The Beacon Center of Tennessee, formerly known as the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, is a right-of-center think tank that promotes free-market solutions for Tennessee state-level policy matters. The Center’s research areas include economic, education, and health care policy. It is also a member of the State Policy Network, a right-of-center consortium of conservative and libertarian think tanks that focus on state-level policy.

Founding and History

The Beacon Center of Tennessee was founded in 2004 by Drew Johnson as the Tennessee Center for Policy Research. Working alongside the late journalist Trent Seibert, Johnson and the Beacon Center quickly became a thorn in the side of then-Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen’s Democratic administration, accounting for 16 percent of all open records requests to the Tennessee executive branch. ¹

Described by the left-of-center Nashville Scene as “the governor’s No. 1 nemesis,” the Center uncovered evidence of first lady Andrea Conte’s lavish spending schemes and renovations to the governor’s Executive Residence. ² The Center claimed credit for the resignation of Tennessee State Senator Jerry Cooper (D-McMinnville), who resigned from the Tennessee State Senate after a then-record $120,000 civil penalty complaint for improper use of campaign funds. ³

In 2007, the Center received major media attention for a report that asserted that environmentalist campaigner and former Vice President Al Gore‘s residence in the Nashville area used more than 20 times the energy of a typical home in the United States. ⁴ Initially published in The Washington Post, the Center’s Gore story not only gave the think tank national attention, but single-handedly doubled its funding to $400,000. ⁵

In 2009, Drew Johnson stepped down from his leadership role and was replaced by interim president Clint Brewer, a Center staffer and former award-winning managing editor of Tennessee’s Lebanon Democrat. ⁶ A year later in 2010, following Brewer’s hiring as the political editor of the Tennessean, director of policy and general counsel Justin Owen was appointed as president by a unanimous vote. ⁷

In 2011, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research was renamed to its current name, the Beacon Center of Tennessee, and continued to swell in revenues to over $1.2 million by 2013. ⁸ This increase was attributed to publicity around the group’s push against Tennessee’s death and gift taxes, which were eventually repealed in 2015. ⁹

2015 marked a major year for the Beacon Center. Against a large coalition of organizations like the AFL-CIO and major pharmaceutical companies, the Center successfully fought off Tennessee’s expansion of Medicaid, Insure Tennessee. According to the Tennessean, the Beacon Center and its consultants were the only outside groups to testify before the Tennessee General Assembly against the proposal. ¹⁰ They have also worked together with the left-of-center ACLU of Tennessee to fight against civil forfeiture in the state. ¹¹

In 2019, the Beacon Center again received national media attention for revealing that Tennessee had not spent $732 million in federal funds intended to help needy families. As reported on by NPR, this was $200 million more than the next highest state, New York. ¹²

Present Activities

The Beacon Center publishes its research, a blog, and articles on its website. It also offers pro bono legal services and files lawsuits on behalf of Tennessee residents through its sister organization, the Beacon Center Legal Foundation. ¹³

Every year, the Beacon Center releases its “Pork Report,” a report that highlights examples of government mismanagement in the state of Tennessee. ¹⁴

Finances

The Beacon Center’s most recent publicly available filings show total revenues of $1,310,681 and total expenses of $1,303,157. ¹⁵

According to the Tennessean, a major donor of the Center is Lee Beaman, owner of the Tennessee-based Beaman automotive group and a power player in Tennessee conservative politics. ¹⁶

Leadership

The president of the Beacon Center is Justin Owen. Owen has spent most of his career working for the Center and served a four-year term on the Tennessee Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. He has been awarded the Nashville Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40” award and was named to the 2020 “In Charge” list of the top influential government and policy leaders across Middle Tennessee. ¹⁷ According to the Beacon Center’s most recent publicly available filings, Owen draws a yearly compensation of $159,612. ¹⁸

1. Woods, J. (2008, September 11). The Great Gadfly. Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pith-in-the-wind/article/13016663/the-great-gadfly
2. Woods, J. (2008, September 11). The Great Gadfly. Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pith-in-the-wind/article/13016663/the-great-gadfly
3. Sources: State Senator expected to resign today. (2007, December 05). Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://www.nashvillepost.com/home/article/20401478/sources-state-senator-expected-to-resign-today
4. Cillizza, C., & Mosk, M. (2007, March 01). War on Warming Begins at (Al Gore’s) Home. Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/28/AR2007022801823.html
5. Woods, J. (2008, September 11). The Great Gadfly. Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pith-in-the-wind/article/13016663/the-great-gadfly
6. Clint Brewer Now Top Dog At TCPR. (2009, October 29). Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://www.nashvillepost.com/home/blog/20426541/clint-brewer-now-top-dog-at-tcpr; Clint Brewer – Society of Professional Journalists. (n.d.). Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://www.spj.org/fdb-detail.asp?cmd=&ref=812
7. Justin Owen named TCPR president. (2010, August 27). Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://www.beacontn.org/justin-owen-named-tcpr-president/
8. TCPR becomes the Beacon Center of Tennessee. (2011, September 21). Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://www.beacontn.org/tcpr-becomes-the-beacon-center-of-tennessee
9. Boucher, D. (2015, May 24). Beacon Center grows, helps defeat Insure TN. Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2015/05/22/beacon-center-grows-helps-defeat-insure-tn/27750513/
10. Boucher, D. (2015, May 24). Beacon Center grows, helps defeat Insure TN. Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2015/05/22/beacon-center-grows-helps-defeat-insure-tn/27750513/
11. Boucher, D. (2015, May 24). Beacon Center grows, helps defeat Insure TN. Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2015/05/22/beacon-center-grows-helps-defeat-insure-tn/27750513/
12. Garcia-Navarro, L. (2019, November 24). Tennessee Leaves Hundreds Of Millions For Needy Families Unspent. Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://www.npr.org/2019/11/24/782403573/tennessee-leaves-hundreds-of-millions-for-needy-families-unspent
13. OUR CASES AND BRIEFS. (n.d.). Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://www.beacontn.org/cases
14. Finley, J. (2021, January 14). Metro’s property tax increase declared ‘Pork of the Year’ by Beacon Center. Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://www.wsmv.com/news/investigations/metro-s-property-tax-increase-declared-pork-of-the-year-by-beacon-center/article_90586ad0-396f-11eb-b145-0ffa1e9c8f62.html
15. BEACON CENTER OF TENNESSEE – Form Form 990 for period ending Dec 2018 – Nonprofit Explorer. (n.d.). Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/201808567/10_2019_prefixes_16-20%2F201808567_201812_990_2019102416777880
16. Boucher, D. (2015, May 24). Beacon Center grows, helps defeat Insure TN. Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2015/05/22/beacon-center-grows-helps-defeat-insure-tn/27750513/
17. Justin Owen. (n.d.). Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://www.beacontn.org/people/justin-owen
18. BEACON CENTER OF TENNESSEE – Form Form 990 for period ending Dec 2018 – Nonprofit Explorer. (n.d.). Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/201808567/10_2019_prefixes_16-20%2F201808567_201812_990_2019102416777880