The National Center for Public Policy Research is center-right think tank based in Washington, D.C. The Center advocates in support of policies in accordance with the principles of free markets, individual liberty, and personal responsibility.

While the Center focuses on a number of issues, including environmental, fiscal, and defense policy, it has become notable for two projects: the Free Enterprise Project and Project 21. The Free Enterprise Project works to combat growing left-of-center influence on corporations, serving as the center-right’s primary means of shareholder activism. ^[1] Project 21 is one of the largest networks of African-American conservative and libertarian leaders. Project 21 has generated more than 45,000 media opportunities for African-American leaders and includes hundreds of members. ^[2]

In April 2021, the National Center for Public Policy Research spearheaded the Back to Neutral (B2N) coalition, a group designed to combat growing left-of-center activism and censorship by corporations. ^[3]

Overview

Amy Ridenour founded the Center in 1982 and worked as its president until her death in 2017. The think tank was created in order to champion a strong national defense and free-market economic ideas. During the 1980s, the Center opposed a nuclear-weapon “freeze” and instead advocated matching or exceeding the Soviet Union’s nuclear arsenal. Then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan adopted the position in 1983. ^[4]

In 2005 and 2006, the think tank came under investigation by a U.S. Senate committee over its relationship to corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Abramoff was accused of funneling money from his clients to the Center in exchange for press releases and newspapers that cast Abramoff’s clients in a favorable light. Ridenour denied any knowledge of Abramoff’s activities. ^[5]

Programs

The National Center for Public Policy Research’s two most notable programs are the Free Enterprise Project and Project 21. In April 2021, the Center debuted “Back to Neutral,” another program critical of corporate liberalism.

Free Enterprise Project

For more, see Free Enterprise Project

Created in 2007, the Center’s Free Enterprise Project seeks to combat left-of-center influence on corporate America by filing shareholder resolutions and combating activist shareholder resolutions filed by left-of-center organizations. The campaign also directly engages with CEOs and corporate board members at shareholder meetings and commissions polls to show corporations how their left-of-center activism is damaging their brands. In 2011, the Project forced General Electric to back off its support for regulating carbon dioxide emissions. The campaign also focuses on encouraging corporate boards to increase their ideological diversity by naming conservatives to board positions. ^[6]

Project 21

Project 21 is a network of African-American conservative and libertarian leaders. Founded in 1992, the project gives conservatives who are ethnic minorities media voice and presence. Since it was founded, Project 21 has generated over 45,000 media opportunities for its members. In 2019, it released the “Blueprint for a Better Deal for Black America,” a 57-point, free market-based plan to improve economic opportunities in African-American communities. ^[7]

Back to Neutral

In April 2021, the Center spearheaded a coalition called Back to Neutral (B2N). The coalition, with its website entitlted “Stop Corporate Tyranny,” seeks to combat growing anti-conservative censorship and activism by corporations. Coalition members include the Alliance Defending Freedom, the Center for Economic Opportunity, Americans for Limited Government, and the Capital Research Center, among others. The coalition plans on using social media, word of mouth, and other advocacy tactics to spread its message. ^[8]

Leadership

David Ridenour is the president of the Center and the widower of the Center’s founder, Amy Ridenour. Previously, he was the vice president of the National Center for Public Policy Research. ^[9]

David Almasi is the vice president of the Center. He started with the Center in 1987 and was previously the executive director and director of media before becoming vice president in 2017. ^[10]

Horace Cooper is the co-chair of Project 21 and a senior fellow at the center. He is a former senior counsel to former U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX). ^[11] Other Project 21 co-chairs include Council Nedd II and Stacy Washington, who also hosts a syndicated talk radio show, “Stacey on the Right.” ^[12]

Justin Danhof is the general counsel of the Center and the director of the Free Enterprise Project. ^[13]

Finances

According to the Center’s tax return, the National Center for Public Policy Research brought in $4.9 million in revenue and spent $4.8 million in 2019. ^[14]