Difference between revisions of "Institute for Humane Studies"

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The '''Institute for Humane Studies''' (IHS) acts as a libertarian talent scout, identifying, developing, and supporting the brightest young libertarians it can find who are intent on a leveraged scholarly, or intellectual, career path. Each year IHS awards over $400,000 in scholarships to students from universities around the world.
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The '''Institute for Humane Studies''' (IHS) is a non-profit hosted by [[George Mason University]] that acts as a [[libertarian]] recruitment firm, identifying, developing, and supporting "talented students, scholars, and other intellectuals who share an interest in liberty and in advancing the principles and practice of freedom," according to its mission statement.<ref name="about">Institute for Humane Studies, [https://www.theihs.org/history-mission History and Mission], organizational website, accessed July 8, 2014.</ref> The IHS has close ties to billionaire [[Charles Koch]], who has funded the Institute since the late 1960s.<ref>Lisa Graves, "The Koch Cartel: Their Reach, Their Reactionary Agenda, and Their Record," ''The Progressive'', July/August 2014.</ref>
  
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It was started in 1961 by [[F. A. Harper]] as a successor to the [[William Volker Fund]] which was shortly to expire.  The IHS inherited Volker's staff, approach, and the strategy of its directors, [[Loren Miller]] and [[Herb Cornuelle]].  Other founding members (who had also been associated with the Volker Fund) included [[Leonard P. Liggio]], [[George Reach]], [[Kenneth S. Templeton, Jr.]], and Dr. [[Neil McLeod]]; and among the earliest business supporters of the IHS were R. C. Hoiles, J. Howard Pew, Howard Buffet, William L. Law, and Pierre Goodrich.
+
According to its website, the IHS awards more than $1,000,000 in scholarships to students from universities around the world.<ref name="about"/> However, its tax filings from 2010-2012 report giving around $700,000-$800,000 in scholarship grants each year.<ref name="2012 990"/>
  
−
In 1985 the IHS moved to Fairfax, Virginia, and associated with [[George Mason University]].
+
Along with the [[State Policy Network]],<ref>State Policy Network, [http://www.spn.org/transparency/page/spn-ihs-charles-g-koch-summer-fellow-program SPN / IHS Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program], organizational website, accessed July 2014.</ref> the IHS formerly hosted the Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program, a paid summer public policy internship for undergraduate and graduate students funded by the [[Charles G. Koch Foundation]].<ref name="summer fellow">Institute for Humane Studies, "[https://www.theihs.org/koch-summer-fellow-program Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program]," organizational website, accessed May 27, 2014.</ref> IHS is an "associate" member of the State Policy Network.<ref>State Policy Network, [https://spn.org/directory/ Directory], ''State Policy Network'', 2016.</ref>
 +
 
 +
{{Template:KochConnection}}
 +
 
 +
==Ties to the Koch Brothers==
 +
 
 +
[[Charles Koch]] is the chairman of the Institute's board of directors. The board also includes longtime Koch insider [[Richard Fink]], who is an executive vice president of [[Koch Industries]].<ref name="guidestar data"/>
 +
 
 +
Koch operative [[Eric O'Keefe]] is also a board member of the IHS,<ref>Brendan Fischer, "[http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-permalink-23544.html Bradley Foundation Bankrolled Groups Pushing Back on Scott Walker’s John Doe Criminal Probe]," ''Express Milwaukee'', June 25, 2014. Accessed July 8, 2014.</ref> and O'Keefe's former group, the [[Sam Adams Alliance]], was affiliated with the Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program, formerly hosted at the IHS.<ref>Alex Brant-Zawadzki and Dawn Teo, "[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-brantzawadzki/anatomy-of-the-tea-party_b_380662.html Anatomy of the Tea Party Movement: Sam Adams Alliance]," ''Huffington Post'', December 11, 2009. Accessed July 30, 2014.</ref> O'Keefe has also served on the board of the Koch-founded [[Cato Institute]], and under his leadership, the [[Wisconsin Club for Growth]] has received large amounts of funding from Koch-linked groups, including the [[Center to Protect Patient Rights]], now known as American Encore.<ref>Lisa Kaiser, [http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-22149-exclusive-koch-brothers%25E2%2580%2599-dark-money-flowed-into-wisconsin-recall-fight.html Exclusive: Koch Brothers’ Dark Money Flowed into Wisconsin Recall Fight], ''Shepherd Express'', Nov 13, 2013</ref>
 +
 
