Illinois Policy Institute (IPI)
Background
The Illinois Policy Institute (IPI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that “generates marketable policy solutions” with the aim of “promoting personal freedom and prosperity in Illinois.” [1]
The Illinois Policy Institute is a member of the State Policy Network (SPN), a group that has supported some of the most vocal organizations denying man-made climate change including the Heartland Institute, Cato Institute, and Heritage Foundation. According to Huffington Post, in 2011 SPN members’ combined fundraising totaled more than $83 million and included significant contributions from Koch, Donors Trust, and Donors Capital Fund. [2], [3]
Stance on Climate Change
Energy Subsidies:
“The market is better able to determine what energy solutions will be economically feasible than the government. Leveling the playing field by removing energy subsidies will allow the true cost of energy to be known, and consumers and investors will be able to more efficiently put their dollars toward the best energy solutions for the future.” [4]
Funding
The following funding values are based on data the Conservative Transparency Project collected from publicly-available tax forms. Note that not all individual values have been verified by DeSmogBlog for accuracy. [5]
View the attached spreadsheet for additional values on the Illinois Policy Institute’s funding by year (.xlsx).
IPI as Recipient
| Donor | Total |
| Ed Uihlein Family Foundation | $4,550,000 |
| Donors Capital Fund | $2,011,100 |
| Mercer Family Foundation | $1,100,000 |
| DonorsTrust | $891,706 |
| State Policy Network | $644,800 |
| The Rauner Family Foundation | $625,000 |
| Jaquelin Hume Foundation | $280,000 |
| Dunn’s Foundation for the Advancement of Right Thinking | $240,000 |
| The Roe Foundation | $220,000 |
| Barney Family Foundation | $215,000 |
| The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation | $170,000 |
| Charles Koch Institute | $135,837 |
| JM Foundation | $130,000 |
| The McWethy Foundation | $93,000 |
| Stuart Family Foundation | $85,000 |
| The Randolph Foundation | $50,000 |
| Cato Institute | $50,000 |
| Walton Family Foundation | $50,000 |
| Schwab Charitable Fund | $46,300 |
| Adolph Coors Foundation | $35,000 |
| Atlas Economic Research Foundation | $34,000 |
| Castle Rock Foundation | $15,000 |
| Center for Independent Thought | $10,000 |
| Logos Charitable Fund | $3,500 |
| National Philanthropic Trust | $2,000 |
| National Christian Charitable Foundation | $1,500 |
| Huizenga Foundation | $1,000 |
| Grand Total | $11,689,743 |
IPI as Donor
| Recipient | Total |
| Think Freely Media | $685,332 |
| Project Six | $623,789 |
| Liberty Justice Center | $591,000 |
| DonorsTrust | $245,293 |
| Grand Total | $2,145,414 |
Koch Funding
According to data collected by Greenpeace USA, the Illinois Institute received $135,837 in donations from the Charles Koch Institute between 2014 and 2016: [14]
| Year | Charles Koch Institute |
| 2014 | $60,516 |
| 2015 | $52,821 |
| 2016 | $22,500 |
| Grand Total | $135,837 |
990 Forms
Annual Reports
Key People
Leadership Team [1]
- Diana Rickert — Vice President Of Communications
- Emily Rose — Vice President Of External Relations
- Kristina Rasmussen — Executive Vice President
- Matt Paprocki — Senior Vice President
Board of Directors
| Name | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2016 |
| Art Margulis | Y | ||||
| Craig S. Mankse | Y | ||||
