The Leadership Institute (LI)
Background
The Leadership Institute (LI) was founded in 1979 by Morton C. Blackwell who serves as its current president. The Institute specializes in training potential conservative political leaders in campaigns, fundraising, grassroots organization, youth politics, and communications. [1]
According to their website, “The Institute teaches conservatives of all ages how to succeed in politics, government, and the media” and has trained more than 168,000 conservative activists, leaders, and students. [1] The website also states that the Leadership Institute “doesn’t analyze policy; it teaches conservative Americans how to influence policy through direct participation, activism, and leadership.”
In their own words, the Leadership Institute hosts sessions across their country where they train “freedom fighters” to “learn how to defeat the radical left.” [2]
Morton Blackwell has also served as Executive Director of the secretive Council for National Policy, a foundation Right Wing Watch describes as composed of leaders of right wing public policy organizations, major donors, and noted conservative leaders. Blackwell is also the Chairman and founder of the Conservative Leadership PAC. [3], [4]
The Leadership Institute runs the Campus Reform project (CampusReform.org), which has encouraged students to set up programs on their campuses to help “expose the leftist abuses on your campus.” [5]
The Leadership Institute proclaims that it “actively supports the entire conservative movement.” [1]
Stance on Climate Change
The Leadership Institute offers an “activism idea” to create a “Global Warming Beach Party” and further offers activism grants to help cover the cost of materials. [6]
The video (see below) quotes climate change skeptic Richard Lindzen and suggests to “distribute literature that highlights misinformation spread by environmental extremists and shows the damage that liberal environmental policies cause the economy.” The Leadership Institute promises to promote some of these user-submitted videos on their Campus Reform website as well as other media.
Here is a quote taken from the Leadership Institute’s Campus Reform project blog in 2009:
“For the leftist activists, COP 15 and the protest was about changing the system (aka ending capitalism). Climate change is merely an excuse to collapse capitalism and switch to socialists economic systems.” [7]
Funding
The following is based on data the Conservative Transparency project compiled from publicly available 990 tax forms. Note that not all values have been verified by DeSmog. [8]
See the attached spreadsheet for additional information on the Leadership Institute’s funding by year (.xlsx).
Leadership Institute as Recipient
| Donor | Total |
| F.M. Kirby Foundation | $1,200,000 |
| Ed Uihlein Family Foundation | $1,165,000 |
| The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation | $950,000 |
| DonorsTrust | $848,788 |
| Dorothy D. and Joseph A. Moller Foundation | $796,725 |
| Schwab Charitable Fund | $739,321 |
| Donors Capital Fund | $630,500 |
| Castle Rock Foundation | $630,000 |
| The Shelby Cullom Davis Foundation | $425,000 |
| Adolph Coors Foundation | $385,000 |
| Armstrong Foundation | $375,000 |
| Stuart Family Foundation | $277,000 |
| Bochnowski Family Foundation | $230,000 |
| Bill and Berniece Grewcock Foundation | $220,000 |
| The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation | $220,000 |
| The Rodney Fund | $207,000 |
| Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation | $137,138 |
| Edgar and Elsa Prince Foundation | $137,000 |
| National Christian Charitable Foundation | $129,175 |
| Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation | $109,500 |
| Orville D. and Ruth A. Merillat Foundation | $102,000 |
| Bradley Impact Fund | $100,000 |
| DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative | $75,000 |
| Diana Davis Spencer Foundation | $63,000 |
| Charles Koch Institute | $55,654 |
| The Whitcomb Charitable Foundation | $52,000 |
| John William Pope Foundation | $50,000 |
| Dodge Jones Foundation | $50,000 |
| Joe R Lee Family Foundation | $45,000 |
| National Philanthropic Trust | $33,650 |
| The Vernon K. Krieble Foundation | $31,500 |
| Holman Foundation | $30,000 |
| JM Foundation | $28,000 |
| The Roe Foundation | $26,000 |
| Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation | $25,000 |
| The Challenge Foundation | $22,500 |
| Dunn’s Foundation for the Advancement of Right Thinking | $19,900 |
| Legett Foundation | $17,500 |
| Kickapoo Springs Foundation | $15,000 |
| Richard Seth Staley Educational Foundation | $10,000 |
| True Foundation | $10,000 |
| Eric Javits Family Foundation | $9,500 |
| John Templeton Foundation | $8,000 |
| Lowndes Foundation | $6,000 |
| The Howell Foundation | $5,500 |
| The Gordon and Mary Cain Foundation | $5,000 |
| John P and Kathryn G Evans Foundation | $3,800 |
| The Randolph Foundation | $3,000 |
| Robert and Marie Hansen Foundation | $3,000 |
| The A William and Eileen Pratt Foundation | $2,300 |
| Cato Institute | $2,000 |
| Concerned Women for America | $1,000 |
| Jewish Community Fund | $1,000 |
| Joyce and Donald Rumsfeld Foundation | $500 |
| Heritage Foundation | $200 |
| George and Reva Graziadio Foundation | $100 |
| Grand Total | $10,724,751 |
Leadership Institute as Donor
| Recipient | Total |
| Longwood University | $50,000 |
| St. Andrews Episcopal School | $50,000 |