 +
The IHS has received millions of dollars in funding from the [[Koch family foundations]] and from the Koch-linked [[DonorsTrust]] and [[Donors Capital Fund]].
 +
 
 +
*[[Charles G. Koch Foundation]]: $14,963,318 (1999-2012)
 +
*[[David H. Koch Foundation]]: $2,100,000 (1995-2001)
 +
*[[Claude R. Lambe Foundation]]: $2,537,074 (1986-1996)
 +
*[[DonorsTrust]]: $796,250 (2002-2012)
 +
*[[Donors Capital Fund]]: $3,123,636 (2003-2012)<ref name="ihs donors">Media Matters, [http://conservativetransparency.org/org/institute-for-humane-studies/ Institute for Humane Studies], funding report, accessed July 2, 2014.</ref>
 +
 
 +
IHS staffers have participated in [[Koch network]] summit meetings, including Chad Thevenot and Marty Zupan.
 +
 
 +
==History==
 +
The IHS was started in 1961 by [[F. A. Harper|F. A. "Baldy" Harper]]. It was originally located near San Francisco in Menlo Park, California, but in 1985 moved to its current home at George Mason University in Virginia.<ref name="about"/>
 +
 
 +
Harper founded the IHS as a successor to his projects for the [[William Volker Fund]] from which he was sacked.<ref>Brian Doherty, ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=hxHtqKoxI7YC&q=Harper#v=onepage&q=Harper%20Humane&f=false Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement'' (New York:PublicAffairs), 2007, pp. 294-295.</ref> The IHS inherited Volker's staff, approach, and the strategy of its directors, [[Loren Miller]] and [[Herb Cornuelle]]. Other founding members (who had also been associated with the Volker Fund) included [[Leonard P. Liggio]], [[George Reach]], [[Kenneth S. Templeton, Jr.]], and Dr. [[Neil McLeod]]; and among the earliest business supporters of the IHS were [[R. C. Hoiles]], J. Howard Pew, Howard Buffet, William L. Law, and [[Pierre Goodrich]].<ref>Brian Doherty, "Chapter 6: The Goldwater Movement, the Objectivist Crackup, and the Hippies of the Right," ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=hxHtqKoxI7YC&q=Harper#v=onepage&q=%22Institute%20for%20Humane%20Studies%22%20Liggio&f=false Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement'' (New York:PublicAffairs), 2007, pp. 291-388.</ref>
 +
 
 +
According to an [[Atlas Network]] press release, in 1995, IHS was in the same building near George Mason University at "4084 University Drive" in Fairfax as [[Atlas Economic Research Foundation]], the [[Locke Institute]],  the [[Center for Market Processes]], which became the [[Mercatus Center]], and the [[Science and Environmental Policy Project]].<ref>Atlas Network, [https://web.archive.org/web/20021021144545/http://www.atlasusa.org/highlight_archive/1995/H1995-02-Environment.html SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY PROJECT MOVES TO FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA]," archived by Internet Wayback Machine, October 21, 2001. Accessed July 8, 2014.</ref>
 +
 
 +
===Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program===
 +
The IHS formerly hosted the Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program, a paid summer internship for undergraduate and graduate students.<ref name="summer fellow"/> The program is now hosted by the [[Charles Koch Institute]].<ref>Charles Koch Institute, "[http://www.charleskochinstitute.org/koch-summer-fellow-program/ Koch Summer Fellow Program]." Accessed May 27, 2014.</ref> The program places each intern at one of some 80 partner organizations, which include the [[Cato Institute]], the [[Competitive Enterprise Institute]], the [[Institute for Justice]], and the [[National Taxpayers Union Foundation]], among many others.<ref>Charles Koch Institute, "[http://www.charleskochinstitute.org/koch-summer-fellow-program/partner-organizations/ Partner Organizations]." Accessed May 27, 2014.</ref>
 +
 