| Richard T. (Dick) Weiss | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Ed Bachrach | Y | Y | |||
| John Tillman | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mark Miller | Y | Y | Y | ||
| Steve Brown | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Elizabeth Christie | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Terry T. Campo | Y | Y | |||
| William (Bill) G. Becker, III | Y | Y | |||
| Andy McKenna | Y |
Experts (2016)
- Jacob Huebert — Senior Attorney
- Michael Lucci — Vice President Of Policy
- Ted Dabrowski — Vice President Of Policy And Spokesman
Senior Fellows
| Name | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | Description |
| David Camic | Y | Y | Senior Fellow | |||
| Donna Arduin | Y | Y | Y | Senior Fellow | ||
| Erik Randolph | Y | Y | Senior Fellow | |||
| F. Vincent Vernuccio | Y | Y | Senior Fellow | |||
| J. Scott Moody | Y | Y | Y | Y | Senior Fellow, Public Policy | |
| Jonathan Ingram | Y | Y | Y | Y | Senior Fellow, Health Policy And Pension Reform | |
| Mike “Mish” Shedlock | Y | Senior Fellow | ||||
| Collin Hitt | Y | Senior Fellow, Education | ||||
| Dan Proft | Y | Y | Y | Senior Fellow, Public Policy | ||
| Jerry Agar | Y | Y | Y | Multimedia Fellow | ||
| Leonard Gilroy | Y | Y | Y | Senior Fellow, Regulation and Privatization | ||
| Andrew Busch | Y | Y | Senior Fellow, Finance and Markets | |||
| Don Soifer | Y | Y | Senior Fellow, Education | |||
| Heather Weiner | Y | Senior Fellow, Communications | ||||
| Jim Porterfield | Y | Y | Senior Fellow, Health Care Policy | |||
| John Hill | Y | Y | Senior Fellow, Energy Policy | |||
| John Stephen | Y | Y | Senior Fellow, Health Care Policy | |||
| Heather Wilhelm | Y | Senior Fellow, Communications | ||||
| Marc Levine | Y | Senior Fellow, Pension and Investment Policy |
Staff
| Name | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | Description |
| Amy Korte | Y | Y | Editor | ||||
| Austin Berg | Y | Y | Writer | ||||
| Bradley Warren | Y | Y | External Relations Officer | ||||
| Brendan Hartsell | Y | Outreach Coordinator | |||||
| Bryant Jackson-Green | Y | Y | Y | Y | Criminal Justice Policy Analyst | ||
| Caleigh Ripp | Y | Y | Y | Community Manager | |||
| Chris Andriesen | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Project Manager | |
| Chris Lentino | Y | Manager Of Chicago Outreach | |||||
| Christina Hibbert | Y | Y | Executive Assistant | ||||
| Cinda Pensabene | Y | Operations Assistant | |||||
| Heather Weiner | Y | Government Affairs Staff Attorney | |||||
| Hilary Gowins | Y | Y | Y | Managing Editor | |||
| Jean Hutton | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Director Of Operations |
| Jeffrey Schwab | Y | Y | Staff Attorney | ||||
| Jim Long | Y | Y | Y | Y | Director Of Government Affairs | ||
| Joe Kaiser | Y | Y | News Coordinator | ||||
| Joe Tabor | Y | Y | Associate | ||||
| John Klingner | Y | Y | Y | Policy Analyst | |||
| Judi Willard | Y | Y | Y | Y | External Relations Coordinator | ||
| Mark Adams | Y | Director Of Regulatory Reform | |||||
| Mark Alan Jones | Y | Y | External Relations Officer | ||||
| Michelle Mathia | Y | Y | Y | Y | Facilities Coordinator | ||
| Mindy Ruckman | Y | Y | Policy Analyst | ||||
| Natalie Bezek | Y | Y | Manager Of Donor Communications | ||||
| Nathaniel Hamilton | Y | Y | Y | Y | Manager Of Media Relations | ||
| Pat Hughes | Y | Y | External Relations Officer | ||||
| Sherry Street | Y | Y | External Relations Officer | ||||
