Big Ideas and Big Money: The Funding Sources of American Think Tanks

Key Chapter Title List

1. Executive Summary
2. Introduction
3. Description of "Think Tank Funding Tracker" Content
4. Think Tank Transparency Score
5. Transparent Think Tanks
6. Partially Transparent Think Tanks
7. "Dark Money" Think Tanks
8. Decoding the Numbers: Sources of Think Tank Funding
9. Foreign Government Funding of Think Tanks
10. Pentagon Contractor Funding of Think Tanks
11. U.S. Government Funding of Think Tanks
12. Why Think Tank Funding Matters
13. Recommendations for Rebuilding Trust in the Think Tank Industry

Document Introduction

This report is based on a groundbreaking public database—www.thinktankfundingtracker.org—and presents the first systematic, quantitative tracking and analysis of the funding sources for America's top think tanks. The database focuses on funding provided over the past five years by foreign governments, the U.S. government, and Pentagon contractors to the top 50 most influential think tanks in the United States. The research aims to reveal how funding sources may potentially influence the academic independence, research agendas, and even public policy recommendations of think tanks, directly confronting the credibility crisis currently facing the think tank industry.

The report establishes a unique five-dimensional transparency scoring system to evaluate the extent of donation disclosure by each think tank. The results show that among the 50 top think tanks assessed, only 9 (18%) achieved full transparency, 23 (46%) were partially transparent, and as many as 18 (36%) fell into the category of "dark money" think tanks that completely fail to disclose their donors. This finding highlights significant deficiencies in financial transparency within the think tank industry, making it difficult for the public, media, and policymakers to assess potential conflicts of interest behind their research outputs.

Through an in-depth analysis of the database, the report reveals the staggering scale of financial flows. Between 2019 and 2023, foreign governments and their related entities donated over $110 million to the top 50 U.S. think tanks, with the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Qatar ranking at the top of the donor list. The Atlantic Council, the Brookings Institution, and the German Marshall Fund were the think tanks that received the most foreign government funding. During the same period, the top 100 defense contractors contributed over $34.7 million to these think tanks, with Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and Mitsubishi being the primary donors. The U.S. government was the largest single source of funding, directly providing at least $1.49 billion, of which over $1.4 billion went to the RAND Corporation, which operates as a government contract research organization.

The report delves into how funding sources can potentially erode the intellectual independence and objectivity of public policy analysis conducted by think tanks. Funding may come with conditions, leading to self-censorship, viewpoint filtering, and even, in extreme cases, "pay-for-research" arrangements. The report cites multiple cases illustrating how donors gain policy influence and special access through their funding, and how the dual roles of think tank researchers who also serve as advisors to foreign governments or corporations constitute clear potential conflicts of interest.

Finally, the report proposes a series of specific recommendations for Congress, the Department of Justice, think tanks themselves, and the media. These recommendations aim to rebuild public trust in the think tank industry through measures such as mandatory disclosure, improved conflict-of-interest declarations, ending "pay-for-research" practices, and establishing professional standards for media reporting. The report emphasizes that transparency is the cornerstone for restoring credibility. Only by making funding sources public can think tank research withstand public scrutiny and truly serve the public interest.

Key Chapter Title List

1. Executive Summary
2. Introduction
3. Description of "Think Tank Funding Tracker" Content
4. Think Tank Transparency Score
5. Transparent Think Tanks
6. Partially Transparent Think Tanks
7. "Dark Money" Think Tanks
8. Decoding the Numbers: Sources of Think Tank Funding
9. Foreign Government Funding of Think Tanks
10. Pentagon Contractor Funding of Think Tanks
11. U.S. Government Funding of Think Tanks
12. Why Think Tank Funding Matters
13. Recommendations for Rebuilding Trust in the Think Tank Industry

Document Introduction

This report is based on a groundbreaking public database—www.thinktankfundingtracker.org—and presents the first systematic, quantitative tracking and analysis of the funding sources for America's top think tanks. The database focuses on funding provided over the past five years by foreign governments, the U.S. government, and Pentagon contractors to the top 50 most influential think tanks in the United States. The research aims to reveal how funding sources may potentially influence the academic independence, research agendas, and even public policy recommendations of think tanks, directly confronting the credibility crisis currently facing the think tank industry.

The report establishes a unique five-dimensional transparency scoring system to evaluate the extent of donation disclosure by each think tank. The results show that among the 50 top think tanks assessed, only 9 (18%) achieved full transparency, 23 (46%) were partially transparent, and as many as 18 (36%) fell into the category of "dark money" think tanks that completely fail to disclose their donors. This finding highlights significant deficiencies in financial transparency within the think tank industry, making it difficult for the public, media, and policymakers to assess potential conflicts of interest behind their research outputs.

Through an in-depth analysis of the database, the report reveals the staggering scale of financial flows. Between 2019 and 2023, foreign governments and their related entities donated over $110 million to the top 50 U.S. think tanks, with the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Qatar ranking at the top of the donor list. The Atlantic Council, the Brookings Institution, and the German Marshall Fund were the think tanks that received the most foreign government funding. During the same period, the top 100 defense contractors contributed over $34.7 million to these think tanks, with Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and Mitsubishi being the primary donors. The U.S. government was the largest single source of funding, directly providing at least $1.49 billion, of which over $1.4 billion went to the RAND Corporation, which operates as a government contract research organization.

The report delves into how funding sources can potentially erode the intellectual independence and objectivity of public policy analysis conducted by think tanks. Funding may come with conditions, leading to self-censorship, viewpoint filtering, and even, in extreme cases, "pay-for-research" arrangements. The report cites multiple cases illustrating how donors gain policy influence and special access through their funding, and how the dual roles of think tank researchers who also serve as advisors to foreign governments or corporations constitute clear potential conflicts of interest.

Finally, the report proposes a series of specific recommendations for Congress, the Department of Justice, think tanks themselves, and the media. These recommendations aim to rebuild public trust in the think tank industry through measures such as mandatory disclosure, improved conflict-of-interest declarations, ending "pay-for-research" practices, and establishing professional standards for media reporting. The report emphasizes that transparency is the cornerstone for restoring credibility. Only by making funding sources public can think tank research withstand public scrutiny and truly serve the public interest.