Frontiers of Freedom Institute is or was a Fairfax, Virginia based nonprofit education and advocacy group. The organization is the sister organization of the Frontiers of Freedom lobbying organization. The organizations were founded by the late former U.S. Senator Malcolm Wallop (R-WY).
A major focus of the organization is the promotion of energy freedom, more market-based solutions to environmental issues, and opposition to climate change alarmism. Another major focus of the organization is on national defense matters and its support for a strong national defense. The organization is also a strong supporter of a smaller government and lower taxes.
The institute may no longer be in operation. The website was last updated in 2014 and Guidestar lists Frontiers of Freedom Institute as not in the IRS Business Master File. [1]
Overview
The Frontiers of Freedom organization was founded in 1995 by former U.S. Senator Malcolm Wallop (R-WY) after his retirement from the U.S. Senate after he did not run for re-election in 1994. The educational mission of the organization is to promote the principles of individual freedom, peace through strength, limited government, free enterprise, free markets, and traditional American values as found in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Eventually, the institute was founded to help support the operations of the main organization. [2]
The institute was organized around ten “freedom centers.” Those freedom centers are:
- Constitutional and Political Freedom which pushed for shrinking the size and scope of the federal government. [3]
- Economic Freedom which pushed for lower taxes and less regulations. [4]
- Entrepreneurial and Regulatory Freedom which pushed for property rights and other measures to support a free-market economy. Among the major issues pushed for under this freedom was support for strong copyright laws. [5]
- Fishing Freedom which defended the rights of Americans to fish. [6]
- Food Freedom which opposed “nanny state” regulations on diets and mandatory GMO labeling among other things. [7]
- Fuel and Energy Freedom which opposed restrictions on fossil fuels and subsidies for “green energy”. [8]
- Internet Freedom which opposed restrictions on the internet and plans to help Russian leader Vladimir Putin control over the internet. [9]
- Media Corruption and Bias which opposed alleged left-wing bias in the media. [10]
- Reagan Legacy which defended the legacy of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. [11]
- Science and Public Policy which opposed the use of “junk science” by left-wing groups. [12]
Programs
The bulk of the organization’s work was done through writing op-eds on its website and for other publications. But the organization also offered up its president, George Landrith, as a speaker for events. The institute was also the sponsor of its annual Ronald Reagan Gala which even featured then-Vice President Dick Cheney as a speaker in 2005. [13]
Leadership
George Landrith has been the president of both the institute and its sister organization Frontiers of Freedom since 1998. Previously he was vice president and general counsel to the National Legal Center for the Public Interest. Before that, he was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for Congress. [14]
Miklos K. Radvanyi was the vice president, foreign and international policy. He fled Hungary during the height of the Cold War and was previously a foreign policy adviser to members of Congress. [15]
Scott L. Vanatter was the vice president and COO. He previously founded two political action committees. [16]
Financials
The most recent available Form 990 is from 2014. The institute raised $308,806 and spent $233,517. It had assets of $125,745. [17]