The State Policy Network (SPN) is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

that serves as a network for

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

and

libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

think tanks focusing on state-level policy in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The network serves as a public policy clearinghouse and advises its member think tanks on fundraising, running a nonprofit, and communicating ideas. Founded in 1992, it is headquartered in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

, with member groups located in all fifty states.

Overview

SPN describes itself as a "professional service organization" for a network of state-level think tanks across the United States. The president of SPN is Tracie Sharp, formerly the executive director of the

Cascade Policy Institute Cascade Policy Institute is a non-profit and non-partisan American libertarian think tank based in Oregon that focuses on state and local issues. Founded in 1991, the institute advocates limited government in cost and size, and promotes privatizat ...

, SPN's

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

affiliate. She has described her organizing philosophy as "the

IKEA IKEA ( , ) is a Multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in Sweden that designs and sells , household goods, and various related services. IKEA is owned and operated by a series of not-for-profit an ...

model", because like a ready-to-assemble furniture retailer, the network offers a catalog of policy projects that state-level groups can build.

History

The State Policy Network was founded in 1992 by Thomas A. Roe, a

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

businessman who was a member of the board of trustees of

The Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (or simply Heritage) is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1973, it took a leading role in the conservative movement in the 1980s during the Presi ...

. Roe told U.S. President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

that he thought each of the states needed something like the Heritage Foundation. Reagan's reply was "do something about it," which led Roe to establish the

South Carolina Policy Council The South Carolina Policy Council (SCPC) is a limited-government think tank located in Columbia, South Carolina. The organization's stated mission is "to promote the principles of limited government, free enterprise, and individual liberty and re ...

(SCPC). SCPC adapted Heritage Foundation national policy recommendations, such as

school choice School choice is a term for education options that allow students and families to select alternatives to traditional public schools. School choice options include scholarship tax credit programs, open enrollment laws (which allow students to att ...

and environmental deregulation, to the state legislative level. SPN was an outgrowth of the Madison Group, a collection of state-level think tanks in

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, and

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

that had been meeting periodically at the Madison Hotel in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Roe was chairman of the board of directors of SPN from its founding until his death in 2000.

Gary Palmer Gary James Palmer (born May 14, 1954) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2015. His district includes the wealthier parts of Birmingham, as well as most of its suburbs. Before becoming an elected official, Pal ...

, co-founder and president of the conservative think tank the

Alabama Policy Institute The Alabama Policy Institute (API) is a nonprofit, conservative think tank headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. According to the organization's mission statement, API seeks "to improve the lives of Alabamians through public policy that honors th ...

from 1989 until 2014, helped found SPN and served as its president. Initially, SPN's network consisted of fewer than 20 member organizations.

Lawrence Reed Lawrence "Larry" W. Reed (born September 29, 1953), also known as Larry Reed, is president emeritus of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE), where he has served as the Humphreys Family Senior Fellow since May 2019. Before joining FEE, R ...

, the first president of the

Mackinac Center for Public Policy The Mackinac Center for Public Policy () is a think tank headquartered in Midland, Michigan. Through research and programs, the Mackinac Center supports lower taxes, reduced regulatory authority for state agencies, right-to-work laws, school ...

, a

-based

free market In economics, a free market is an economic market (economics), system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of ...

think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

, fostered new state-level regular member organizations through delivery of his think tank training course. By the mid-1990s, SPN had a network of 37 think tanks in 30 states. By 2014, there were 65 member organizations, including at least one in each state. Starting in 1993, the SPN has held an annual meeting in various U.S. cities. These meetings serve as a chance for members to discuss and analyze policy priorities, train and build members, and refine operations, among other topics.