 +
==Mission==
 +
According to Jane Mayer,
 +
:"The aim of the IHS was to cultivate and subsidize a farm team of the next generation's libertarian scholars. Anxious at one point that the war of ideas was proceeding too slowly, Charles reportedly demanded better metrics with which to monitor students' political views. To the dismay of some faculty members, applicants' essays had to be run through computers in order to count the number of times they mentioned the free-market icons Ayn Rand and Milton Friedman. Students were tested at the beginning and the end of each week for ideological improvement."<ref>Jane Mayer, [Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right], 2016.</ref>
 +
 
 +
==Controversies==
 +
===Florida Welfare Drug Testing Law (2014)===
 +
In January 2014, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow claimed that the Koch brothers were connected to a Florida law, since declared unconstitutional, that required drug testing for welfare recipients. Maddow stated that the [[Florida Foundation for Government Accountability]], which advocated for the law, had participated in the [[Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program]] when it was affiliated with the Institute for Humane Studies.<ref>Erik Wemple, "[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2014/01/28/msnbcs-rachel-maddow-recommits-to-her-slam-on-koch-brothers/ MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow recommits to her slam on Koch brothers]," ''The Washington Post'', January 28, 2014. Accessed May 27, 2014.</ref> In a statement published on its "KochFacts.com" website, [[Koch Industries]] denied Maddow's claim, writing that "we were not involved with the Florida law concerning drug testing of welfare recipients, she claimed otherwise on her show."<ref>Koch Industries, "[http://www.kochfacts.com/kf/rachel-maddow-deliberately-misrepresents-the-facts-then-refuses-to-admit-it/ Rachel Maddow Deliberately Misrepresents the Facts then Refuses to Admit It]," organizational website, January 6, 2014. Accessed July 8, 2014.</ref>
 +
 
 +
The fact-checking website Politifact reported that Florida Gov. [[Rick Scott]], who had proposed the law, had attended [[Koch network]] donor meetings and gave a keynote address at a meeting for [[Americans for Prosperity]], a Koch-led group. It also found that "there are some connections between Koch and the Foundation for Government Accountability," which has received funding from the [[State Policy Network]], to which the Kochs have donated. However, since many of the funding ties between the Kochs and the Foundation for Government Accountability were indirect or passed through "donor-advised" funders like [[DonorsTrust]], Politifact concluded that these connections were "not enough to declare the Foundation for Government Accountability a Koch affiliate," and so rated Maddow's claim "mostly false," adding, "Part of that may be the fault of the system, which allows donors to largely remain anonymous, and shuttle money through shadow groups."<ref>Politifact, "[http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2014/jan/09/rachel-maddow/rachel-maddow-claims-florida-group-backs-drug-test/ Rachel Maddow claims Florida group that backs drug-testing welfare recipients is affiliated with Koch brothers]," January 2, 2014. Accessed July 8, 2014.</ref>
 +
 
 +
===Support for Climate Change Denial===
 +
Greenpeace has reported that "several prominent climate change deniers have prominent positions at IHS," including [[Robert_L._Bradley_Jr.|Robert Bradley]] and [[Fred Singer]], and others have been invited as guest lecturers, including [[Bruce Yandle]] and [[Kenneth Green]].<ref>Greenpeace.org, "[http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/campaigns/global-warming-and-energy/polluterwatch/koch-industries/institute-for-humane-studies/ Koch Industries Climate Denial Front Group]," Accessed May 27, 2014.</ref>
 +
 
 +
According to ''Mother Jones'', the Institute for Humane Studies gave a scholarship to Polish conservative and climate change skeptic Tomasz Teluk. Teluk founded the Polish libertarian think-tank the [http://globalizacja.org/en/ Globalization Institute], which has received funding from the [[Atlas Economic Research Foundation]].<ref>Josh Harkinson, "[http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2009/12/climate-deniers-atlas-foundation?page=1 Climate Change Deniers Without Borders]," ''Mother Jones'', December 22, 2009. Accessed May 27, 2014.</ref> The Atlas Foundation is a Koch brothers-funded research foundation and an [[SPN_Members|SPN associate member]].
 +
 