| Zach Urevig | Y | Y | Y | External Relations Associate | |||
| Darlene Senger | Y | External Relations Officer | |||||
| Heather Niemetschek | Y | Government Affairs Staff Attorney | |||||
| Hilary Gowins Yelvington | Y | Managing Editor | |||||
| Lauren Andriesen | Y | Y | Y | Executive Assistant | |||
| Benjamin Vanmetre | Y | Y | Y | Senior Budget and Tax Policy Analyst | |||
| Brian Costin | Y | Y | Y | Y | Director of Government Reform | ||
| Diana Rickert | Y | Y | Y | Y | Director of Media Relations | ||
| Donovan Griffith | Y | Manager of Government Affairs | |||||
| Jacob Huebert | Y | Y | Senior Attorney | ||||
| Jacqui Becker | Y | External Relations Coordinator | |||||
| Jane Mcenaney | Y | Y | Y | Manager of Government Affairs | |||
| John Tillman | Y | Y | Y | Y | CEO | ||
| Jonathan Greenberg | Y | Y | VP of External Relations | ||||
| Joshua Dwyer | Y | Y | Director of Educational Reform | ||||
| Justin Hegy | Y | Y | Policy Analyst | ||||
| Kristina Rasmussen | Y | Y | Y | Y | EVP | ||
| Matt Paprocki | Y | Y | Y | Senior Director Of Government Affairs | |||
| Michael Lucci | Y | Director of Jobs and Growth | |||||
| Naomi Lopez Bauman | Y | Y | Director of Health Policy | ||||
| Paul Kersey | Y | Y | Y | Director of Labour Policy | |||
| Rebecca Kohn | Y | Y | Y | Senior Manager of External Relations | |||
| Ted Dabrowski | Y | Y | Y | Y | VP of Policy | ||
| Teresa O’Leary | Y | Y | Graphic Designer | ||||
| Daniel Anthony | Y | Y | Y | VP Marketing and Communications | |||
| Linda Gruenert | Y | External Relations Coordinator | |||||
| Jen Dillman | Y | Regional Director of External Relations, Central and Southern Illinois | |||||
| John Knowles | Y | Vice President of External Relations | |||||
| Jonathan Ingram | Y | Senior Health Care Policy Analyst | |||||
| Lawrence J. McQuillan | Y | Chief Economist | |||||
| MaryAnn McCabe | Y | External Relations Associate | |||||
| Roxane Tyssen | Y | Y | External Relations Associate | ||||
| Scott Reeder | Y | Journalist in Residence | |||||
| Amanda Griffin-Johnson | Y | Senior Budget and Tax Policy Analyst | |||||
| Collin Hitt | Y | Senior Director Of Government Affairs | |||||
| Emily Dietrich | Y | Entrepreneurship and Commerce Policy Analyst | |||||
| John M. O’Hara | Y | Vice President of External Relations | |||||
| Katie Truesdell | Y | Manager of External Relations | |||||
| Mark Cavers | Y | Government Reform Policy Analyst | |||||
| Michael Demkovich | Y | Manager of Marketing and Communications | |||||
| Michael Wille | Y | Education Policy Analyst |
Actions
May 8, 2013
The Illinois Policy Institute hosted “The Great Ethanol Debate” featuring Jim Murphy of “Carbon Green BioEnergy,” Jerry Taylor of the Cato Institute, and John Tillman of the Illinois Policy Institute. [7]
Video below:
[The Great Ethanol Debate from Growth Energy on Vimeo.]
May 16 – 18, 2010
The Illinois Policy Institute was an official co-sponsor of the Heartland Institute’s 4th International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC4). [8]
DeSmogBlog researched sponsors behind the event and found that they had collectively received a total of over $40 million from ExxonMobil, Koch Industries, or Scaife Foundations. [9]
January 20, 2010
Prominent climate change denier Christopher Horner spoke at an Illinois Policy Institute event about his book, “’Red Hot Lies: How Global Warming Alarmists Use Threats, Fraud, and Deception to Keep You Misinformed.’”
