Illinois Policy Institute (IPI)
Background
The Illinois Policy Institute (IPI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that “generates marketable policy solutions” with the aim of “promoting personal freedom and prosperity in Illinois.”1“Our Story,” Illinois Policy Institute. Archived February 25, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/0snEd
The Illinois Policy Institute is a member of the State Policy Network (SPN), a group that has supported some of the most vocal organizations denying man-made climate change including the Heartland Institute, Cato Institute, and Heritage Foundation. According to Huffington Post, in 2011 SPN members’ combined fundraising totaled more than $83 million and included significant contributions from Koch, Donors Trust, and Donors Capital Fund.2“Directory,” State Policy Network. Archived February 26, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/dg2QT 3Paul Blumenthal. “Meet The Little-Known Network Pushing Ideas For Kochs,ALEC,” Huffington Post, November 14, 2013. Archived February 25, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/s4BYY
Stance on Climate Change
Energy Subsidies:
“The market is better able to determine what energy solutions will be economically feasible than the government. Leveling the playing field by removing energy subsidies will allow the true cost of energy to be known, and consumers and investors will be able to more efficiently put their dollars toward the best energy solutions for the future.”4Chris Andriesen. “SPOTLIGHT ON SPENDING #4: ILLINOIS STATE ENERGY SUBSIDIES,” Illinois Policy Institute. Archived February 26, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ejHRA
Funding
The following funding values are based on data the Conservative Transparency Project collected from publicly-available tax forms. Note that not all individual values have been verified by DeSmog for accuracy.5“Illinois Policy Institute,” Conservative Transparency transactions search. Data retrieved June 6, 2016. Archive.is URL:
View the attached spreadsheet for additional values on the Illinois Policy Institute’s funding by year (.xlsx).
IPI as Recipient
| Donor | Total |
| Ed Uihlein Family Foundation | $4,550,000 |
| Donors Capital Fund | $2,011,100 |
| Mercer Family Foundation | $1,100,000 |
| DonorsTrust | $891,706 |
| State Policy Network | $644,800 |
| The Rauner Family Foundation | $625,000 |
| Jaquelin Hume Foundation | $280,000 |
| Dunn’s Foundation for the Advancement of Right Thinking | $240,000 |
| The Roe Foundation | $220,000 |
| Barney Family Foundation | $215,000 |
| The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation | $170,000 |
| Charles Koch Institute | $135,837 |
| JM Foundation | $130,000 |
| The McWethy Foundation | $93,000 |
| Stuart Family Foundation | $85,000 |
| The Randolph Foundation | $50,000 |
| Cato Institute | $50,000 |
| Walton Family Foundation | $50,000 |
| Schwab Charitable Fund | $46,300 |
| Adolph Coors Foundation | $35,000 |
| Atlas Economic Research Foundation | $34,000 |
| Castle Rock Foundation | $15,000 |
| Center for Independent Thought | $10,000 |
| Logos Charitable Fund | $3,500 |
| National Philanthropic Trust | $2,000 |
| National Christian Charitable Foundation | $1,500 |
| Huizenga Foundation | $1,000 |
| Grand Total | $11,689,743 |
IPI as Donor
| Recipient | Total |
| Think Freely Media | $685,332 |
| Project Six | $623,789 |
| Liberty Justice Center | $591,000 |
| DonorsTrust | $245,293 |
| Grand Total | $2,145,414 |
Koch Funding
According to data collected by Greenpeace USA, the Illinois Institute received $135,837 in donations from the Charles Koch Institute between 2014 and 2016:6“Koch Industries: Secretly Funding the Climate Denial Machine,” Greenpeace USA. Archived March 13, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/au7P4 7(GREENPEACE BRIEFING). “Donors Trust: The shadow operation that has laundered $146 million in climate-denial funding” (PDF), Greenpeace. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
| Year | Charles Koch Institute |
| 2014 | $60,516 |
| 2015 | $52,821 |
| 2016 | $22,500 |
| Grand Total | $135,837 |
990 Forms
Annual Reports
Key People
View key people by year below, or view the attached spreadsheet for a full list of the Illinois Policy Institute’s key People (.xlsx) including sources.
Actions
May 8, 2013
The Illinois Policy Institute hosted “The Great Ethanol Debate” featuring Jim Murphy of “Carbon Green BioEnergy,” Jerry Taylor of the Cato Institute, and John Tillman of the Illinois Policy Institute.8“The Great Ethanol Debate,” Illinois Policy Institute, March 31, 2013. Archived February 26, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/DW2gW
Video below:
[The Great Ethanol Debate from Growth Energy on Vimeo.]
May 16–18, 2010
The Illinois Policy Institute was an official co-sponsor of the Heartland Institute’s 4th International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC4).9“4th International Conference on Climate Change: Sponsored by the Heartland Institute” (Conference Program – PDF), The Heartland Institute, May, 2010. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
DeSmog researched sponsors behind the event and found that they had collectively received a total of over $40 million from ExxonMobil, Koch Industries, or Scaife Foundations.10Brendan DeMelle. “Denial-a-palooza Round 4: ‘International Conference on Climate Change’ Groups Funded by Exxon, Koch Industries,” DeSmog, May 13, 2010.
