Competitive Enterprise Institute
DC
Tracked receipts exceed tracked giving by
$7,500,000
Libertarian think tank focused on regulatory policy and free markets.
Tracked direct giving
$0
Tracked donations to candidate
$7,500,000
Connections
14
How money flowed to Competitive Enterprise Institute
Koch Industries directed $4.0M to Competitive Enterprise Institute across 2 contributions. Koch Industries opposes EPA Power Plant Emissions Rule.
DonorsTrust directed $3.0M to Competitive Enterprise Institute. DonorsTrust advocates for Loper Bright v. Raimondo (Chevron overturned).
ExxonMobil directed $1.5M to Competitive Enterprise Institute. ExxonMobil advocates for Inflation Reduction Act - Drug Pricing Provisions (H.R.5376).
Mercer Family Foundation directed $1.0M to Competitive Enterprise Institute.
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 given
$31,000
| Grantee | Amount | Tax Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| TALENT MARKET CO AMERICA'S FUTURE | $15,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT OF ORGANIZATION |
| State Policy Network | $16,000 | 2023 | SPONSORSHIP STATE LEADERS TO CONFERENCE |
IRS 990 Schedule I grants received
$2,791,250
| Grantor | Amount | Tax Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| DonorsTrust | $2,751,250 | 2024 | for general operations |
| BRADLEY IMPACT FUND | $40,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT. |
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.
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Donations Received
| Donor | Amount | Date | Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| DonorsTrust | $3,000,000 | Jan 1, 2010 | 2010 |
| Koch Industries | $2,000,000 | Jan 1, 2005 | 2006 |
| ExxonMobil | $1,500,000 | Jan 1, 2000 | 2000 |
| Mercer Family Foundation | $1,000,000 | Jan 1, 2014 | 2014 |
Relationships
| Type | Connected To | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gave money to | TALENT MARKET CO AMERICA'S FUTURE | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $15,000 (tax year 2023). Purpose: GENERAL SUPPORT OF ORGANIZATION | Source |
| Gave money to | State Policy Network | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $16,000 (tax year 2023). Purpose: SPONSORSHIP STATE LEADERS TO CONFERENCE | Source |
| shaped_policy | Loper Bright v. Raimondo (Chevron overturned) | CEI's multi-year legal campaign culminated in Supreme Court overturning Chevron deference in 2024. | Editorial |
| commented_on | Office of the Comptroller of the Currency | Public comment on OCC-2020-0042: Fair Access to Financial Services | Source |
| Published research for | Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) | Published opposition research on IRA energy subsidies as market-distorting | Editorial |
| commented_on | Financial Crimes Enforcement Network | Public comment on FINCEN-2020-0020: Requirements for Certain Transactions Involving Convertible Virtual Currency or Digital Assets | Source |
| commented_on | Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services | Public comment on CMS-2025-1889: Global Benchmark for Efficient Drug Pricing Model | Source |
| commented_on | Federal Trade Commission | Public comment on FTC-2022-0053: Trade Regulation Rule on Commercial Surveillance and Data Security | Source |
| Received money from | DonorsTrust | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $2,751,250 (tax year 2024). Purpose: for general operations | Source |
| Received money from | BRADLEY IMPACT FUND | IRS 990 Schedule I grant of $40,000 (tax year 2024). Purpose: GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT. | Source |
| Hosts research funded by | Mercer Family Foundation | Mercer Family Foundation donated ~$1.0M to Competitive Enterprise Institute (2014-2020) | Editorial |
| Hosts research funded by | DonorsTrust | DonorsTrust donated ~$3.0M to Competitive Enterprise Institute (2010-2023) | Editorial |
| Hosts research funded by | Koch Industries | Koch Industries donated ~$2.0M to Competitive Enterprise Institute (2005-2023) | Editorial |
| Hosts research funded by | ExxonMobil | Funded CEI regulatory policy research | Editorial |