 +
{{Template:AntiEnvironmentalArchives}}
 +
 
 +
==Other Activities==
 +
[http://politopia.com/ Politopia.com], a project of the IHS, is a website which quizzes users on their political values, then assigns them a position on a two-dimensional plot rather than a left-right spectrum.
 +
 
 +
In 2013, the Institute for Humane Studies launched [http://www.theedvantage.org/ EDvantage], which is described on its website as a "curriculum hub for pioneering educators."<ref>EDvantage, [http://www.theedvantage.org/about About], organizational website, accessed June 10, 2014.</ref>
 +
 
 +
==Funding==
 +
The Institute receives funding from a number of large libertarian and [[right-wing]] foundations, including the [[Koch Family Foundations]], the [[Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation]], the [[Walton Family Foundation]] and Richard Scaife's [[Carthage Foundation]] and [[Sarah Scaife Foundation]].<ref name="ihs donors"/>
 +
 
 +
The top ten overall contributors to IHS have been:
 +
 
 +
*[[Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation]]: $14,963,318 (1999-2012)
 +
*[[Donors Capital Fund]]: $3,123,636 (2003-2012)
 +
*[[Dunn's Foundation for the Advancement of Right Thinking]]: $2,618,700 (2002-2013)
 +
*[[Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation]]: $2,537,074 (1986-1996)
 +
*[[Searle Freedom Trust]]: $2,522,532 (2001-2012)
 +
*[[David H. Koch Foundation]]: $2,100,000 (1995-2001)
 +
*[[John William Pope Foundation]]: $1,295,000 (2010-2013)
 +
*[[John M. Olin Foundation]]: $1,198,000 (1986-1995)
 +
*[[Sarah Scaife Foundation]]: $1,050,000 (1985-2012)
 +
*[[DonorsTrust]]: $796,250 (2002-2012)<ref name="ihs donors"/>
 +
 
 +
===Core Financials===
 +
 
 +
'''<big>2014</big>'''<ref>Institute for Humane Studies, [http://www.guidestar.org/ViewPdf.aspx?PdfSource=0&ein=94-1623852 Guidstar Financial Report], 2016.</ref>
 +
* Total Revenue: $11,516,532
 +
* Total Expenses: $11,310,800
 +
* Net Assets: $4,945,849
 +
 
 +
'''<big>2012</big>'''<ref name="2012 990">Institute for Humane Studies, [http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2012/941/623/2012-941623852-096c424b-9.pdf 2012 IRS form 990], organizational tax filing, accessed July 8, 2014.</ref>
 +
* Total Revenue: $10,540,894
 +
* Total Expenses: $11,236,296
 +
* Net Assets: $3,811,806
 +
 
 +
'''<big>2011</big>'''<ref name="2011 990">Institute for Humane Studies, [http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2011/941/623/2011-941623852-07ea77f9-9.pdf 2011 IRS form 990], organizational tax filing, accessed July 8, 2014.</ref>
 +
* Total Revenue: $9.904,619
 +
* Total Expenses: $8,632,911
 +
* Net Assets: $4,468,456
 +
 
 +
'''<big>2010</big>'''<ref name="2010 990">Institute for Humane Studies, [http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2010/941/623/2010-941623852-06b99649-9.pdf 2011 IRS form 990], organizational tax filing, accessed July 8, 2014.</ref>
 +
* Total Revenue: $6,991,141
 +
* Total Expenses: $7,022,506
 +
* Net Assets: 3,212,818
 +
 
 +
==Personnel==
 +
===Staff===
 +
As of June 2016:<ref>Institute for Humane Studies, [https://theihs.org/home/who-we-are/people/ People], organizational website. Accessed June 3, 2016.</ref>
 +
 
 +
*Marty Zupan, President and CEO. In 2012, Zupan earned $264,307 in compensation from the IHS.<ref name="2012 990"/>
 +
*Chad Thevenot, Executive Director
 +
*Chris Wolske, Senior Director of IT
 +
*Courtney Derr, Senior Director of Student Programs
 +
*Daniel Butler, Director of Development
 +
*Gary Leff, Chief Financial Officer
 +
*Jason Ross, Senior Director of Faculty Relations
 +
*Scott Barton, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications
 +
*Todd Hathaway, Chief Operating Officer
  
