Non-profit

Virginia Institute for Public Policy

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The Virginia Institute for Public Policy is a center-right nonprofit think tank that is based in Abingdon, Virginia. The institute is a member of the center-right of state-based think thanks known as the State Policy Network. It is also a member of the international center-right network of think tanks and organizations known as the Atlas Network.

Overview of Research

The Virginia Institute for Public Policy is an independent, nonpartisan, education and research organization. The main aims of the organization are to lay the foundation for political process and an intellectual society dedicated to individual liberty, dynamic entrepreneurial capitalism, private property, the rule of law, and constitutionally limited government. 1

The institute works on five major areas of research and advocacy.

The People v. The “Anointed.”

The institute sees the political battle both in Virginia and in America as between those who support a Jeffersonian vision of the people as sovereign and those who believe in making decisions for all the people. It compares itself favorably to the legacy of Declaration of Independence author and former U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, a native of Virginia. It uses this vision to inform a large portion of its policy research which is designed to reduce the size and scope of government in society. 2

Education

The institute laments that the expenditures on public education have tripled over the past 30 years and that there appears to be no correlation between the amount of money spent and results. The institute’s research is designed to find ways to improve school performance and it even asks the question of whether or not the public school system can be salvaged. 3

Capitalism v. Democratic Socialism

The institute does not simply want to criticize the existing order. It wants to promote a freer, more prosperous society as opposed to the “nanny state” many in power embrace. 4

Devolution of Power

The institute bases much of its research on this issue on the Ninth and Tenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which reserve the rights and powers not explicitly claimed by the federal government to the people and the states, respectively. The institute supports not only devolving power from the federal government to the states but it also supports devolving power from the state government to the local and county level. 5

Philosophy of Law

The institute supports a strict interpretation of the law and constitutional rights. It affirms that the founding fathers intended to create a legal system that limited the powers of government while promoting individual responsibility. 6

Activities

The institute maintains a blog and conducts research, publishing its results on its website on various public policy issues. The institute also has a radio show, called “Freedom and Prosperity Radio,” which is syndicated throughout Virginia. 7

The institute networks with like-minded organizations being a member of the center-right networks State Policy Network and Atlas Network. 8 9

The institute promotes a monthly gathering of like-minded organizations on the second Tuesday of each month in Richmond, Virginia, called the Tuesday Morning Group. The groups began meeting in December 2001, and they coordinate action on taxes, property rights, education reform, health care, and civil asset forfeiture. Currently, over 260 organizations are members of the group. 10

Leadership

Lynn Taylor is the president and co-founder of the institute. She also works as president of Tertium Quids, the 501(c)(4) that also promotes the Tuesday Morning Group. She also serves as executive producer of Freedom & Prosperity Radio. Previously, she was the managing director of the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation and the Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation. She received a B.A. in mathematics from Agnes Scott College, a M.B.A. in finance from Georgia State University and a J.D. from the Woodrow Wilson College of Law. She is also a member of the Federalist Society, a membership organization of lawyers promoting the “originalist” theory of constitutional interpretation often associated with the political right. 11

Financials

According to the 2018 Form 990, the institute raised $165,445 and spent $144,586. It had assets of $98,781. 12

The two largest donors to the institute are the William H. Donner Foundation which donated $445,479 and the Donors Capital Fund which has donated $433,500 throughout the lifetime of the organization. 13

References

  1.            “About The Virginia Institute”. 2021. Virginia Institute For Public Policy. Accessed February 1. https://virginiainstitute.org/about/.
  2.            “About The Virginia Institute”. 2021. Virginia Institute For Public Policy. Accessed February 1. https://virginiainstitute.org/about/.
  3. “About The Virginia Institute”. 2021. Virginia Institute For Public Policy. Accessed February 1. https://virginiainstitute.org/about/.
  4. “About The Virginia Institute”. 2021. Virginia Institute For Public Policy. Accessed February 1. https://virginiainstitute.org/about/.
  5.     “About The Virginia Institute”. 2021. Virginia Institute For Public Policy. Accessed February 1. https://virginiainstitute.org/about/.
  6. “About The Virginia Institute”. 2021. Virginia Institute For Public Policy. Accessed February 1. https://virginiainstitute.org/about/.
  7. “Freedom & Prosperity Radio”. 2021. Virginia Institute For Public Policy. Accessed February 1. https://virginiainstitute.org/media/freedom-prosperity-radio/.
  8. “Virginia Institute For Public Policy”. 2021. State Policy Network. Accessed February 1. https://spn.org/organization/virginia-institute-for-public-policy/.
  9. “Virginia Institute For Public Policy”. 2021. Atlas Network. Accessed February 1. https://www.atlasnetwork.org/partners/global-directory/virginia-institute-for-public-policy.
  10.   “Tuesday Morning Group”. 2021. Virginia Institute For Public Policy. Accessed February 1. https://virginiainstitute.org/tmg/.
  11. “Lynn Taylor”. 2021. Virginia Institute For Public Policy. Accessed February 1. https://virginiainstitute.org/leaders/board/lynn-taylor/.
  12. Form 990. 2018. Ebook. Guidestar. https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2018/541/870/2018-541870848-17149766-9.pdf.
  13. “Virginia Institute For Public Policy”. 2021. Desmog. Accessed February 1. https://www.desmogblog.com/virginia-institute-public-policy.
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