The Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI) is a right-of-center advocacy organization that seeks to bring together, train, and support leaders of the conservative movement on Capitol Hill. ¹

Activities

The Conservative Partnership Institute trains staffers to support conservative members of the U.S House and Senate and places conservatives in organizations in the Washington, D.C. area and in positions on Capitol Hill, including House and Senate offices. CPI maintains the Conservative Partnership Center (CPC) as a networking hub for conservatives, hosts an annual Conservative Members Retreat for conservative members of Congress, and provides resources to help launch new right-of-center organizations. ²

The Conservative Partnership Institute’s Election Integrity Network (EIN) aims to secure fair and free elections in the U.S. by restoring safeguards that would make voting easy but electoral cheating difficult by individuals or institutions. EIN also seeks to maintain states’ authority over election systems and administration. ³

In 2021, the Conservative Partnership Institute helped to launch the State Freedom Caucus Network, which provides the same kind of resources, support, and unity among conservatives as the House Freedom Caucus. The State Freedom Caucus Network will place and pay for year-round legislative staffers and keep state lawmakers up to date with issues and tips on navigating legislative dynamics. ⁴

Funding

The Conservative Partnership Institute is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. While CPI does not disclose other donors, tax filings confirm donations from the Ed Uihlein Family Foundation ($1.25 million in 2020), ⁵  the Leandro P. Rizzuto Foundation ($100,000 in 2020), ⁶ and the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation ($100,000 in 2020). ⁷

People

Staff

Mark Meadows is a senior partner at the Conservative Partnership Institute and a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus. Meadows is a former U.S. Representative and served as White House chief of staff during the Trump administration. ⁸

Ed Corrigan is the president and CEO of CPI and sits on the board of the Leadership Institute. Corrigan is a former vice president for policy promotion at the Heritage Foundation and the former executive director of the Senate Steering Committee. ⁹

Rachel Bovard is the senior director of policy at CPI. Bovard formerly worked as policy director at the Senate Steering Committee and as director of policy services at the Heritage Foundation. Bovard sits on the boards of the Council for National Policy Action, American Moment, and American Conservative. ¹⁰

Doug Stamps is the counselor to the chair. Stamps formerly worked as senior advisor to the president of the Heritage Foundation, director of development at the George W. Bush Foundation, and in federal affairs at Koch Industries. ¹¹

Board of Directors

Jim DeMint is the chair of the board of the Conservative Partnership Institute. DeMint is a former U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator, the former president of the Heritage Foundation, and a former member of the White House Economic Advisory Board during the Trump administration. ¹²

Bret Bernhardt is the treasurer of the board of CPI and a former executive vice president of the Heritage Foundation. ¹³

Wesley Denton is the COO of CPI and a former senior policy advisor at the Heritage Foundation. Denton formerly worked as acting chief of staff at the White House’s Office of Management and Budget during the Trump administration. ¹⁴

Cleta Mitchell is a senior legal fellow at CPI, the secretary of the board, and the chair of CPI’s Election Integrity Network. Mitchell is a co-founder and chair of the Public Interest Legal Foundation. ¹⁵

Other members of the board include Charlotte Davis, Tom Jones, and Gaston Mooney. ¹⁶

1. “About Us.” Conservative Partnership Institute, 2022. Accessed September 22, 2022. https://www.cpi.org/about/.
2. “About Us.” Conservative Partnership Institute, 2022. Accessed September 22, 2022. https://www.cpi.org/about/.
3. “Home.” Election Integrity Network, 2022. Accessed September 26, 2022. https://whoscounting.us/.
4. “2021 Annual Report.” Conservative Partnership Institute, 2022. Accessed September 26, 2022. https://whoscounting.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/CPIAnnualReport.pdf.
5. Ed Uihlein Family Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2020, Part XV, Line 3
6. Leandro P. Rizzuto Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2020, Part XV, Line 3.
7. Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2020, Part XV, Line 3.
8. “Mark Meadows.” Conservative Partnership Institute, 2022. Accessed September 20, 2022. https://www.cpi.org/staff/mark-meadows/.
9. “Ed Corrigan.” Conservative Partnership Institute, 2022. Accessed September 20, 2022. https://www.cpi.org/staff/ed-corrigan/.
10. Rachel Bovard.” Conservative Partnership Institute, 2022. Accessed September 20, 2022. https://www.cpi.org/staff/rachel-bovard/.
11. “Doug Stamps.” Conservative Partnership Institute, 2022. Accessed September 20, 2022. https://www.cpi.org/staff/doug-stamps/.
12. “Jim DeMint.” Conservative Partnership Institute, 2022. Accessed September 20, 2022. https://www.cpi.org/staff/jim-demint/
13. “Bret Bernhardt.” The Heritage Foundation, 2022. Accessed September 22, 2022. https://www.heritage.org/staff/bret-bernhardt.
14. “Wesley Denton.” Conservative Partnership Institute, 2022. Accessed September 20, 2022. https://www.cpi.org/staff/wesley-denton/.
15. “Cleta Mitchell.” Conservative Partnership Institute, 2022. Accessed September 20, 2022. https://www.cpi.org/staff/cleta-mitchell/.
16. Conservative Partnership Institute, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019, Part VII, Section A, Line 1a.