Policy positions

Policy initiatives supported by SPN members have included reductions in state health and

welfare Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...

programs, state constitutional amendments to limit state government spending, expanded access to

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

s, and

school voucher A school voucher, also called an education voucher in a voucher system, is a certificate of government funding for students at schools chosen by themselves or their parents. Funding is usually for a particular year, term, or semester. In some cou ...

s. Another area of activity has been opposition to

public-sector trade union A public-sector trade union (or public-sector labor union) is a trade union which primarily represents the interests of employees within public sector or governmental organizations. History and recent developments Costa Rica In the late 1800s, ...

s. Tracie Sharp, SPN's president, has said the organization focuses on issues such as "workplace freedom, education reform, and individual choice in healthcare." The

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

magazine '' Mother Jones'' stated that in 2011 SPN and its member organizations were backing a "war on organized labor" by Republican state lawmakers. Legislative actions taken by the GOP included the introduction and enactment of bills reducing or eliminating

collective bargaining Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and labour rights, rights for ...

for teachers and other government workers and reducing the authority of unions to collect dues from government employees. In

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, Governor

Terry Branstad Terry Edward Branstad (born November 17, 1946) is a retired American politician who served as the 39th and 42nd governor of Iowa (1983–1999; 2011–2017) and the United States ambassador to China (2017–2020). A member of the Repu ...

cited research by the Public Interest Institute, an SPN affiliate in Iowa, when asking to amend laws to limit collective bargaining by public employees. In December 2013, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', in collaboration with ''

The Texas Observer ''The Texas Observer'' (also known as the ''Observer'') is an American magazine with a liberal political outlook. The ''Observer'' is published bimonthly by a 501(c)(3)Portland Press Herald The ''Portland Press Herald'' (abbreviated as ''PPH''; Sunday edition ''Maine Sunday Telegram'') is a daily newspaper based in South Portland, Maine, with a statewide readership. The ''Press Herald'' mainly serves southern Maine and is focused ...

'', obtained, published and analyzed 40 grant proposals from SPN regular member organizations. The grant proposals sought funding through SPN from the Searle Freedom Trust. According to ''The Guardian'', the proposals documented a coordinated strategy across 34 states, "a blueprint for the conservative agenda in 2014." The reports described the grant proposals in six states as suggesting campaigns designed to cut pay to state government employees; oppose public sector collective bargaining; reduce public sector services in

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

and

healthcare Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

; promote

s; oppose efforts to combat

greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect. This contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide (), from burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, oil, and natural gas, is the main cause of climate chan ...

; reduce or eliminate

income Income is the consumption and saving opportunity gained by an entity within a specified timeframe, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. Income is difficult to define conceptually and the definition may be different across fields. F ...

and

sales taxes A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a gover ...

; and study a proposed

block grant A block grant is a grant-in-aid of a specified amount from a larger government to a smaller regional government body. Block grants have less oversight from the larger government and provide flexibility to each subsidiary government body in terms ...

reform to Medicare.

Political influence

In 2006, three former presidents of SPN member organizations were serving as

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

Mike Pence Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

Jeff Flake Jeffry Lane Flake (born December 31, 1962) is an American politician and diplomat who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 2013 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the United States House of Repr ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, and

Tom Tancredo Thomas Gerard Tancredo (; born December 20, 1945) is an American politician from Colorado, who represented Colorado's 6th congressional district, the state's sixth congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to ...

.Jason Deparle
Right-of-Center Guru Goes Wide With the Gospel of Small Government
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', November 17, 2006 ''

National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief is Rich L ...

'' described them as having "used SPN organizations as political springboards." SPN introduced model legislation for state legislators to implement on the state level to undermine the Affordable Care Act. The organization also pushed for states not to expand Medicaid.

Leadership

Tracie Sharp has served as SPN's president and CEO for over twenty years. In 2025, she announced that she would be stepping down from her role upon the appointment of a successor. In ''The Wall Street Journal'',

Kimberley Strassel Kimberley Ann Strassel (born July 24, 1972) is an American conservative columnist and author who is a member of the ''Wall Street Journal'' editorial board. She writes a weekly column, "Potomac Watch", which appears on Fridays. Early life and e ...

wrote that during Sharp's tenure, "SPN has in that time become the hub for conservative and libertarian think tanks focused on state-level reform and played a huge role in wins on school choice and tax reform." Lawson Bader, who is the president and CEO of

DonorsTrust DonorsTrust is an American nonprofit donor-advised fund that was founded in 1999 with the goal of "safeguarding the intent of libertarian and conservative donors". As a donor advised fund, DonorsTrust is not legally required to disclose the ide ...

