Non-profit

USC Schwarzenegger Institute

Website:

schwarzenegger.usc.edu/

Location:

CA

Formation:

2012

Project of:

University of Southern California

Chairman:

Arnold Schwarzenegger

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USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy (often shortened to USC Schwarzenegger Institute) is a policy research organization housed at the University of Southern California. The institute focuses primarily on climate change. Other policy areas include education, economics, and voter mobilization. 1

Bodybuilder, actor, and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) is the chairman of the organization and is its namesake.

Activities

USC Schwarzenegger Institute employs academics and policy analysts to produce research reports on political issue areas such as climate change, voter mobilization, and education. 2

In September 2020, the USC Schwarzenegger Institute launched the “Democracy Grants for Voting Access and Election Administration” initiative to assist polling sites during COVID-19. 3

It announced that local governments and other organizations could begin applying to the program for funding ahead of the 2020 general election. The “fast grant” initiative claimed its funds were to be used to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), reopen closed polling sites, and hire poll workers in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns. 4

According to Fox 5 Atlanta, six Georgia counties applied for and received grant money: Chatham County, Douglas County, Gwinnett County, Lamar County, Muscogee County, and Taliaferro County. Officials from Gwinnett County reported they received $100,000 for PPE supplies and hazard pay for poll staff. Douglas County used its funds to hire more poll workers to process a high volume of early voting ballots. Lamar County used the money to double the number of absentee or mail-in ballot drop boxes. 5

According to USC Schwarzenegger Institute academic director Christian Grose, Arnold Schwarzenegger was the key decision maker involved in the program and personally identified Georgia and much of the South as areas in need of such funds. He also personally contributed up to several million dollars in funds to the program. 6 7

Leadership

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the bodybuilder and actor who served as governor of California from 2003 through 2011, is the chairman of the organization. He partnered with USC in 2012 to launch the institute to continue promoting policies he pursued as governor, especially those related to addressing climate change. 8

Conyers Davis is the global director of USC Schwarzenegger, a communications advisor who has previously worked for former British Prime Minister David Cameron, Simon and Schuster, Lionsgate Films, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Christian Grose, a professor of political science and public policy at USC, is the academic director of the institute. Fran Pavley, an environmentalist and former member of the California state legislature, is the institute’s environmental policy director. 9

As of 2022, the institute’s board of advisors included Evan Bayh, Henry Cisneros, Richard Costigan, John Danielson, Lord Ian Duncan of Springbank, Werner Faymann, Kathay Feng, Vicente Fox, Monika Langthaler-Rosenberg, Evan McMullin, Thurgood Marshall Jr., Mary D. Nichols, Ronald L. Olson, Ben Paul, Fran Pavley, Rick Saines, Jacqueline Salit, Erroll G. Southers, Terry Tamminen, Katherine Whelan, Christine Todd Whitman, and Kandeh Yumkella.

References

  1. “About the Institute.” USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Accessed 18 December, 2022. http://schwarzenegger.usc.edu/about-the-institute/mission
  2. “Policy Areas.” USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Accessed 18 December, 2022. http://schwarzenegger.usc.edu/policy-areas/.
  3. “USC Schwarzenegger Institute Initiates Democracy Grants for Voting Access and Election Administration.” USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. Accessed 18 December 2022. https://priceschool.usc.edu/democracy-grants-for-voting-access-and-election-administration/.
  4. Simms, Claire. “Schwarzenegger Institute provides voting grants to Georgia counties.” Fox 5 Atlanta, 22 October, 2020. Accessed 18 December, 2022. https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/schwarzenegger-institute-provides-voting-grants-to-georgia-counties
  5. Simms, Claire. “Schwarzenegger Institute provides voting grants to Georgia counties.” Fox 5 Atlanta, 22 October, 2020. Accessed 18 December, 2022. https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/schwarzenegger-institute-provides-voting-grants-to-georgia-counties
  6.   Simms, Claire. “Schwarzenegger Institute provides voting grants to Georgia counties.” Fox 5 Atlanta, 22 October, 2020. Accessed 18 December, 2022. https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/schwarzenegger-institute-provides-voting-grants-to-georgia-counties.
  7. “USC Schwarzenegger Institute Initiates Democracy Grants for Voting Access and Election Administration.” USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. Accessed 18 December, 2022. https://priceschool.usc.edu/democracy-grants-for-voting-access-and-election-administration/
  8. “Leadership.” USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Accessed 18 December, 2022. http://schwarzenegger.usc.edu/about-the-institute/about-the-institute-leadership.
  9. “Leadership.” USC Schwarzenegger Institute. Accessed 18 December, 2022. http://schwarzenegger.usc.edu/about-the-institute/about-the-institute-leadership.
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USC Schwarzenegger Institute

CA