 
Previous presidents include [[David Nott]] of the [[Reason Foundation]]
 
Previous presidents include [[David Nott]] of the [[Reason Foundation]]
  
−
Board includes
+
===Board of Directors===
−
*[[James Arthur Pope]]
+
As of June 2014:<ref name="guidestar data">Guidestar, [http://www.guidestar.org/organizations/94-1623852/institute-humane-studies.aspx Institute for Humane Studies], self-reported data. Accessed June 10, 2014.</ref>
−
*[[John Blundell]]
+
 
 +
*[[Charles G. Koch]] (Chair), [[Koch Industries]], Wichita, KS
 +
*[[Donald Boudreax]], George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
 +
*[[John Blundell]], [[Institute of Economic Affairs]], London, UK
 +
*[[Timothy Browne]], Autana Vineyards, Healdsburg, CA
 +
*[[Tyler Cowen]], George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
 +
*[[Richard Fink]], [[Koch Industries]], Washington, DC
 +
*[[Jerry Fullinwider]], Hillwood International Energy, Dallas, TX
 +
*[[David Humphreys]], Tamko Asphalt Products, Joplin, MO
 +
*[[Eric O'Keefe]], OKE Associates, Spring Green, WI
 +
*[[Art Pope|James Pope]], Variety Wholesalers, Raleigh, NC
 +
*[[William Sumner]], Scottsdale, AZ
 +
 
 +
== Contact Information ==
 +
Institute for Humane Studies<br>
 +
at George Mason University<br>
 +
3301 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 440<br>
 +
Arlington VA 22201<br>
 +
tel: 703.993.4880 / 800.697.8799<br>
 +
fax: 703.993.4890<br>
 +
web site: http://www.theihs.org
 +
 
 +
==Related SourceWatch articles==
 +
*[[Foundations and Funders]]
  
−
Staff includes
+
== Related Links ==
−
*[[Marty Zupan]], President
+
*[[John Blundell]], "[http://www.atlasusa.org/toolkit/waging_war.php?refer=toolkit Waging the War of Ideas]", speech to the [[Heritage Foundation]], January 1990
 +
*Clean Air Trust, [http://www.cleanairtrust.org/villain.0102.html Trust names Wendy Lee Gramm The Clean Air 'Villan of the Month'], January 2002.
 +
*Radley Balko, "[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,116497,00.html Private Investment Protects Environment Where Government Fails]," FOXNews, April 8, 2004.
 +
*[http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/global-warming/climate-deniers/front-groups/institute-for-humane-studies-ihs/ Institute for Humane Studies: Koch Industries Climate Denial Front Group], Greenpeace USA, accessed August 13, 2015.
 +
*"[http://www.mediatransparency.org/recipientgrants.php?169 Institute for Humane Studies]," MediaTransparency.org.
 +
*Connor Gibson and Lindsey Berger, [http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/global-warming/climate-deniers/koch-pollution-on-campus/ Koch Pollution on Campus: Academic Freedom Under Assault from Charles Koch's $50 Million Campaign to Infiltrate Higher Education], Greenpeace USA, September 15, 2014.
 +
*PolluterWatch, [http://polluterwatch.org/charles-koch-university-funding-database#KochAcademicFreedom Charles Koch vs. Academic Freedom], Greenepeace USA, updated August 13, 2015.
 +
* DeSmogBlog, [http://www.desmogblog.com/koch-and-george-mason-university#KochAcademicFreedom Koch and George Mason University: Koch Academic Freedom Concerns], accessed August 12, 2014.
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
−
*[[John Blundell]], [http://www.atlasusa.org/toolkit/waging_war.php?refer=toolkit Waging the War of Ideas], speech to the [[Heritage Foundation]], January 1990
+
<references/>
 +
 
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[[Category:Foundations]][[Category:Libertarians]][[Category:United States]][[Category:Koch Connection]][[Category:SPN Exposed]]

