Non-profit

Lincoln Network

Website:

lincolnpolicy.org

Location:

Raleigh, NC

Tax ID:

47-2239840

Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2018):

Revenue: $2,844,753
Expenses: $2,425,635
Assets: $1,201,098

Formation:

2015

Type:

Non-profit

Executive Director:

Garrett Johnson

Executive Director's Salary:

$193,4461

References

  1. Lincoln Network Inc, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019, Part VII, Section A, Line 1a.

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The Lincoln Network is a non-partisan, public policy think tank that advocates for free markets, individual liberty, and limited government, especially as related to the technology industry. Its areas of focus include technology as it affects criminal justice and civil liberties, modernizing Congress, and regulations. 1

The Lincoln Network is an associate member of the State Policy Network, a coalition of free-market state-level policy organizations. 2

Activity

The Lincoln Network is a non-partisan, public policy think tank that advocates for free markets, individual liberty, and limited government, especially as it regards technology. Its current areas of focus include technology as it affects criminal justice and civil liberties, modernizing Congress, and regulations. 3

In 2021, the Lincoln Network established its program on technology, criminal justice, and civil liberties. The Network advocates for policies that improve how governments use technology while supporting the principles of liberty and justice. The Lincoln Network has outlined that while technology may have positive outcomes, like promoting transparency and accountability in the criminal justice system, technologies like biometrics and electronic surveillance put individual liberties at risk. 4

The Lincoln Network has argued that Congress does not have enough members with expertise in science and technology, and supports the reinstatement of the Office of Technology Assessment. The Network also recommended more technical expertise on committees and agencies like the Government Accountability Office and the Congressional Research Service. The Lincoln Network claims that without modernizing Congress, advances in technology could be stifled by inflexible regulations and uninformed policies. 5

In 2021, the Lincoln Network was part of a bi-partisan coalition that sent a letter to Congress advocating for an increase in funding to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The coalition recommends that increased funding to the FTC be used to hire expert staff, particularly engineers, technologists, and economists, in order to fill in gaps at the Technology Task Force and the Bureau of Economics. Other members of this coalition include the Consumer Federation of America, the Protect Democracy Project (PDP), and the R Street Institute. 6

The Lincoln Network supports interoperability as a solution for creating bi-partisan regulation of the tech industry. The Network suggested that interoperability would create a more open and decentralized digital world, thereby encouraging individual freedom. The Network argued interoperability could be voluntary and led by the tech industry, increase competition, remove barriers to entry for new businesses, and increase consumer choices. 7

Funding

The Lincoln Network is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. Tax filings show donations from Donors Trust, which contributed between 2016 and 2019,8 the Sarah Scaife Foundation, which contributed between 2017 and 2018, 9 and the Searle Freedom Trust, which contributed in 2019. 10

People

Staff

Garrett Johnson is a co-founder and executive director of the Lincoln Network and formerly worked for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. 11

Marshall Kosloff is the director of outreach and media for the Lincoln Network and a media fellow at the Hudson Institute. 12

Grace Meyer is the head of development at the Lincoln Network. Meyer formerly worked as a development coordinator at the Cato Institute, an events intern at Americans for Prosperity, and student campaign leader for the Madison Action Fund PAC. 13

Arthur Rizer is the vice president of the program on technology, criminal Justice, and civil Liberties at the Lincoln Network. Rizer was the founding director of the R Street Institute’s program on criminal justice and civil liberties and formerly worked as a trial attorney with the Department of Justice. Rizer serves on the executive committee of the Criminal Law Practice Group at the Federalist Society and on the Virginia advisory committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. 14

Zach Graves is the head of policy at the Lincoln Network. Graves formerly worked as the director of the R Street Institute’s technology and innovation policy program, manager of new media at the Cato Institute, and director of communications at America’s Future Foundation. 15

Dan Lips is the vice president for national security and government oversight at the Lincoln Network and a visiting fellow at the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity. Lips formerly worked as the vice president of policy at the Goldwater Institute, a senior policy analyst with the Heritage Foundation, and policy advisor for the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. 16

