The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) is a left-of-center policy institute and government advisory organization founded by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. TBI presents itself as non-partisan and pro-technology, advising political leaders on strategy, policy, and delivery while promoting globalization and approaches it believes are innovative in areas such as technology, government, and energy. In 2025, the group drew scrutiny from environmental groups for promoting a shift from so-called clean energy targets to cheaper energy sources. ^{1 2}

Background and History

Established in 2017, the Tony Blair Institute consolidated policy and advisory ventures associated with Tony Blair, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007, into a single entity that works with governments worldwide. Blair stated at the group’s founding that the institute was intended to function as a “new policy platform to refill the wide open space in the middle of politics.” Blair noted that he had no plans to return to government and was critical of a leftward shift in his own U.K. Labour Party as well as the rise of what he described as “authoritarian populism.” In its first year of operation, the new institute “published a policy paper outlining steps that the British government could undertake to impose new restrictions on immigration that would not require Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union (Brexit).” ³

The institute works with governments globally, and the group’s 2024 annual report reported operations in 40 countries with a staff of 786. Tony Blair is executive chairman, and Catherine Rimmer is founding chief executive. ^{4 5 6}

In October 2025, the Financial Times reported the Blair Institute was undertaking restructuring and layoffs amid continued losses, even as it increased its artificial-intelligence-related work and sought new donors. ⁷

The institute advances a left-of-center, technocratic approach associated with the “Third Way” politics Blair espoused in government, including market-oriented globalization, a strong but “modernized” state, and a heavy emphasis on technology, including AI, digital identity, data platforms, and nuclear energy as the drivers of policy change. ^{8 9 7}

Activities

The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change embeds advisory teams in governmental ministries and executive offices across Africa, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas, focusing on delivery units, investment facilitation, public-sector digitization, and crisis response, having previously included COVID-19 education support with multilateral partners. In the U.K., its “Future of Britain” work creates papers and briefings for UK policymakers on growth, technology, and public-service reform. ^{10 5 11}

In 2025, the Blair Institute argued that the UK should reframe its 2030 clean-power mission to prioritize affordability while maintaining a 2050 net-zero emissions goal, a position that drew sharp criticism from environmentalist groups. The group published a paper in October 2025 that softened a more aggressive statement from Blair that “claimed the current climate approach was not working, and limiting fossil fuels in the short term was ‘doomed to fail.’” U.K. environmentalist groups, including the Green Alliance and others, criticized the institute’s approach. ^{1 7 12}

Funding

Tony Blair Institute is primarily funded by private funders and grantmakers as well as government contracts for advisory work. The Larry Ellison Foundation was reported to have pledged or donated at least $338 million since 2021, coinciding with the institute’s rapid international expansion. ^{13 14}

Financials

In fiscal year 2024, Tony Blair Institute reported revenue of $161.3 million and operating expenses of $163.0 million, yielding a $1.2 million pre-tax deficit and a total comprehensive deficit of $4.3 million; year-end net assets were $33.1 million with cash of $34.9 million. The institute said staff costs rose by 24 percent and that it expanded into eight new countries in 2024. ⁴

1. Beament, Emily. “Tony Blair Institute urges shift in focus from clean to cheaper power by 2030.” The Independent. October 23, 2025. Accessed October 29, 2025. https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/government-tony-blair-institute-rachel-reeves-reform-uk-conservatives-b2850515.html
2. “Insights.” Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. Accessed October 29, 2025. https://institute.global/insights
3. “Tony Blair: Life after the Premiership.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. Accessed October 29, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tony-Blair/Life-after-the-premiership
4. Tony Blair Institute — Annual Report and Financial Statements, Year Ended 31 December 2024. Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. Accessed October 29, 2025. https://assets.ctfassets.net/75ila1cntaeh/6r3BR804oDmiXfqofz60wf/0df286c1747f21b2c2222a57c3b7d5a0/Tony_Blair_Institute_YE_31.12.2024_Signed.pdf
5. “About.” Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. Accessed October 29, 2025. https://institute.global/who-we-are/about
6. “Executive Leadership.” Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. Accessed October 29, 2025. https://institute.global/who-we-are/executive-leadership
7. “Tony Blair Institute undertakes restructuring as losses mount.” Financial Times. October 25, 2025. Accessed October 29, 2025. https://www.ft.com/content/119684b9-c810-4014-92c7-a6097c5e454c
8. “The Climate Paradox: Why We Need to Reset Action on Climate Change.” Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. Accessed October 29, 2025. https://institute.global/insights/climate-and-energy/the-climate-paradox-why-we-need-to-reset-action-on-climate-change
9. “Our Approach.” Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. Accessed October 29, 2025. https://institute.global/what-we-do/approach
10. “Partnerships.” Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. Accessed October 29, 2025. https://institute.global/what-we-do/partnerships
11. “Tony Blair Institute.” UNESCO Global Education Coalition. Accessed October 29, 2025. https://globaleducationcoalition.unesco.org/members/details/122
12. Batchelor-Hunt, Nadine. “Row After Tony Blair Institute Calls for 2030 Clean Power Target To Be Dropped.” PoliticsHome. October 24, 2025. Accessed October 29, 2025.  https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/leading-think-tank-criticises-tony-blair-institute
13. “Blair and the Billionaire: Inside a Global Power Network.” Lighthouse Reports. June 27, 2024. Accessed October 29, 2025. https://www.lighthousereports.com/investigation/blair-and-the-billionaire/
14. “Inside the Tony Blair Institute.” New Statesman. September 12, 2025. Accessed October 29, 2025. https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2025/09/inside-the-tony-blair-institute