Latest revision as of 18:39, 3 August 2017

The Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) is a non-profit hosted by George Mason University that acts as a libertarian recruitment firm, identifying, developing, and supporting "talented students, scholars, and other intellectuals who share an interest in liberty and in advancing the principles and practice of freedom," according to its mission statement.[1] The IHS has close ties to billionaire Charles Koch, who has funded the Institute since the late 1960s.[2]

According to its website, the IHS awards more than $1,000,000 in scholarships to students from universities around the world.[1] However, its tax filings from 2010-2012 report giving around $700,000-$800,000 in scholarship grants each year.[3]

Along with the State Policy Network,[4] the IHS formerly hosted the Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program, a paid summer public policy internship for undergraduate and graduate students funded by the Charles G. Koch Foundation.[5] IHS is an "associate" member of the State Policy Network.[6]

Koch Wiki

Charles Koch is the right-wing billionaire owner of Koch Industries. As one of the richest people in the world, he is a key funder of the right-wing infrastructure, including the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the State Policy Network (SPN). In SourceWatch, key articles on Charles Koch and his late brother David include: Koch Brothers, Americans for Prosperity, Stand Together Chamber of Commerce, Stand Together, Koch Family Foundations, Koch Universities, and I360.

Ties to the Koch Brothers

Charles Koch is the chairman of the Institute's board of directors. The board also includes longtime Koch insider Richard Fink, who is an executive vice president of Koch Industries.[7]

Koch operative Eric O'Keefe is also a board member of the IHS,[8] and O'Keefe's former group, the Sam Adams Alliance, was affiliated with the Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program, formerly hosted at the IHS.[9] O'Keefe has also served on the board of the Koch-founded Cato Institute, and under his leadership, the Wisconsin Club for Growth has received large amounts of funding from Koch-linked groups, including the Center to Protect Patient Rights, now known as American Encore.[10]

The IHS has received millions of dollars in funding from the Koch family foundations and from the Koch-linked DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund.

IHS staffers have participated in Koch network summit meetings, including Chad Thevenot and Marty Zupan.

History

The IHS was started in 1961 by F. A. "Baldy" Harper. It was originally located near San Francisco in Menlo Park, California, but in 1985 moved to its current home at George Mason University in Virginia.[1]

Harper founded the IHS as a successor to his projects for the William Volker Fund from which he was sacked.[12] The IHS inherited Volker's staff, approach, and the strategy of its directors, Loren Miller and Herb Cornuelle. Other founding members (who had also been associated with the Volker Fund) included Leonard P. Liggio, George Reach, Kenneth S. Templeton, Jr., and Dr. Neil McLeod; and among the earliest business supporters of the IHS were R. C. Hoiles, J. Howard Pew, Howard Buffet, William L. Law, and Pierre Goodrich.[13]

According to an Atlas Network press release, in 1995, IHS was in the same building near George Mason University at "4084 University Drive" in Fairfax as Atlas Economic Research Foundation, the Locke Institute, the Center for Market Processes, which became the Mercatus Center, and the Science and Environmental Policy Project.[14]

Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program

The IHS formerly hosted the Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program, a paid summer internship for undergraduate and graduate students.[5] The program is now hosted by the Charles Koch Institute.[15] The program places each intern at one of some 80 partner organizations, which include the Cato Institute, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the Institute for Justice, and the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, among many others.[16]

Mission

According to Jane Mayer,

"The aim of the IHS was to cultivate and subsidize a farm team of the next generation's libertarian scholars. Anxious at one point that the war of ideas was proceeding too slowly, Charles reportedly demanded better metrics with which to monitor students' political views. To the dismay of some faculty members, applicants' essays had to be run through computers in order to count the number of times they mentioned the free-market icons Ayn Rand and Milton Friedman. Students were tested at the beginning and the end of each week for ideological improvement."[17]

Controversies

Florida Welfare Drug Testing Law (2014)

