The Charles Koch Institute is a

libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's en ...

-oriented

public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public ...

research, programming, grant-making, and

fellowship A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher educatio ...

-funding organization based in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

. Named after

Charles Koch Charles de Ganahl Koch ( ; born November 1, 1935) is an American billionaire businessman. As of November 2022, he was ranked as the 13th richest person in the world on ''Bloomberg Billionaires Index'', with an estimated net worth of $66 billio ...

, its founder and primary financier, it pursues conservative economic policies and a non-interventionist foreign policy that has been characterized as anti-

neoconservative Neoconservatism is a political movement that began in the United States during the 1960s among liberal hawks who became disenchanted with the increasingly pacifist foreign policy of the Democratic Party and with the growing New Left and count ...

History

The Charles Koch Institute was established in 2011 and is housed in a building which it shares with the Charles Koch Foundation. According to Charles Koch, the institute is the beneficiary of a majority of his personal political donations, or those separate from what originates from

Koch Industries Koch Industries, Inc. ( ) is an American privately held multinational conglomerate corporation based in Wichita, Kansas and is the second-largest privately held company in the United States, after Cargill. Its subsidiaries are involved in the ...

Governance

The institute is governed by a board of directors composed of Charles Koch,

Chase Koch Charles Chase Koch ( ; born June 15, 1977), is an American businessman and the son of Charles Koch, the co-owner, CEO, and chairman of Koch Industries. Koch directs the venture capital company Koch Disruptive Technologies, and is a leading figur ...

, Elizabeth Koch, and

Richard Fink Richard Harold Fink (born May 31, 1951) is an American businessman and academic. He is the former executive vice president of Koch Industries, the second largest privately held company in the U.S. Education and academic career Fink received a B. ...

. Its president is

Brian Hooks Brian Hooks (born July 27, 1974) is an American actor, comedian, producer and director. He is best known for his roles as protagonist Rob Douglas in the screwball comedy '' 3 Strikes'', and Nick Delaney on the UPN television sitcom ''Eve''. A ...

Programs

Domestic policy

According to the institute, it funds "research that furthers an understanding of how cronyism and corporate welfare affect individual and societal well-being". In 2015 the organization partnered with the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...

to study the implications of legislation limiting

asset forfeiture Asset forfeiture or asset seizure is a form of confiscation of assets by the authorities. In the United States, it is a type of criminal-justice financial obligation. It typically applies to the alleged proceeds or instruments of crime. This ap ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

. The institute has also developed a Prison Entrepreneurship Program that sponsors business classes and a business plan competition for U.S. prison inmates.

Foreign policy

The institute finances research, forums, and speaking tours regarding U.S.

foreign policy A state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterally or through ...

, describing its worldview as one that "emphasizes the need to defend our territorial integrity from aggression, promote free trade, peacefully engage with the world, and serve as an exemplar of liberal values". In 2016

The Intercept ''The Intercept'' is an American left-wing news website founded by Glenn Greenwald, Jeremy Scahill, Laura Poitras and funded by billionaire eBay co-founder Pierre Omidyar. Its current editor is Betsy Reed. The publication initially report ...

described the institute's foreign policy agenda as emblematic of "how foreign policy no longer neatly aligns with party politics", observing one event the organization hosted that appeared more like "a left-wing anti-war rally than a gathering hosted by a longtime right-wing institution". The same year it hosted a conference headlined by

Chas Freeman Charles "Chas" W. Freeman Jr. (, born March 2, 1943) is an American retired diplomat and writer. He served in the United States Foreign Service, the State and Defense Departments in many different capacities over the course of thirty years. ...

Stephen Walt Stephen Martin Walt (born July 2, 1955) is the Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of International relations at the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University and a political scientist. A member of the realist school of international relatio ...

, and John Mearsheimer.

Professional education

According to the organization, it underwrites several professional education programs, including the "Koch Associate Program", a fellowship which funds the placement of selected applicants into management positions at partner organizations, which include the

Acton Institute The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty is an American research and educational institution, or think tank, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, (with an office in Rome) whose stated mission is "to promote a free and virtuous society c ...

, the Regulatory Studies Center at

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , presi ...

, the

James Madison Institute The James Madison Institute (JMI) is a libertarian free market American think tank headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida in the United States. It is a member of the State Policy Network. The organization's stated mission is "to keep the citizens ...

, and others.

References

{{Koch family Koch network Libertarian organizations based in the United States Libertarian think tanks Non-interventionism Organizations established in 2011 Political and economic think tanks in the United States