Alexia Jordan is a policy analyst for innovation, cyber, and national security policy at the Lincoln Network and a national security fellow at the Center for a New American Security. 17

Board of Directors

Kristen Soltis Anderson is a pollster with Republican-leaning firm Echelon Insights and formerly served as a resident fellow at Harvard’s Institute of Politics. 18

Katie Biber sits on the boards of the Blockchain Association Foundation and Code for America. 19

John Lettieri is the president and CEO of the Economic Innovation Group. 20

References

  1. “About Us.” Lincoln Policy. Accessed April 17, 2021. https://lincolnpolicy.org/about-us/.
  2. “The Network.” State Policy Network, 2021. Accessed April 17, 2021. https://spn.org/directory/.
  3. “About Us.” Lincoln Policy. Accessed April 17, 2021. https://lincolnpolicy.org/about-us/.
  4. Johnson, Garrett. “Announcing the Program on Technology, Criminal Justice, and Civil Liberties.” Lincoln Policy, January 27, 2021. Accessed April 17, 2021. https://lincolnpolicy.org/2021/announcing-the-program-on-technology-criminal-justice-and-civil-liberties/.
  5. Johnson, Garrett. “American competitiveness requires a smarter Congress.” Lincoln Policy, November 26, 2019. Accessed April 19, 2021. https://lincolnpolicy.org/2019/american-competitiveness-requires-a-smarter-congress/.
  6. Graves, Zach. “Bipartisan Coalition Asks Congress to Provide More Resources at FTC to Hire Expert Staff.” Lincoln Policy, February 16, 2021. Accessed April 19, 2021. https://lincolnpolicy.org/2021/bipartisan-coalition-asks-congress-to-provide-more-resources-at-ftc-to-hire-expert-staff/.
  7. Graves, Zach. “The Promise and Perils of Interoperability.” Lincoln Policy, March 4, 2021. Accessed April 19, 2021. https://lincolnpolicy.org/2021/the-promise-and-perils-of-interoperability/.
  8. Donors Trust, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2016-2019. Schedule I, Part II.
  9. Sarah Scaife Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2017-2018, Part XV, Line 3a.
  10. Searle Freedom Trust, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2019, Part XV, Line 3a.
  11. “Our Team.” Lincoln Policy. Accessed April 17, 2021. https://lincolnpolicy.org/lincoln-staff/.
  12. “Our Team.” Lincoln Policy. Accessed April 17, 2021. https://lincolnpolicy.org/lincoln-staff/.
  13. “Grace Meyer.” LinkedIn, 2021. Accessed April 17, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-meyer-50319165/.
  14. “Our Team.” Lincoln Policy. Accessed April 17, 2021. https://lincolnpolicy.org/lincoln-staff/.
  15. “Zachary Graves.” LinkedIn, 2021. Accessed April 17, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachary-graves/.
  16. “Dan Lips.” LinkedIn, 2021. Accessed April 17, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-lips-48652570/.
  17. “Alexiaa Jordan.” LinkedIn, 2021. Accessed April 17, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexiaajordan/.
  18. “Board of Directors.” Lincoln Policy. Accessed April 17, 2021. https://lincolnpolicy.org/lincoln-board/.
  19. “Board of Directors.” Lincoln Policy. Accessed April 17, 2021. https://lincolnpolicy.org/lincoln-board/.
  20. “Board of Directors.” Lincoln Policy. Accessed April 17, 2021. https://lincolnpolicy.org/lincoln-board/.
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: March 1, 2015

  • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2018 Dec Form 990 $2,844,753 $2,425,635 $1,201,098 $123,540 Y $2,080,905 $763,829 $19 $0 PDF
    2017 Dec Form 990 $1,684,910 $1,530,645 $748,387 $92,079 Y $1,494,045 $190,800 $65 $394,058 PDF
    2016 Dec Form 990 $888,486 $635,159 $550,776 $13,298 N $882,701 $5,714 $71 $176,671 PDF
    2015 Dec Form 990 $566,305 $461,716 $374,933 $261,749 N $538,000 $28,305 $0 $0 PDF

    Lincoln Network

    310 S HARRINGTON ST
    Raleigh, NC 27603-1818