In January 2014, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow claimed that the Koch brothers were connected to a Florida law, since declared unconstitutional, that required drug testing for welfare recipients. Maddow stated that the Florida Foundation for Government Accountability, which advocated for the law, had participated in the Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program when it was affiliated with the Institute for Humane Studies.[18] In a statement published on its "KochFacts.com" website, Koch Industries denied Maddow's claim, writing that "we were not involved with the Florida law concerning drug testing of welfare recipients, she claimed otherwise on her show."[19]

The fact-checking website Politifact reported that Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who had proposed the law, had attended Koch network donor meetings and gave a keynote address at a meeting for Americans for Prosperity, a Koch-led group. It also found that "there are some connections between Koch and the Foundation for Government Accountability," which has received funding from the State Policy Network, to which the Kochs have donated. However, since many of the funding ties between the Kochs and the Foundation for Government Accountability were indirect or passed through "donor-advised" funders like DonorsTrust, Politifact concluded that these connections were "not enough to declare the Foundation for Government Accountability a Koch affiliate," and so rated Maddow's claim "mostly false," adding, "Part of that may be the fault of the system, which allows donors to largely remain anonymous, and shuttle money through shadow groups."[20]

Support for Climate Change Denial

Greenpeace has reported that "several prominent climate change deniers have prominent positions at IHS," including Robert Bradley and Fred Singer, and others have been invited as guest lecturers, including Bruce Yandle and Kenneth Green.[21]

According to Mother Jones, the Institute for Humane Studies gave a scholarship to Polish conservative and climate change skeptic Tomasz Teluk. Teluk founded the Polish libertarian think-tank the Globalization Institute, which has received funding from the Atlas Economic Research Foundation.[22] The Atlas Foundation is a Koch brothers-funded research foundation and an SPN associate member.

Documents Contained at the Anti-Environmental Archives
Documents written by or referencing this person or organization are contained in the Anti-Environmental Archive, launched by Greenpeace on Earth Day, 2015. The archive contains 3,500 documents, some 27,000 pages, covering 350 organizations and individuals. The current archive includes mainly documents collected in the late 1980s through the early 2000s by The Clearinghouse on Environmental Advocacy and Research (CLEAR), an organization that tracked the rise of the so called "Wise Use" movement in the 1990s during the Clinton presidency. Access the index to the Anti-Environmental Archives here.

Other Activities

Politopia.com, a project of the IHS, is a website which quizzes users on their political values, then assigns them a position on a two-dimensional plot rather than a left-right spectrum.

In 2013, the Institute for Humane Studies launched EDvantage, which is described on its website as a "curriculum hub for pioneering educators."[23]

Funding

The Institute receives funding from a number of large libertarian and right-wing foundations, including the Koch Family Foundations, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation and Richard Scaife's Carthage Foundation and Sarah Scaife Foundation.[11]

The top ten overall contributors to IHS have been:

Core Financials

2014[24]

  • Total Revenue: $11,516,532
  • Total Expenses: $11,310,800
  • Net Assets: $4,945,849

2012[3]

  • Total Revenue: $10,540,894
  • Total Expenses: $11,236,296
  • Net Assets: $3,811,806

2011[25]

  • Total Revenue: $9.904,619
  • Total Expenses: $8,632,911
  • Net Assets: $4,468,456

2010[26]

  • Total Revenue: $6,991,141
  • Total Expenses: $7,022,506
  • Net Assets: 3,212,818

Personnel

Staff

As of June 2016:[27]

  • Marty Zupan, President and CEO. In 2012, Zupan earned $264,307 in compensation from the IHS.[3]
  • Chad Thevenot, Executive Director
  • Chris Wolske, Senior Director of IT
  • Courtney Derr, Senior Director of Student Programs
  • Daniel Butler, Director of Development
  • Gary Leff, Chief Financial Officer
  • Jason Ross, Senior Director of Faculty Relations
  • Scott Barton, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications
  • Todd Hathaway, Chief Operating Officer

Previous presidents include David Nott of the Reason Foundation

Board of Directors

As of June 2014:[7]

Contact Information

Institute for Humane Studies
at George Mason University
3301 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 440
Arlington VA 22201
tel: 703.993.4880 / 800.697.8799
fax: 703.993.4890
web site: http://www.theihs.org

