The NCSL Foundation for Legislators, also known as the NCSL Foundation, is the nonprofit foundation arm of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), a national association funded by the state and territorial legislatures of the United States. NCSL is officially nonpartisan and its executive committee is divided between Democratic and Republican lawmakers with the national chairmanship alternating between a Democrat and Republican annually, however, the organization has historically promoted left-of-center public policy at the state level. ^{1 2 3 4}

Sponsors of the NCSL Foundation include companies and advocacy groups, and its board is comprised of both industry and nonprofit lobbyists and state legislators. ^{5 6}

Background

The National Conference of State Legislatures was formed as a result of a 1974 merger between three organizations. The Council of State Governments provided $500,000 in seed money to the fledgling group. ⁷

In 1982, NCSL founded the NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that receives funding from corporations and whose board is comprised of legislators, advocacy group leaders, and lobbyists. ⁸ In 2022, the foundation raised $5.84 million according to its tax forms and received sponsorships from companies and organizations including Amazon, Everytown for Gun Safety, Stand Together, the Environmental Defense Fund, Verizon, Walmart, Western Governors University, the American Chemistry Council, and BlackRock. The Majority of NCSL foundation sponsors are industry groups or companies. Sponsors of the NCSL Foundation pay for various sponsorship levels ranging from over $50,000 to $10,000 annually. ⁹

Criticism

The National Conference of State Legislatures, despite being comprised of state legislators from every state and territory in the nation and being funded by public funds from all 50 state legislatures, has been criticized for a left-leaning bias in the policies adopted at its meetings. In 2010, Governing Magazine reported that critics claimed while the organization had long had a left-leaning bias, the group had recently adopted a “more blatant liberal agenda.” Several Republican legislators from states including Utah, Texas, and Virginia threatened to pull out of the organization due to its  “resolutions supporting health-care reform and cap-and-trade legislation, as well as a number of measures backed by labor unions” in 2010. ¹⁰

Leadership

Tim Storey is the chief executive officer of the National Conference of State Legislatures and the NCSL Foundation. He worked for the organizations for over twenty years prior to being appointed executive director in 2019; he previously worked for the organization’s Redistricting and Elections Committee and led NCSL’s effort to collect and analyze state election results, StateVote. ¹¹

While NCSL is governed by an executive committee solely comprised of state legislators, the NCSL Foundation’s board includes both legislators and private sector lobbyists from companies and advocacy groups. Board members include Jennifer Kelly, director of state outreach at America’s Credit Unions; Ashley Dwire, director of state and local programs at the Service Employees International Union; and Katie Wright, senior director of state government affairs at the American Hotel and Lodging Association. ¹²

1. “NCSL 2022 Annual Report.” National Conference of State Legislatures. Accessed February 2, 2024. https://www.ncsl.org/about-us/ncsl-2022-annual-report
2. “About Us.” National Conference of State Legislatures. Accessed February 2, 2024. https://www.ncsl.org/about-us
3. “S8301/A8801.” State of New York Senate-Assembly. January 16, 2024. https://www.budget.ny.gov/pubs/archive/fy25/ex/approps/leg-judi.pdf
4. “Executive Committee.” National Conference of State Legislatures. Accessed February 2, 2024. https://www.ncsl.org/about-us/executive-committee
5. “Become a Sponsor.” National Conference of State Legislatures. Accessed February 2, 2024. https://www.ncsl.org/resources/details/ncsl-foundation-for-state-legislatures-become-a-sponsor
6. “Executive Committee.” National Conference of State Legislatures. Accessed February 2, 2024. https://www.ncsl.org/about-us/executive-committee
7. Kurtz, Karl. “The History of Us.” State Legislatures Magazine. July/August 1999. Accessed February 2, 2024. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/archive/clippings/265918-29451.pdf
8. Kurtz, Karl. “The History of Us.” State Legislatures Magazine. July/August 1999. Accessed February 2, 2024. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/archive/clippings/265918-29451.pdf
9. “NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures Sponsor List.” National Conference of State Legislatures. Accessed February 2, 2024. https://www.ncsl.org/resources/details/ncsl-foundation-for-state-legislatures-sponsor-list
10. Greenblatt, Alan. “NCSL: Too Liberal?” Governing. April 8, 2010. https://www.governing.com/archive/ncsl-too-liberal.html
11. “Tim Storey.” SHRM. Accessed February 2, 2024. https://conferences.shrm.org/presenter-12
12. “Foundation for State Legislatures Board.” NCSL. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://www.ncsl.org/resources/details/category/foundation-for-state-legislatures-board-1