, serves as the chairman of SPN's board of directors.

Finances

SPN is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

. Its independently audited 2013

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...

Form 990 Form 990 (officially, the "Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax") is a United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) form that provides the public with information about a nonprofit organization. It is also used by government agencies t ...

showed $8 million in revenue and $8.4 million in expenditures, of which $1.3 million was used for

grants Grant or Grants may refer to: People * Grant (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Grant (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters ** Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885), the 18th president of the U ...

and payments to other organizations.State Policy Network
Charity Navigator website, accessed February 17, 2015 In 2023, SPN had annual revenue of $27.1 million and annual expenses of $25.8 million. In 2013, Sharp told ''

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...

'' that, like most non-profit organizations, SPN keeps its donors private and voluntary. In 2011, '' Mother Jones'' reported that SPN is largely funded by donations from

foundations Foundation(s) or The Foundation(s) may refer to: Common uses * Foundation (cosmetics), a skin-coloured makeup cream applied to the face * Foundation (engineering), the element of a structure which connects it to the ground, and transfers loads f ...

, including the Lovett and Ruth Peters Foundation, the

Castle Rock Foundation The Castle Rock Foundation was an American conservative foundation started in 1993 with an endowment of $36.6M from the Adolph Coors Foundation. It ranked as Colorado's 15th largest foundation by assets at the end of 2001. The foundation gathered ...

, and the

Bradley Foundation The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, commonly known as the Bradley Foundation, is an American charitable foundation based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that has been one of the most influential funders of the conservative movement. The foundation ...

. In 2013, ''

'' reported that SPN received funding from the

Koch brothers The Koch family ( ) is an American family engaged in business, best known for their political activities in the Koch network and their control of Koch Inc, the 2nd largest privately owned company in the United States (with 2019 revenues of $ ...

, Philip Morris,

Kraft Foods Kraft Foods Group, Inc. was an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate (company), conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. on October 1, 2012, and was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz on July ...

, and

GlaxoSmithKline GSK plc (an acronym from its former name GlaxoSmithKline plc) is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Pharmaceutics, pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with headquarters in London. It was established in 2000 by a Mergers an ...

. Other corporate donors to SPN have included

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...

Time Warner Cable Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC was an American cable television company. Before it was acquired by Charter Communications on May 18, 2016, it was ranked the second largest cable company in the United States by revenue behind only Comcast, o ...

Verizon Verizon Communications Inc. ( ), is an American telecommunications company headquartered in New York City. It is the world's second-largest telecommunications company by revenue and its mobile network is the largest wireless carrier in the ...

, and

Comcast Comcast Corporation, formerly known as Comcast Holdings,Before the AT&T Broadband, AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, not th ...

. Between 2008 and 2013, SPN received $10 million from

Donors Trust DonorsTrust is an American nonprofit donor-advised fund that was founded in 1999 with the goal of "safeguarding the intent of libertarian and conservative donors". As a donor advised fund, DonorsTrust is not legally required to disclose the id ...

, a nonprofit

donor-advised fund In the United States, a donor-advised fund (commonly called a DAF) is a charitable giving vehicle administered by a public charity created to manage charitable donations on behalf of organizations, families, or individuals. To participate in a dono ...

. In 2011, the approximately $2 million investment from Donors Trust accounted for about 40% of annual revenue.

Activities

SPN provides grant funding to its member organizations for start-up costs and program operating expenses. In 2011, SPN granted $60,000 in start-up funds to the

Foundation for Government Accountability The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) is a conservative American public policy think tank based in Naples, Florida. The nonprofit organization primarily focuses on reducing the welfare state, reducing restrictions on teenage workers, ...

