Heartland Institute
Tracked receipts exceed tracked giving by
$18,542,500
Free-market think tank known for climate skepticism and deregulation advocacy.
Tracked direct giving
$0
Tracked donations to candidate
$18,542,500
Connections
12
How money flowed to Heartland Institute
Koch Industries directed $10.0M to Heartland Institute across 2 contributions. Koch Industries opposes EPA Power Plant Emissions Rule.
DonorsTrust directed $4.0M to Heartland Institute. DonorsTrust advocates for Loper Bright v. Raimondo (Chevron overturned).
American Petroleum Institute directed $4.0M to Heartland Institute across 2 contributions. American Petroleum Institute advocates for E15 Year-Round Sales (EPA Emergency Waiver Made Permanent).
Southern directed $800K to Heartland Institute. Southern advocates for Vogtle Nuclear Plant Units 3 & 4 (Georgia PSC Approval).
ExxonMobil directed $700K to Heartland Institute. ExxonMobil advocates for Inflation Reduction Act - Drug Pricing Provisions (H.R.5376).
Heartland Institute also received from 3 other entities totaling $38K.
Dark Money Spending
Election spending by organizations that do not disclose their donors. Dark money flows through 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations, 501(c)(6) trade associations, and similar entities that are not required to reveal their funders. Figures below are never combined with disclosed-donor totals.
IRS 990 Schedule I Grant Chain
Grants between nonprofits reported on IRS Form 990 Schedule I. These inter-organizational transfers are a key pathway in dark money flows — a nonprofit may receive a grant from one entity and then spend that money on election ads.
IRS 990 Schedule I grants received
$136,323
| Grantor | Amount | Tax Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| DonorsTrust | $25,000 | 2024 | for environmental research |
| National Christian Charitable Foundation | $7,900 | 2024 | CIVIL RIGHTS |
| Schwab Charitable | $83,700 | 2023 | PUBLIC, SOCIETAL BENEFIT |
| COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF TAMPA BAY INC | $19,723 | 2022 | SUPPORT OF MISSION |
Source: IRS Form 990 Schedule I (Grants and Other Assistance to Organizations) via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer and IRS 990 XML e-files. Grant amounts represent the most recent filing year available.
IRS 990 data lags a year or more behind filing. Grants shown are for the stated tax year and do not establish current-cycle funding.
Methodology Disclosure
Dark money figures are derived from FEC Form 5 (independent expenditures by non-committee organizations) and Form 9 (electioneering communications). These filings capture spending on ads and election communications but do not reveal the identity of the organization's donors. QPQ totals may differ from benchmarks like the Brennan Center's estimates because QPQ includes all Form 5 filers, while some benchmarks count only a subset of non-disclosing nonprofits. Grant chain data is from IRS Form 990 Schedule I and may not include all years or all grantee organizations.
Connected Government Contracts
Companies that Heartland Institute holds stock in, is employed by, or receives donations from may also receive government contracts. The connections below show which companies have federal awards.
No contracts found
No contracts found
No contracts found
Received donations from affiliated PAC/entity
No contracts found
No contracts found
No contracts found
No contracts found
Stock disclosures from Senate EFD / House Financial Disclosures. Contract data from USASpending.gov. Connection does not imply wrongdoing.
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Donations Received
| Donor | Amount | Date | Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donors Capital Fund | $6,000,000 | Jan 1, 2008 | 2008 |
| Koch Industries | $5,000,000 | Jan 1, 2005 | 2006 |
| DonorsTrust | $4,000,000 | Jan 1, 2008 | 2008 |
| American Petroleum Institute | $2,000,000 | Jan 1, 2010 | 2010 |
| Southern | $800,000 | Jan 1, 2005 | 2006 |
| ExxonMobil | $700,000 | Jan 1, 1998 | 1998 |
| Growth Energy PAC | $5,000 | Mar 21, 2024 | 2024 |
| NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANIES PAC (NAMIC PAC) | $5,000 | May 18, 2023 | 2024 |
| AHIP PAC (America's Health Insurance Plans) | $5,000 | Sep 20, 2023 | 2024 |
| Wells Fargo PAC | $5,000 | Aug 12, 2024 | 2024 |
| Merck & Co. Inc. PAC | $5,000 | Sep 15, 2024 | 2024 |
| Amazon PAC | $5,000 | Jun 20, 2023 | 2024 |
| Amazon PAC | $5,000 | Jun 2, 2024 | 2024 |
| Meta Platforms PAC | $5,000 | Mar 27, 2024 | 2024 |
| BIOTECHNOLOGY INNOVATION ORGANIZATION PAC (BIO PAC) | $2,500 | Mar 16, 2023 | 2024 |
Relationships
| Type | Connected To | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Published research for | Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) | Published research opposing IRA climate provisions as economically harmful | Editorial |
| shaped_policy | EPA Clean Power Plan rollback | Heartland advocacy and legal strategy contributed to Supreme Court stay of Clean Power Plan. | Editorial |
| Hosts research funded by | Koch Industries | Funder of climate skepticism research via Heartland Institute | Editorial |
| Hosts research funded by | ExxonMobil | Funded Heartland climate research programs through 2006 | Editorial |
| Hosts research funded by | American Petroleum Institute | Trade association funding of climate research | Editorial |
| Hosts research funded by | Southern | Southern Company funder of Heartland Institute | Editorial |
| Hosts research funded by | Donors Capital Fund | Donors Capital Fund donated ~$6.0M to Heartland Institute (2008-2022) | Editorial |
| Hosts research funded by | DonorsTrust | DonorsTrust donated ~$4.0M to Heartland Institute (2008-2023) | Editorial |
| Received money from | COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF TAMPA BAY INC | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $19,723 (tax year 2022). Purpose: SUPPORT OF MISSION | Source |
| Received money from | Schwab Charitable | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $83,700 (tax year 2023). Purpose: PUBLIC, SOCIETAL BENEFIT | Source |
| Received money from | DonorsTrust | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $25,000 (tax year 2024). Purpose: for environmental research | Source |
| Received money from | National Christian Charitable Foundation | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $7,900 (tax year 2024). Purpose: CIVIL RIGHTS | Source |