January 20, 2010
Prominent climate change denier Christopher Horner spoke at an Illinois Policy Institute event about his book, “’Red Hot Lies: How Global Warming Alarmists Use Threats, Fraud, and Deception to Keep You Misinformed.’”
According to a description at the Illinois Policy Institute, “Horner pointed out some of the glaring errors – perhaps deliberate misrepresentations – in the global warming “’science.’”11Jerry Agar. “Red Hot Lies About Climate Change,” Illinois Policy Institute, January 21, 2010. Archived February 26, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/EZHhD
Illinois Policy Institute Contact & Location
The Illinois Policy Institute listed the following contact information on its website as of May, 2016:12“Contact Information,” Illinois Policy Institute. Archived May 29, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/hrGTF
CHICAGO OFFICE
Illinois Policy
190 South LaSalle Street
Suite 1500
Chicago, IL 60603
T: 312.346.5700
F: 312.346.5755SPRINGFIELD OFFICE
Illinois Policy
802 South 2nd Street
Springfield, IL 62704
T: 217.528.8800
F: 217.528.8808
Related Organizations
- Liberty Justice Center — “Powered by the Illinois Policy Institute”13“Our Story,” Illinois Policy Institute. Archived February 25, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/0snEd
- Illinois News Network — ”Powered by the Illinois Policy Institute”14“Our Story,” Illinois Policy Institute. Archived February 25, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/0snEd
- IllinoisOpenGov.org (Now Defunct) — Website listing state spending and salaries by the Illinois Policy Institute.15“Illinois open government,” Illinois Policy Institute, October 27, 2011. Archived May 13, 2013. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
ALEC Connection
According to the Center for Media and Democracy’s Sourcewatch, the IPI was a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council as of 2011. Sourcewatch writes:16“Illinois Policy Institute,” SourceWatch. Accessed February 25, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/SQ1u0
ALEC’s Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force
Brian Costin (IPI’s Director of Outreach) and Ted Dabrowski (IPI’s Vice President of Policy) represented the Illinois Policy Institute on ALEC’s Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force.Brian Costin presented the “Local Government Transparency Act” model legislation, and Dabrowski introduced the “Pension Funding and Fairness Act” model legislation for adoption at the ALEC 2011 Annual Meeting.
Executive Vice President Kristina Rasmussen represented IPI on the Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force as of April 2010, when she penned an article entitled “Pension Funding Reform: A Solution for Budget Deficits” for ALEC’s newsletter, Inside ALEC.
ALEC’s Health and Human Services Task Force and Education Task Force
Senior Budget and Tax Policy Analyst, Amanda Griffin-Johnson, presented model legislation (the “State Employee Health Savings Account Act”) to the HHS task force at ALEC’s 2011 annual meeting.Collin Hitt, Director of Education Policy, is a private sector member of the Education Task Force representing IPI. He sponsored the “Local Government Transparency Act” at the ALEC 2011 States and Nation Policy Summit.
Other Resources
- “Factsheet: Illinois Policy Institute,” ExxonSecrets.
Resources
- 1“Our Story,” Illinois Policy Institute. Archived February 25, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/0snEd
- 2“Directory,” State Policy Network. Archived February 26, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/dg2QT
- 3Paul Blumenthal. “Meet The Little-Known Network Pushing Ideas For Kochs,ALEC,” Huffington Post, November 14, 2013. Archived February 25, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/s4BYY
- 4Chris Andriesen. “SPOTLIGHT ON SPENDING #4: ILLINOIS STATE ENERGY SUBSIDIES,” Illinois Policy Institute. Archived February 26, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ejHRA
- 5“Illinois Policy Institute,” Conservative Transparency transactions search. Data retrieved June 6, 2016. Archive.is URL:
- 6“Koch Industries: Secretly Funding the Climate Denial Machine,” Greenpeace USA. Archived March 13, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/au7P4
- 7(GREENPEACE BRIEFING). “Donors Trust: The shadow operation that has laundered $146 million in climate-denial funding” (PDF), Greenpeace. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 8“The Great Ethanol Debate,” Illinois Policy Institute, March 31, 2013. Archived February 26, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/DW2gW
- 9“4th International Conference on Climate Change: Sponsored by the Heartland Institute” (Conference Program – PDF), The Heartland Institute, May, 2010. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 10Brendan DeMelle. “Denial-a-palooza Round 4: ‘International Conference on Climate Change’ Groups Funded by Exxon, Koch Industries,” DeSmog, May 13, 2010.
- 11Jerry Agar. “Red Hot Lies About Climate Change,” Illinois Policy Institute, January 21, 2010. Archived February 26, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/EZHhD
- 12“Contact Information,” Illinois Policy Institute. Archived May 29, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/hrGTF
- 13“Our Story,” Illinois Policy Institute. Archived February 25, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/0snEd
- 14“Our Story,” Illinois Policy Institute. Archived February 25, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/0snEd
- 15“Illinois open government,” Illinois Policy Institute, October 27, 2011. Archived May 13, 2013. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 16“Illinois Policy Institute,” SourceWatch. Accessed February 25, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/SQ1u0
