The Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC)

The EPPC claims to focus on policy issues such as freedom of religion, right of conscience protections, and traditional family values. ²

Activities

The Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) advises policymakers and religious leaders, engages with the court and education systems, and works with parents and other culture-makers to support America’s founding ideals and Judeo-Christian heritage. ¹ EPPC envisions an American society where families and faith communities flourish and the traditional American way of life thrives. ³

The EPPC focuses not only on religious freedom, but on other policy issues including abortion, marriage and the family, assisted suicide, gender identity, and medical ethics. To defend human dignity, EPPC advocates for overturning Roe v. Wade, opposes gender ideology and the Equality Act, and supports the creation of a conservative, pro-family economic policy agenda. ³

In February 2021, EPPC launched its HHS Accountability Project in response what it claims to be the Biden administration’s Department of Health and Human Services’ threats to rights of conscience. The project opposes the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, advocates for HHS regulatory reform, and aims to stop HHS from rolling back conscience and religious liberty protections. ³

In 2021, the EPPC launched the “Big Tech Project” to advocate for changing Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, claiming it was in order to, “end Big Tech’s improper use of the immunities [the act] currently provides” such as violating anti-trust laws and exposing children to harmful content and services.  ³

In 2025, EPPC Fellow, Clare Morell signed a petition titled “The National Declaration on AI and Kids’ Safety.” The petition highlights documented cases where AI-driven tools such as chatbots and recommendation algorithms, exposed minors to sexually explicit content, psychological manipulation, and harmful advice. It argued that AI products have prioritized engagement and profit over child safety and are deployed without adequate testing or oversight. The petition also called for the implementation of core safety principles such as bans on manipulative AI design, minimal and protected data collection, full parental transparency, and independent safety auditing. It also urges Congress to reform Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to remove liability shields for AI-generated or algorithmically promoted content. The petition also claimed AI products that pose inherent risks to minors should face product liability and, if necessary, be banned. ⁴

Funding

The Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. While EPPC does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation ($450,000 in 2019), ⁵ Donors Trust ($400,000 in 2019), ⁶ and the John Templeton Foundation ($200,000 in 2016). ^{7 8} the Bradley Impact Fund ($560,570 in 2023),⁹ and $151,000 from the National Christian Charitable Foundation. ¹⁰

People

Ryan Anderson is the president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) and the founding editor of the Witherspoon Institute’s online journal Public Discourse. Anderson is a member of the James Madison Society at Princeton University and a former William E. Simon senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation. ¹¹

Edward Whelan is the vice president and president emeritus of EPPC. Whelan formerly worked as a law clerk to former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, as general counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, and in the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice. ¹²

Board of Directors

J. Robison Hays, III is chairman of the board for the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC). Hays, III is the former president and chief executive officer of the Ashford Hospitality Trust. ¹³

Robert George is the vice chair of the board for the EPPC and the director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. George is a former presidential appointee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. ¹⁴

Mary Ellen Bork sits on the advisory board of the School of Philosophy at Catholic University and is a member of the editorial board for the magazine Voices. ¹⁴

Eric Cohen is the executive director of the Tikvah Fund and the editor-at-large of The New Atlantis. Cohen formerly worked as a senior consultant on the President’s Council on Bioethics and is a former fellow at the New America Foundation. ¹⁴

Leonard Leo is the co-chair of the board of the Federalist Society. Leo is the former chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. ¹⁴

Wilfred McClay is a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum. McClay formerly sat on the National Council on the Humanities and on the advisory board for the National Endowment for the Humanities. McClay is a former senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. ¹⁴

Barb Van Andel-Gaby is a trustee of the Heritage Foundation, sits on the board of governors of the Reagan Ranch, and is a member of the Home School Legal Defense Association. ¹⁵