.
I still don't know why he 'became' a conservative. I do know the reason he enlisted after September 11 is because of his past, though I don't claim to understand that. I have no idea what his past in porn has to do with enlisting. "I was a hooker, than 9-11 happened and I had to do something."
(SNIP pt a) - I can tell you that by the time I finished my summer tour of the major studios, I was pretty disgusted with myself... (SNIP pt b) - With so many experiences since the last George Bush was in power, you’ll have to forgive me for not listing a summer job in my resume, so many years later.
Twice in this he refers to his working in gay porn as a "summer" job. The gay blogs - who exposed Sanchez (not in a bad way - they love him still even though he 'lies down with dogs [i.e.conservatives]'), refer to his span of 40 films using 2 stage names. 40 gay porn films in one summer that cover multiple years in the 90s? Perhaps his prolificness is what attracted such a following even a decade later. And no mention of his being a $250/hour & $1200/day male escort during that time, and as recently as LAST YEAR.
He closes with a head's up that he's being asked to speak and appear all over again about this, so I'm sure we'll learn more. Whether that is good or bad I don't know. Hillary's speech to the gay activists that she wants to end "don't ask don't tell" and the timing of this hitting the blogosphere was too coincidental for me.
Matt Sanchez Responds, Sort Of
(excerpt:) SANCHEZ: I'm a registered Republican, although I will admit that I voted for Hilary the first time around at Senate, following 9/11. I have donated money and time. There's a Ric Santorum pic running around somewhere, I'm sure your little elves will find it at some point.
Make that clean of graphic pictures. There is some discussion of gay porn in one of the interviews.