, a

think tank based in

Naples, Florida Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 19,115, down from 19,539 at the 2010 census. Naples is a principal city of the Collier County, Florida, Naples–Marc ...

. SPN also provides practical support to its members, who meet each year at SPN conferences. SPN member organizations exchange ideas and provide training and other support for each other. In 2008, a spokesperson for the progressive advocacy group

People for the American Way People for the American Way (PFAW ) is a progressive advocacy group in the United States. Organized as a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization, PFAW was registered in 1981 by the television producer Norman Lear, a self-described liberal who founde ...

said in 2008 that SPN trained its member organizations to run like business franchises.Jeff Woods
The Great Gadfly: How a baby-faced kid became the governor's No. 1 nemesis
''

Nashville Scene ''Nashville Scene'' is an alternative newsweekly in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1989, became a part of Village Voice Media in 1999, and later joined the ranks of sixteen other publications after a merger of Village Voice Media with ...

'', September 11, 2008 In a 2013 statement to ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', SPN president Sharp denied that SPN was a franchise and said that member organizations were free to select their own staff and priorities. SPN is a member of the

American Legislative Exchange Council The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a nonprofit organization of conservatism in the United States, conservative state legislature (United States), state legislators and private sector representatives who draft and share Model act, ...

(ALEC), an organization that drafts and shares state-level

model legislation A model act, also called a model law or a piece of model legislation, is a suggested example for a law, drafted centrally to be disseminated and suggested for enactment in multiple independent legislatures. The motivation classically has been the ...

for conservative causes, and ALEC is an associate member of SPN. SPN is among the sponsors of ALEC. A 2009 article in an SPN newsletter encouraged SPN members to join ALEC, and many SPN members are also members of ALEC. ALEC is "SPN's sister organisation," according to ''

''. SPN member think tanks aided the

Tea Party movement The Tea Party movement was an American fiscally conservative political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2007, catapulted into the mainstream by Congressman Ron Paul's presidential campaign. The movement expanded in resp ...

by supplying rally speakers and intellectual ammunition.

Member organizations

As of 2015, SPN had a membership of 65 think tanks and hundreds of affiliated organizations in all 50 states. Membership in SPN is by invitation only and is limited to independently incorporated 501(c)(3) organizations that are "dedicated to advancing market-oriented public policy solutions." The SPN membership program consists of affiliate and associate organizations. While affiliate members are state-based, associate members are national in scope and are not necessarily focused on a single state. According to ''

'', SPN's associate members include a "who's who of conservative organizations," including the

Cato Institute The Cato Institute is an American libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Ed Crane, Murray Rothbard, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Koch Industries.Koch ...

Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (or simply Heritage) is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1973, it took a leading role in the conservative movement in the 1980s during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, whose polic ...

Americans for Prosperity Foundation Americans for Prosperity (AFP), founded in 2004, is a libertarian conservative political advocacy group in the United States affiliated with brothers Charles Koch and the late David Koch. As the Koch family's primary political advocacy group, it ...

FreedomWorks FreedomWorks was a conservative and libertarian advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. FreedomWorks trained volunteers and assisted in campaigns. It was widely associated with the Tea Party movement. The Koch brothers were once a source of ...

Americans for Tax Reform Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) is a politically conservative U.S. advocacy group whose stated goal is "a system in which taxes are simpler, flatter, more visible, and lower than they are today." According to ATR, "The government's power to contr ...

, and

. In 2011, SPN and its regular member organizations received combined total revenues of $83.2 million, according to a 2013 analysis of their federal tax filings by the liberal

watchdog group Watchdog journalism is a form of investigative journalism where journalists, authors or publishers of a news publication fact-check and interview political and public figures to increase accountability in democratic governance systems. Role ...

Center for Media and Democracy The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) is a progressive nonprofit watchdog and advocacy organization based in Madison, Wisconsin. CMD publishes ExposedbyCMD.org, SourceWatch.org, and ALECexposed.org. History CMD was founded in 1993 by progr ...