According to a description at the Illinois Policy Institute, “Horner pointed out some of the glaring errors – perhaps deliberate misrepresentations – in the global warming “’science.’” [10]
Illinois Policy Institute Contact & Location
The Illinois Policy Institute listed the following contact information on its website as of May, 2016: [13]
CHICAGO OFFICE
Illinois Policy
190 South LaSalle Street
Suite 1500
Chicago, IL 60603
T: 312.346.5700
F: 312.346.5755SPRINGFIELD OFFICE
Illinois Policy
802 South 2nd Street
Springfield, IL 62704
T: 217.528.8800
F: 217.528.8808
Related Organizations
- Liberty Justice Center — “Powered by the Illinois Policy Institute” [1]
- Illinois News Network — ”Powered by the Illinois Policy Institute” [1]
- IllinoisOpenGov.org (Now Defunct) — Website listing state spending and salaries by the Illinois Policy Institute. [11]
ALEC Connection
According to the Center for Media and Democracy’s Sourcewatch, the IPI was a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council as of 2011. Sourcewatch writes: [12]
ALEC‘s Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force
Brian Costin (IPI‘s Director of Outreach) and Ted Dabrowski (IPI‘s Vice President of Policy) represented the Illinois Policy Institute on ALEC‘s Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force.Brian Costin presented the “Local Government Transparency Act” model legislation, and Dabrowski introduced the “Pension Funding and Fairness Act” model legislation for adoption at the ALEC 2011 Annual Meeting.
Executive Vice President Kristina Rasmussen represented IPI on the Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force as of April 2010, when she penned an article entitled “Pension Funding Reform: A Solution for Budget Deficits” for ALEC‘s newsletter, Inside ALEC.
ALEC‘s Health and Human Services Task Force and Education Task Force
Senior Budget and Tax Policy Analyst, Amanda Griffin-Johnson, presented model legislation (the “State Employee Health Savings Account Act”) to the HHS task force at ALEC‘s 2011 annual meeting.Collin Hitt, Director of Education Policy, is a private sector member of the Education Task Force representing IPI. He sponsored the “Local Government Transparency Act” at the ALEC 2011 States and Nation Policy Summit.
Resources
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“Our Story,” Illinois Policy Institute. Archived February 25, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/0snEd
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“Directory,” State Policy Network. Archived February 26, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/dg2QT
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Paul Blumenthal. “Meet The Little-Known Network Pushing Ideas For Kochs,ALEC,” Huffington Post, November 14, 2013. Archived February 25, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/s4BYY
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Chris Andriesen. “SPOTLIGHT ON SPENDING #4: ILLINOIS STATE ENERGY SUBSIDIES,” Illinois Policy Institute. Archived February 26, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ejHRA
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“Illinois Policy Institute,” Conservative Transparency transactions search. Data retrieved June 6, 2016. Archive.is URL:
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(GREENPEACE BRIEFING). “Donors Trust: The shadow operation that has laundered $146 million in climate-denial funding” (PDF), Greenpeace. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
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“The Great Ethanol Debate,” Illinois Policy Institute, March 31, 2013. Archived February 26, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/DW2gW
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“4th International Conference on Climate Change: Sponsored by the Heartland Institute” (Conference Program – PDF), The Heartland Institute, May, 2010. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
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Brendan DeMelle. “Denial-a-palooza Round 4: ‘International Conference on Climate Change’ Groups Funded by Exxon, Koch Industries,” DeSmogBlog, May 13, 2010.
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Jerry Agar. “Red Hot Lies About Climate Change,” Illinois Policy Institute, January 21, 2010. Archived February 26, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/EZHhD
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“Illinois open government,” Illinois Policy Institute, October 27, 2011. Archived May 13, 2013. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
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“Illinois Policy Institute,” SourceWatch. Accessed February 25, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/SQ1u0
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“Contact Information,” Illinois Policy Institute. Archived May 29, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/hrGTF
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“Koch Industries: Secretly Funding the Climate Denial Machine,” Greenpeace USA. Archived March 13, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/au7P4
Other Resources
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“Factsheet: Illinois Policy Institute,” ExxonSecrets.
