Institute for Humane Studies

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.

The Institute receives funding from a number of large right-wing foundations, including the Sarah Scaife Foundation, the Koch family foundations, Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, and the Carthage Foundation.[1]

It was started in 1961 by F. A. Harper as a successor to his projects for the William Volker Fund from which he was sacked. 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.

In 1985 the IHS moved to Fairfax, Virginia, and associated with George Mason University.

Previous presidents include David Nott of the Reason Foundation

Board includes

• James Arthur Pope
• John Blundell

Staff includes

• Marty Zupan, President

References

• John Blundell, "Waging the War of Ideas", speech to the Heritage Foundation, January 1990, accessed January 12, 2004.
• "Institute for Humane Studies," MediaTransparency.org.