Affiliates

Regular members are described as "full-service think tanks" operating independently within their respective states. * Alabama:

* Alaska:

Alaska Policy Forum The Alaska Policy Forum (APF) is a conservative nonprofit think tank located in Anchorage, Alaska. The Alaska Policy Forum is a member of the State Policy Network. History APF was started in 2009 and received Internal Revenue Service 501(c)(3) ...

* Arizona:

Goldwater Institute The Goldwater Institute is a conservative and libertarian public policy think tank located in Phoenix, Arizona, whose stated mission is "to defend and strengthen the freedom guaranteed to all Americans in the constitutions of the United States and ...

* Arkansas: Arkansas Policy Foundation, Opportunity Arkansas * California:

California Policy Center The California Policy Center (CPC) is a conservative and libertarian public policy think tank located in California. Based in Tustin, the organization specializes in union policy, pension reform, spending reform, and school choice. CPC was founde ...

Pacific Research Institute The Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy (PRI) is a California-based free-market think tank which promotes "the principles of individual freedom and personal responsibility" through policies that emphasize a free economy, private initi ...

* Colorado:

Independence Institute The Independence Institute (II) is a Libertarianism in the United States, libertarian think tank based in Denver, Colorado. The group's stated mission "is to empower individuals and to educate citizens, legislators and opinion makers about publi ...

* Connecticut: Yankee Institute for Public Policy * Delaware: Caesar Rodney Institute * Florida:

James Madison Institute The James Madison Institute (JMI) is a conservative American think tank headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida, in the United States. It is a member of the State Policy Network. The organization's self described mission is "to tether the Sunshin ...

* Georgia: Georgia Center for Opportunity, Georgia Public Policy Foundation * Hawaii:

Grassroot Institute The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public policy think tank based in Honolulu, Hawaii. The organization's stated mission is to "educate people about the values of individual liberty, economic freedom, and accountable gove ...

* Idaho:

Idaho Freedom Foundation The Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) is a conservative and libertarian think tank located in Boise, Idaho. Ronald M. Nate has served as the organization's president since January 2024. Founding IFF was begun in 2009 by Wayne Hoffman, who had bee ...

, Mountain States Policy Center * Illinois:

Illinois Policy Institute The Illinois Policy Institute (IPI) is a free market nonprofit think tank based in Chicago. Founded in 2002, it is active in the areas of education policy, pension policy, and state budget issues. IPI advocates for smaller government and lower t ...

* Indiana: Indiana Policy Review Foundation * Iowa: Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation * Kansas: Kansas Policy Institute * Kentucky:

Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions The Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions (BIPPS) is a libertarian think tank based in Bowling Green, Kentucky. BIPPS is a member of the State Policy Network. Leadership In May 2025, Caleb O. Brown was appointed as Chief Executive Offi ...

* Louisiana: Pelican Institute for Public Policy * Maine: Maine Policy Institute * Maryland: Maryland Public Policy Institute * Massachusetts:

Pioneer Institute Pioneer Institute is a free-market think tank based in Boston, Massachusetts. The organization was founded in 1988 by Lovett C. Peters. Pioneer's stated mission is "to develop and communicate dynamic ideas that advance prosperity and a vibrant ci ...

* Michigan:

* Minnesota:

Center of the American Experiment The Center of the American Experiment is a Minnesota-based think tank that advocates for conservative and free-market principles. John Hinderaker, of the Power Line blog, is its president. Overview The Center of the American Experiment was founde ...

Freedom Foundation of Minnesota The Freedom Foundation of Minnesota (FFM) is a conservative think tank based in Minnesota. The group states that it "actively advocates the principles of individual freedom, personal responsibility, economic freedom, and limited government." Anne ...

* Mississippi: Empower Mississippi, Mississippi Center for Public Policy * Missouri:

Show-Me Institute The Show-Me Institute, or SMI, is an American think tank based in St. Louis, Missouri that promotes public policies that advance free market principles. Founded in 2005, the organization focuses on economic and good governance issues in the state ...

