The American Ideas Institute is the publisher of The American Conservative (TAC). The American Conservative is a right-of-center print magazine and online publication that states that it committed to traditional conservative principles, including fiscal responsibility, prudent foreign policy, and civil liberties. ¹ The magazine was founded by Pat Buchanan, Scott McConnell, and Taki Theodoracopulos, who opposed the foreign policies of the George W. Bush administration. ¹

The American Conservative has argued that contemporary conservatism is tied to a kind of radicalism that envisions a hyper-global economy and contempt for long-standing U.S. allies. TAC promotes what it calls “Main Street” conservatism that opposes unchecked government and business power, promotes strong families and communities through free markets, and prioritizes America’s vital national interests in foreign affairs. ²

Background

The American Conservative magazine was founded in 2002 by Pat Buchanan, Scott McConnell, and Taki Theodoracopulos. The magazine intended to provide conservatives opposed to certain George W. Bush administration policies, especially the Iraq War, with an intellectual home. Today, The American Conservative exists as both a print magazine and daily online publication. ¹

Funding

The American Ideas Institute is funded by print and online magazine subscriptions and donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses. While the American Ideas Institute does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from the Charles Koch Institute ($528,400 in 2020), ³ the National Philanthropic Trust ($528,000 in 2022), ⁴ and the Winston Salem Foundation ($250,000 in 2023). ⁵

People

Leadership

Curt Mills is the executive director of The American Conservative. Mills formerly worked at The National Interest, U.S. News & World Report, the Washington Examiner, and the Spectator. ⁶

Emile Doak is the former executive director of The American Conservative and is the executive director of the Chelsea Academy Foundation. ⁷

Board of Directors

Dominique Watkins is the chair of the board of the American Ideas Institute. ⁸

William Ruger is the president of the American Institute for Economic Research. Ruger formerly worked as vice president for research and policy at the Charles Koch Institute and vice president of foreign policy at Stand Together. Ruger sits on the boards of the Center for the National Interest, Defense Priorities, and the John Quincy Adams Society, and is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations. ⁹

Scott McConnell is a founding editor of The American Conservative. ¹⁰

Robert W. Merry is a former political editor of The National Interest. ¹¹

Michael C. Desch is the founding director of the Notre Dame International Security Center, the Packey J. Dee Professor of International Relations at the University of Notre Dame, and a faculty fellow at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Desch formerly worked at the U.S. Department of State and the Congressional Research Service. ¹²

Rachel Bovard is the vice president of programs at the Conservative Partnership Institute. Bovard is a former executive director of the Senate Steering Committee and former legislative director to U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY). Bovard sits on the advisory board of American Moment. ¹³

Ed Grier is the dean of the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University. Grier formerly worked as dean of the School of Business at Virginia Commonwealth University and as an executive at the Walt Disney Company. ¹⁴

Daniel McCarthy is the editor of Modern Age: A Conservative Review and a visiting fellow at the Center for the Study of Statesmanship. McCarthy formerly worked as editor-at-large of The American Conservative, as internet communications coordinator for the 2008 presidential campaign of former U.S. Representative Ron Paul (R), and as senior editor of ISI Books. ¹⁵

George D. O’Neill Jr. is also a member of the board. ¹⁶

Advisory Board

Tucker Carlson is a conservative political commentator and a talk show host who formerly worked for the Fox News Channel. ¹⁷

Timothy P. Carney is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a senior columnist at the Washington Examiner. ¹⁸

Oren Cass is the founder and chief economist of American Compass. Cass formerly worked as a domestic policy director for the 2012 presidential campaign of former U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R) and is a former senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. ¹⁹

Yuval Levin is the director of social, cultural, and constitutional studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Levin is the founder and editor of National Affairs, a senior editor at The New Atlantis, a contributing editor at National Review, and a contributing opinion writer at the New York Times. ²⁰

James Piereson is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, the president of the William E. Simon Foundation, and a former executive director of the John M. Olin Foundation. Piereson sits on the boards of the Pinkerton Foundation, the Thomas W. Smith Foundation, the Center for Individual Rights, the Philanthropy Roundtable, the Foundation for Cultural Review, the American Spectator Foundation, the Hoover Institution, and DonorsTrust. ²¹

Charles Marohn is the founder and president of Strong Towns. ²²

David Azerrad is an assistant professor and research fellow at Hillsdale College. Azerrad formerly worked as director of the Center for Principles and Politics at the Heritage Foundation and as a senior researcher at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. ²³

Jeff Sessions is a former U.S. attorney general during the first Trump administration, a former U.S. Senator (R-AL), and a former attorney general of Alabama. ²⁴

1. “Frequently Asked Questions.” The American Conservative. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://www.theamericanconservative.com/frequently-asked-questions/.
2. “About Us.” The American Conservative. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://www.theamericanconservative.com/about-us/.
3.  Charles Koch Institute, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2020, Schedule I, Part II.
4. National Philanthropic Trust, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Schedule I, Part II.
5.  Winston Salem Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2023, Schedule I, Part II.
6. ^[1] “Curt Mills.” The American Conservative. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://www.theamericanconservative.com/author/curt-mills/.
7. “Emile Doak.” The American Conservative. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://www.theamericanconservative.com/author/edoak/.
8. “Dominique Watkins.” The American Conservative. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://www.theamericanconservative.com/author/dominique-watkins/.
9. “William Ruger.” American Institute for Economic Research. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://aier.org/people/william-ruger/.
10. “Scott McConnell.” The American Conservative. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://www.theamericanconservative.com/author/scott-mcconnell/.
11. “Robert W. Merry.” The National Interest. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://nationalinterest.org/profile/robert-w-merry.
12. “Michael C. Desch.” University of Notre Dame. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://kellogg.nd.edu/people/michael-c-desch.
13. “Rachel Bovard.” Conservative Partnership Institute. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://cpi.org/staff/rachel-bovard/.
14. “Ed Grier.” Santa Clara University. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://www.scu.edu/business/about/leadership/dean/biography/grier.html.
15. “Daniel McCarthy.” The Center for the Study of Statesmanship. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://css.cua.edu/team-members/daniel-mccarthy/.
16.  “George D. O’Neill Jr.” The American Conservative. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://www.theamericanconservative.com/author/georgeoneill/.
17. “Tucker Carlson.” Britannica. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tucker-Carlson.
18. “Timothy P. Carney.” American Enterprise Institute. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://www.aei.org/profile/timothy-p-carney/.
19. “Oren Cass.” American Compass. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://americancompass.org/oren-cass/.
20. “Yuval Levin.” American Enterprise Institute. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://www.aei.org/profile/yuval-levin/.
21. “James Piereson.” The Manhattan Institute. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://manhattan.institute/person/james-piereson.
22. “Charles Marohn.” Strong Towns. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://www.strongtowns.org/contributors-journal/charles-marohn.
23. “David Azerrad.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-azerrad-08b80724/.
24. “Jeff Sessions.” BallotPedia. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://ballotpedia.org/Jeff_Sessions.