Public Interest Institute (PII) was an independent nonprofit organization that supported Iowa Wesleyan University and the Tax Education Foundation. PII provided instructors and library publications to Iowa Wesleyan University and provided research and publications on government spending and taxation to the Tax Education Foundation to promote free enterprise. ¹

In 2018, the Public Interest Institute ceased operations and liquidated its assets ($99,098) to the New Hope Foundation. ²

Public Interest Institute was an affiliate member of the State Policy Network, a coalition of free-market state-level policy organizations. ³

Activities

Public Interest Institute conducted research to promote human rights, economic freedom, economic growth, and job creation in Iowa. Its primary research concerned issues related to limiting government spending and privatizing government services. PII promoted a free market system and identified action programs and formulated policy proposals that prioritized taxpayers’ rights. ⁴

In 1996, PII developed the Iowa Civics Project, a supplemental curriculum on the state and local governments of Iowa. PII distributed the Iowa Civics Project to teachers across the state at no cost. ⁵ The Iowa Civics Project used the textbook Iowa Government and Politics that contained thirteen chapters focused on different aspects of the government in Iowa, ranging from Iowa’s founding to political parties and special interest groups to the responsibility of citizenship. ⁶

The Public Interest Institute published two additional websites (both now defunct). IowaTransparency.org provided information related to transparency in state, county, and local government, and school districts in Iowa. IowaVotes.org allowed citizens to track bills in the Iowa General Assembly. ⁷

The Public Interest Institute published Iowa economic scorecards and information on limiting government semi-annually. Its monthly publications included Institute Briefs, which summarized timely topics, and the Iowa Transparency Newsletter. PII published policy studies and fact sheets as needed. The Public Interest Institute also published the books Federalist Government in Principle and Practice, Limiting Leviathan, and Politics, Taxation and the Rule of Law, each co-authored by Donald P. Racheter and Richard E. Wagner. ⁸

Funding

Public Interest Institute was funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses. While PII did not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from the State Policy Network ($15,000 in 2007), ⁹ DonorsTrust ($7,500 in 2010), ¹⁰ and Donors Capital Fund ($5,000 in 2011). ¹¹

People

Advisory Board

Richard E. Wagner was the chair of Public Interest Institute’s Academic Advisory Board. ¹² Wagner is an economics Professor at George Mason University and has had an advisory relationship with organizations like the Independent Institute, the Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation, the James Madison Institute for Public Policy Studies, and the Virginia Institute for Public Policy. ¹³

Board of Directors

Christopher Ingstad was the most recent president of the board of PII and is currently the president of the Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation. ¹⁴ Ingstad is also the treasurer of the board of the New Hope Foundation. ¹⁵

Donald P. Racheter is a former president of the board of PII and is the secretary of the board of the National Taxpayers Union. ¹⁶

Robert H. Solt was the chair of the board of PII and is the chair of the board of the New Hope Foundation. ¹⁷

Andrea S. Wells was the secretary of the board of PII and is the president of the New Hope Foundation. ¹⁸

1. Public Interest Institute. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-EZ). 2018.
2. Public Interest Institute. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-EZ). 2018.
3. “Directory: Iowa.” State Policy Network. Archived from the original February 23, 2017. Accessed July 25, 2023. http://web.archive.org/web/20170223133711/https://spn.org/directory/#IA.
4. “Statement of Purpose & Mission of Public Interest Institute.” Public Interest Institute. Archived from the original March 22, 2017. Accessed July 27, 2023. http://web.archive.org/web/20170322155714/http://www.limitedgovernment.org/mission.html.
5. “Civic Project.” Public Interest Institute. Archived from the original March 25, 2017. Accessed July 27, 2023. http://web.archive.org/web/20170325153449/http://www.limitedgovernment.org/civics.html.
6. “Civics Project.” Public Interest Institute. Archived from the original April 4, 2017. Accessed July 27, 2023. http://web.archive.org/web/20170404045024/http://limitedgovernment.org/des_civics.html.
7. “PII Websites.” Public Interest Institute. Archived from the original March 22, 2017. Accessed July 27, 2023. http://web.archive.org/web/20170322155725/http://www.limitedgovernment.org/websites.html.
8. “Publications of the Public Interest Institute.” Public Interest Institute. Archived from the original June 7, 2015. Accessed July 27, 2023. http://web.archive.org/web/20150607194430/http://www.limitedgovernment.org/publications.html.
9. State Policy Network. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). 2007. Schedule I, Part II.
10. DonorsTrust. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2010, Schedule I, Part II.
11. Donors Capital Fund. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). 2011. Schedule I, Part II.
12. “National Academic Advisory Board.” Public Interest Institute. Archived from the original March 22, 2017. Accessed July 27, 2023. http://web.archive.org/web/20170322155637/http://www.limitedgovernment.org/advisory.html.
13. “Robert E. Wagner.” George Mason University. Accessed July 31, 2023. https://economics.gmu.edu/people/rwagner.
14. “Staff.” Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation. Accessed July 27, 2023. https://itrfoundation.org/staff/.
15. New Hope Foundation. Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF). 2022. Part VII, Line 1.
16. “Board of Directors.” National Taxpayers Union. Accessed July 27, 2023. https://www.ntu.org/about/page/board-of-directors.
17. New Hope Foundation. Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF). 2022. Part VII, Line 1.
18. New Hope Foundation. Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF). 2022. Part VII, Line 1.