* Montana: Frontier Institute * Nebraska: Platte Institute for Economic Research * Nevada:

Nevada Policy Nevada Policy, formerly the Nevada Policy Research Institute, is a private, non-profit, conservative and libertarianleaning think tank based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nevada Policy seeks to promote libertarian causes in Nevada and western United State ...

* New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy * New Jersey: Garden State Initiative * New Mexico: Rio Grande Foundation * New York: Empire Center for Public Policy * North Carolina:

John Locke Foundation The John Locke Foundation (JLF) is a free-market think tank based in North Carolina. The organization was founded in 1990 to work "for truth, for freedom, and for the future of North Carolina." It is named after John Locke, a philosopher who was ...

* North Dakota: Rough Rider Policy Center * Ohio: Buckeye Institute * Oklahoma: Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs * Oregon:

* Pennsylvania:

Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives The Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives is a think tank based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It develops and advances fiscally conservative and libertarian public policies. The organization's stated mission is to "transform free ...

* Rhode Island:

Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity The Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity (RICFP) is a public policy think tank located in Rhode Island that seeks to advance free market ideas. According to the organization, it "is dedicated to providing concerned citizens, the media, a ...

* South Carolina: Palmetto Promise Institute,

* South Dakota: Great Plains Public Policy Institute * Tennessee: Beacon Center of Tennessee * Texas:

Texas Public Policy Foundation The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) is an American conservative think tank based in Austin, Texas. The organization was co-founded in 1989 by James R. Leininger and Fritz S. Steiger, who sought intellectual support for his education refor ...

* Utah: Libertas Institute,

Sutherland Institute Sutherland Institute is a conservative public policy think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...

* Vermont: Ethan Allen Institute * Virginia: Thomas Jefferson Institute, Virginia Institute for Public Policy * Washington: Freedom Foundation,

Washington Policy Center The Washington Policy Center (WPC) is a think tank based in the state of Washington. The organization's stated mission is "to advocate for government transparency and accountability, as well as to improve lives by promoting sound public policy bas ...

* West Virginia: Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy * Wisconsin: MacIver Institute for Public Policy,

Badger Institute The Badger Institute, formerly the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, is a nonprofit policy research organization based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It supports free markets and limited government. It played a prominent role in the development of th ...

, Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, Institute for Reforming Government * Wyoming:

Wyoming Liberty Group The Wyoming Liberty Group is a free market think tank in Wyoming, United States. Founded in 2008, the group says it is focused on "inviting citizens to prepare for informed, active and confident involvement in local and state government." Activit ...

Roe Awards

The Roe Award, first presented in 1992, is named after SPN founder Thomas A. Roe. It honors individuals who have successfully promoted free market philosophy while displaying innovation and accomplishment in public policy. The physical statue is an eagle, "a symbol of liberty with courage and conviction necessary for its preservation".

Overton Award

The Overton Award was created in 2003 after the death of

Joseph Overton Joseph Paul Overton (4 January 1960 – 30 June 2003) was an American political scientist who served as the senior vice president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. He is best known for his work in the mid-1990s developing an idea since kno ...

at age 43. Overton is known for the idea, posthumously called the

Overton window The Overton window is the range of subjects and arguments politically acceptable to the mainstream population at a given time. It is also known as the window of discourse. The key to the concept is that the window changes over time; it can shif ...

, about the range of policies politically acceptable to the mainstream at a given time. The award is given to chief operating officers or executive vice presidents of non-profit free market organizations who demonstrate the personal qualities that Overton possessed. These include humility in supporting their peers, leadership that builds a team, and developing strategies that magnify the ideas and influence of their organization. As of 2022, the award had been given five times.

References

External links

* * {{WikidataCoord 1992 establishments in Virginia Conservative organizations in the United States Libertarian organizations based in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Arlington, Virginia Organizations established in 1992 Political and economic think tanks in the United States