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The Education Technology Industry Network

A Hack Education Project

Think Tanks


These are a handful of the think tanks that feature prominently in education research and policy discussions:


Acton Institute: Grand Rapids MI

Political Orientation: libertarian

Policy Focus: public policy

Prominent Funders: David H. Koch Foundation

Notable Figures: Betsy DeVos


American Enterprise Institute: Washington DC

Political Orientation: conservative

Policy Focus: government, economic policy, social welfare, private enterprise

Prominent Funders: ExxonMobil

Notable Figures: Lynne Cheney, Charles Murray, Newt Gingrich, Dick Cheney, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Christina Joff Sommers, Richard Vedder, Robert Bork, Dinesh D'Souza, David Frum


Aspen Institute: Washington DC

Political Orientation: centrist

Policy Focus: education policy, leadership, criminal justice, environmental policy

Prominent Funders: Carnegie Corporation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Ford Foundation

Notable Figures: Walter Isaacson, Madeleine Albright, John Doerr, Salman Khan, Queen Noor of Jordan, Condoleezza Rice, Katie Couric


Brookings Institution: Washington DC

Political Orientation: centrist

Policy Focus: education policy, global development, economic policy,

Prominent Funders: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, the LEGO Foundation, State of Qatar

Notable Figures: E. J. Dionne, Jon Huntsman, Susan Rice, Susan Dynarski


Cato Institute: Washington DC

Political Orientation: libertarian

Policy Focus: education policy, government spending, monetary policy, tax policy, information and Internet policy

Prominent Funders: FedEx, Google, Whole Foods Market

Notable Figures: Charles and David Koch, Neal McCluskey, Julian Sanchez


Center for American Progress: Washington DC

Political Orientation: liberal

Policy Focus: criminal justice, education policy, economic policy, social policy

Prominent Funders: Ford Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Walmart, Walton Family Foundation, CitiGroup, Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Joyce Foundation

Notable Figures: Neera Tanden, Ulrich Boser, Lawrence Korb


Center for Immigration Studies: Washington DC

Political Orientation: conservative

Policy Focus: immigration

Prominent Funders: William H. Donner Foundation, Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, John M. Olin Foundation

Notable Figures: Mark Krikorian


Claremont Institute: Claremont CA

Political Orientation: conservative

Policy Focus: legal policy, property rights, environmental policy

Prominent Funders: Sarah Scaife Foundation, Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, John M. Olin Foundation, William H. Donner Foundation

Notable Figures: Bruce Sanborn, Pat Sajak


Clayton Christensen Institute: Cambridge MA

Political Orientation: conservative

Policy Focus: education policy, disruptive innoation

Prominent Funders: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Notable Figures: Clayton Christensen, Michael Horn


Discovery Institute: Seattle WA

Political Orientation: conservative

Policy Focus: intelligent design, economic policy, technology policy

Prominent Funders: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Maclellan Foundation

Notable Figures: Bruce Chapman


Economic Policy Institute: Washington DC

Political Orientation: liberal

Policy Focus: economic policy, health care, education

Prominent Funders: AFSCME, United Auto Workers, United Steekworkers, United Mine Workers, Service Employees International Union

Notable Figures: Valerie Wilson, Lawrence Mishel


Electronic Privacy Information Center: Washington DC

Political Orientation: libertarian

Policy Focus: privacy, Internet technology, free speech

Prominent Funders: Carnegie Corporation, Ford Foundation, W. K. Kellog Foundation, Omidyar Network, Sun Microsystems, Rockefeller Family Fund

Notable Figures: Marc Rotenberg


Foundation for Excellence in Educaiton: Tallahassee FL

Political Orientation: conservative

Policy Focus: education policy

Prominent Funders: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Michael Bloomberg, Amplify

Notable Figures: Jeb Bush, Condoleezza Rice


Future of Privacy Forum: Washington DC

Political Orientation: conservative

Policy Focus: privacy, Internet technology, free speech

Prominent Funders: Google, AT&T, Comcast, Facebook, Bill & Melinda gates Foundation

Notable Figures: Jules Polonetsky


Heartland Institute: Chicago IL

Political Orientation: libertarian

Policy Focus: education policy, environmental policy (global warming), health care policy, tobacco

Prominent Funders: Sarah Scaife Foundation, John M. Olin Foundation, Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, ExxonMobil

Notable Figures: Robert Buford, Joseph L. Bast


Heritage Foundation: Washington DC

Political Orientation: libertarian

Policy Focus: government spending, education policy, foreign policy

Prominent Funders: Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation

Notable Figures: Rebekah Mercer, Edwin Meese III, Steve Forbes, Jim DeMint


Hoover Institution: Palo Alto CA

Political Orientation: libertarian

Policy Focus: economic policy, health care, education, foreign relations, environmental policy

Prominent Funders: Walton Family Foundation, John M. Olin Foundation, Randolph Foundation, Searle Freedom Trust, Joyce and Donald Rumsfeld Foundation, ExxonMobil, Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation

Notable Figures: George P. Shultz, Edwin Meese, William Damon, Terry Moe, Condoleezza Rice


Information Technology and Innovation Foundation: Washington DC

Political Orientation: centrist

Policy Focus: technology policy

Prominent Funders: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Cisco, eBay, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Google, IBM

Notable Figures: Orrin Hatch, Darrell Issa


National Bureau of Economic Research: Cambridge MA

Political Orientation: centrist

Policy Focus: economic policy, health care, education

Prominent Funders: John M. Olin Foundation, Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation

Notable Figures: Joseph Stiglitz, Martin Feldstein, Ben Bernanke


New America Foundation: Washington DC

Political Orientation: centrist

Policy Focus: education policy, technology policy, energy policy, economic policy

Prominent Funders: David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Arizona State University, The Emerson Collective, Google, Lumina Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Notable Figures: Eric Schmidt, James Fallows, Francis Fukuyama, Anne-Marie Slaughter, Fareed Zakaria, Kevin Carey


RAND Corporation: Santa Monica CA

Political Orientation: centrist

Policy Focus: education policy, health care policy, global climate change, science and technology, national security

Prominent Funders: US Air Force, US Army, US Department of Health and Human Services

Notable Figures: Linda Darling-Hammond, Hubert Dreyfus, Daniel Ellsberg, Henry Kissinger, Margaret Mead, John von Neumann, Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, Herbert Simon


Reason Foundation: Los Angeles CA

Political Orientation: libertarian

Policy Focus: education policy, economic policy, health care policy

Prominent Funders: Charles G. Koch Foundation, David H. Koch Foundation, Brady Education Foundation, ExxonMobil, Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Sarah Scaife Foundation, William H. Donner Foundation

Notable Figures: Drew Carey, David H. Koch, Robert W. Poole Jr.,


Thomas B. Fordham Institute: Washington DC

Political Orientation: conservative

Policy Focus: education policy

Prominent Funders: Bloomberg Philanthropies, Carnegie Corporation of New York, College Board, Hoover Institution

Notable Figures: Chester E. Finn Jr., Rod Paige, Diane Ravitch


Urban Institute: Washington DC

Political Orientation: liberal

Policy Focus: education policy, housing policy, health care, criminal justice

Prominent Funders: Annie E. Casey Foundation, Ford Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation

Notable Figures: Sarah Rosen Wartell, Henry Cisneros, Erskine Bowles


This data is powered by a GitHub repository: Hack-Education-Data/think-tanks. Last updated: 18 July, 2017