Related SourceWatch articles

Related Links

References

  1. ↑ Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 1.2 Institute for Humane Studies, History and Mission, organizational website, accessed July 8, 2014.
  2. ↑ Lisa Graves, "The Koch Cartel: Their Reach, Their Reactionary Agenda, and Their Record," The Progressive, July/August 2014.
  3. ↑ Jump up to: 3.0 3.1 3.2 Institute for Humane Studies, 2012 IRS form 990, organizational tax filing, accessed July 8, 2014.
  4. ↑ State Policy Network, SPN / IHS Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program, organizational website, accessed July 2014.
  5. ↑ Jump up to: 5.0 5.1 Institute for Humane Studies, "Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program," organizational website, accessed May 27, 2014.
  6. ↑ State Policy Network, Directory, State Policy Network, 2016.
  7. ↑ Jump up to: 7.0 7.1 Guidestar, Institute for Humane Studies, self-reported data. Accessed June 10, 2014.
  8. ↑ Brendan Fischer, "Bradley Foundation Bankrolled Groups Pushing Back on Scott Walker’s John Doe Criminal Probe," Express Milwaukee, June 25, 2014. Accessed July 8, 2014.
  9. ↑ Alex Brant-Zawadzki and Dawn Teo, "Anatomy of the Tea Party Movement: Sam Adams Alliance," Huffington Post, December 11, 2009. Accessed July 30, 2014.
  10. ↑ Lisa Kaiser, Exclusive: Koch Brothers’ Dark Money Flowed into Wisconsin Recall Fight, Shepherd Express, Nov 13, 2013
  11. ↑ Jump up to: 11.0 11.1 11.2 Media Matters, Institute for Humane Studies, funding report, accessed July 2, 2014.
  12. ↑ Brian Doherty, [http://books.google.com/books?id=hxHtqKoxI7YC&q=Harper#v=onepage&q=Harper%20Humane&f=false Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement (New York:PublicAffairs), 2007, pp. 294-295.
  13. ↑ Brian Doherty, "Chapter 6: The Goldwater Movement, the Objectivist Crackup, and the Hippies of the Right," [http://books.google.com/books?id=hxHtqKoxI7YC&q=Harper#v=onepage&q=%22Institute%20for%20Humane%20Studies%22%20Liggio&f=false Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement (New York:PublicAffairs), 2007, pp. 291-388.
  14. ↑ Atlas Network, SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY PROJECT MOVES TO FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA," archived by Internet Wayback Machine, October 21, 2001. Accessed July 8, 2014.
  15. ↑ Charles Koch Institute, "Koch Summer Fellow Program." Accessed May 27, 2014.
  16. ↑ Charles Koch Institute, "Partner Organizations." Accessed May 27, 2014.
  17. ↑ Jane Mayer, [Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right], 2016.
  18. ↑ Erik Wemple, "MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow recommits to her slam on Koch brothers," The Washington Post, January 28, 2014. Accessed May 27, 2014.
  19. ↑ Koch Industries, "Rachel Maddow Deliberately Misrepresents the Facts then Refuses to Admit It," organizational website, January 6, 2014. Accessed July 8, 2014.
  20. ↑ Politifact, "Rachel Maddow claims Florida group that backs drug-testing welfare recipients is affiliated with Koch brothers," January 2, 2014. Accessed July 8, 2014.
  21. ↑ Greenpeace.org, "Koch Industries Climate Denial Front Group," Accessed May 27, 2014.
  22. ↑ Josh Harkinson, "Climate Change Deniers Without Borders," Mother Jones, December 22, 2009. Accessed May 27, 2014.
  23. ↑ EDvantage, About, organizational website, accessed June 10, 2014.
  24. ↑ Institute for Humane Studies, Guidstar Financial Report, 2016.
  25. ↑ Institute for Humane Studies, 2011 IRS form 990, organizational tax filing, accessed July 8, 2014.
  26. ↑ Institute for Humane Studies, 2011 IRS form 990, organizational tax filing, accessed July 8, 2014.
  27. ↑ Institute for Humane Studies, People, organizational website. Accessed June 3, 2016.
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