Defense of Freedom Institute

The Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies (DFI) is a right-wing 501(c)(3) nonprofit that primarily focuses on issues relating to education, the workforce, labor, and employment. According to the organization's website, DFI fights to "expand school and work opportunities for all Americans; to limit the power of federal agencies and the government-sector unions; and to defend the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans in the classroom and the workplace."

DFI was founded in 2021 by Robert Eitel and Jim Blew, both of whom held high-level positions in the Department of Education under Betsy DeVos. According to Politico, Eitel was "key in shaping DeVos’ regulatory agenda, including her Title IX rule, a cornerstone policy of her tenure."

News and Controversies

Department of Education Complaints Following October 7, 2023

In December 2023, DFI and 17 other signatories submitted a letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in response to "anti-Semitic discrimination and harassment in education programs and activities throughout the United States." The letter also asked that the Department of Education conduct an emergency audit of grants made to institutions of higher education to "ensure that grantees have served the program's national security objectives and not promoted Semitic or anti-American viewpoints." The undersigned individuals are affiliated with the following:

• America First Policy Institute
• American Civil Rights Project
• Center for Equal Opportunity
• Defense of Freedom Institute
• Family Research Council
• Goldwater Institute
• Independent Women's Forum
• Manhattan Institute
• Parents Defending Education
• Southeastern Legal Foundation
• WalkUp Foundation

As of December 2023, DFI has filed 5 civil rights complaints (Title VI Shared Ancestry) with the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, requesting that the Office open investigations into allegations of antisemitism. In one of the complaints, DFI describes itself as an "interested third-party organization that strongly advocates for a republic where freedom, creativity, and innovation flourish in our schools." The 5 institutions of higher education included in the complaints are Yale University, Cooper Union, Rutgers University, Drexel University, and Arizona State University.

Project 2025 Advisory Board

In July 2022, DFI announced that it had joined the Heritage Foundation's 2025 Presidential Transition Project (Project 2025) Advisory Board. According to Director Paul Dans in a Heritage Foundation press release, the objectives of this project include "bringing together conservative allies with a common goal: to take back our country from the radical Left by developing a robust governing agenda and the right people to implement it.

However, the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) characterizes Project 2025 as an "authoritarian roadmap to dismantling a thriving, inclusive democracy for all," and that it would "further advance democratic backsliding in the U.S." The project also features the establishment of policies associated with Christian nationalism, including the gutting of DEI efforts, LGBTQ+ protections, reproductive rights, environmental protection policies, and more.

Opposition to Title IX Reforms under Biden

DFI has mounted substantial opposition to the Title IX reforms proposed under the Biden administration, asserting that the reforms "threaten women's sports, parental rights, due process, free speech and academic freedom on campus." The reforms to Title IX, primarily intended to strengthen protections for LGBTQ students and student survivors of sexual assault, were first unveiled in July 2022. However, according to the Hill, the proposed rule received more than 240,000 public comments, resulting in the final deadline being repeatedly extended past the original issue date of May 2023.

DFI maintains a webpage with "resources" pertaining to the proposed Title IX reforms, including factsheets for public use, DFI's 222-page public comment submitted to the Department of Education, and the coalition letter sent to the Office for Civil Rights "on behalf of 26 diverse organizations united by a deep concern."

Activities

Education Law & Policy Conference

The Education Law & Policy Conference, an annual event first held in September 2022, is sponsored by DFI and the Federalist Society. According to the Federalist Society's website, the objective of the first conference was to "examine the federal legal and policy issues surrounding American education." Key note speakers were former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and former US Attorney General William Barr. Other speakers included high-ranking personnel from the American Enterprise Institute, the Institute for Justice, the Urban Institute, Southeastern Legal Foundation, the Cato Institute, the Heritage Foundation, the Independent Women's Forum, and others.

The main speakers for the 2023 conference were author Philip K. Howard, former US Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia, and former governor of Indiana Mitch Daniels. Other speakers included high-ranking personnel from the Independent Women's Forum, Yes. every kid, the Manhattan Institute, the Hoover Institution, and others.

Funding

Defense of Freedom Institute is not required to disclose its donors but here are some that have been identified through an analysis of IRS filings:

• Beth and Ravenel Curry Foundation: $100,000 (2022)
• Bradley Foundation: $50,000 (2022)
• Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation: $650,000 (2022)
• DonorsTrust: $297,250 (2022)
• Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund: $200,100 (2021-2022)
• Heritage Foundation: $100,000 (2022)
• John William Pope Foundation: $20,000 (2021)
• National Philanthropic Trust: $584,500 (2022)
• Searle Freedom Trust: $500,000 (2022)
• Yes Every Kid Foundation: $10,000 (2022)

Core Financials

2022

• Total Revenue: $1,671,990
• Total Expenses: $1,538,093
• Net Assets: $1,122,686

2021

• Total Revenue: $1,400,026
• Total Expenses: $411,237
• Net Assets: $988,789

Personnel

Staff

As of February 2024:

• Robert Eitel, President
• Jim Blew, Vice-President
• Martha A Astor, Associate Counsel, Litigation
• Emily Cruikshank, Associate Counsel, Litigation
• Donald Daugherty, Jr., Senior Counsel, Litigation
• Selena Lin, Research Assistant
• Clairece Marker, Digital Marketing Associate
• Paul Zimmerman, Policy Counsel

Former Staff

• Paul R Moore, Senior Counsel
• Christopher J McCaghren, Senior Fellow

Board of Directors

• Nate Bailey, Chair
• Robert Eitel, Secretary
• Jim Blew, Treasurer
• Ebony Lee
• Peter Urbanowicz

Contact Information

Defense of Freedom Institute
1765 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314

Phone: (202) 627-6735
Web: www.dfipolicy.org
Facebook: Defense of Freedom Institute
Instagram: @dfipolicy
LinkedIn: Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies
Twitter: @DFIPolicy
YouTube: @DFIpolicy

EIN: 87-1196853

Articles and Resources

IRS 990 Filings

2022

2021

IRS Tax-Exempt Applications

1023