| The Heritage Foundation | $45,935 |
| National Right To Work Legal Defense Fund | $44,435 |
| Alliance Defense Fund | $42,435 |
| Campus Crusade | $42,435 |
| Gideons International | $42,435 |
| International Mission Board | $42,435 |
| Pacific Legal Foundation | $42,435 |
| Citizens Against Government Waste | $30,518 |
| Langdon School | $25,000 |
| Cato Institute | $21,218 |
| Concerned Women for America | $21,217 |
| Media Research Center | $92,818 |
| Free Congress Foundation | $10,000 |
| Mercatus Center | $3,500 |
| Bill of Rights Institute | $2,500 |
| Mass Eye and Ear Institute | $2,500 |
| Milton Rose D Friedman Foundation | $1,500 |
| Princeton University | $1,500 |
| Tax Foundation | $1,500 |
| American Red Cross | $1,000 |
| David Horowitz Freedom Center | $1,000 |
| Hillsdale College | $1,000 |
| Intercollegiate Studies Institute | $1,000 |
| Parents TV Council | $1,000 |
| Salvation Army | $1,000 |
| The Claremont Institute | $1,000 |
| The Fund for American Studies | $1,000 |
| The James Madison Institute | $1,000 |
| The National Center for Public Policy | $1,000 |
| The Objectivist Center | $1,000 |
| US English Foundation | $1,000 |
| Young America’s Foundation | $1,000 |
| American Council on Science Health | $500 |
| Americans for Prosperity | $500 |
| Competitive Enterprise Institute | $500 |
| Freedom Works | $500 |
| Hospice Education Institute | $500 |
| Institute for Justice | $500 |
| ProEnglish | $500 |
| Ronald Reagan Presidential Library | $500 |
| US Naval Academy Foundation | $500 |
| Grand Total | $633,816 |
Koch Funding
The Leadership Institute has received at least $278,958 from Koch-related foundations between 2003 and 2017. [22]
*Note that original tax records prior to 1997 are not available for verification. [22]
| Year | Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation | Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation | Charles Koch Institute | Grand Total |
| 1995* | $12,000 | $12,000 | ||
| 2003 | $15,000 | $15,000 | ||
| 2004 | $50,000 | $50,000 | ||
| 2006 | $24,500 | $24,500 | ||
| 2012 | $7,199 | $20,000 | $27,199 | |
| 2014 | $52,112 | $19,200 | $71,312 | |
| 2015 | $39,979 | $11,200 | $51,179 | |
| 2016 | $14,812 | $8,000 | $22,812 | |
| 2017 | $11,036 | $5,920 | $16,956 | |
| 2018 | $11,334 | $11,334 | ||
| Grand Total | $137,138 | $109,500 | $55,654 | $302,292 |
Other Funding
Information from the 1995 “Foundation Directory” (PDF) archived by Greenpeace shows that the Leadership Institute Received $65,000 from the Carthage Foundation in 1992. [9]
The LI has in turn funded the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), PR watch reports. [10]
990 Forms
Key People
Board of Directors
The followering Directors were listed on the Leadership Institute’s website as of October, 2015: [11]
- Morton Blackwell — President
- M Dennis Daugherty — 1st Vice President
- Craig Murphy — Treasurer
- Ed Corrigan — Secretary
- Chuck Cunningham — Director
- Rev. Fred Fowler III — Director
- John Maxwell — Director
- Darío Paya — Honorary Director
- Alexandre Pesey — Honorary Director
- Ryan Rhodes — Director
- Michael Rothfeld — Director
- Fred Sacher — Director Emeritus
- Charles Thornhill — Director
- Jade West — Director
Staff
As of October, 2015: [12]
President’s Office
- Morton Blackwell — President
- Cathy Graham — Executive Assistant to the President
Programs
- Joanne Bogan — Receptionist
- David Fenner — Vice President of Programs
- Zachary Mingo — Programs Coordinator
Political and Career Programs
- Patricia Simpson — Director of Career Programs
- Aynsley Harrison — Career Services Coordinator
- Lacey White — Programs Assistant
- Paul Alfonse — Intern Coordinator
Communications Training
- Angel Chitnatham — Political Training Manager
- Jared Reni — Communications Training Manager
Recruitment
- Kyle Baccei — Communications Manager
Grassroots
- Robert Arnakis — Senior Director of Domestic and International Programs
- JC Hernandez — Director of Grassroots Coalitions
International Training
- Ron Nehring — Director of International Training
Events
- Deirdre Hackleman — Director of Events
- Rachel Hannabass — Events Coordinator
External Affairs
- Carol Wehe — Director of External Affairs
- Carmela Martinez — Marketing Coordinator
Campus Leadership Program
- Bryan Bernys — Vice President for the Campus Leadership Program
- Ryan Young — Director of Special Projects
Campus Reform
- Sterling Beard — CampusReform.org Editor In Chief
- Laura Falcon — Campus Reform Program Coordinator
- Peter Fricke — Investigative Reporter
- Summer Ratcliff — Managing Editor
National Field Program
- Michael Armstrong — National Field Director
- Gabriella Hoffman — Regional Field Coordinator
- Craig Dixon — Regional Field Coordinator
- Kristin Dobson — Deputy National Field Director
- Christopher Bradford — Regional Field Coordinator
- Emily Larsen — Regional Field Coordinator
- Nicholas Glad — Regional Field Coordinator
- Abe Alassaf — Regional Field Coordinator
- David Blair — Regional Field Coordinator
- Crissy Brown — Regional Field Coordinator
- Fernando Reyes — Regional Field Coordinator
Youth Leadership
- Daryl Ann Dunigan — Youth Leadership School Director
- James Northrop — YLS Coordinator
Development
- Steven Sutton — Vice President of Development
- John Davis — Director of Donor Communications
- Brian Eaton — Senior Regional Development Officer
- Karla Bruno — Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations
- Elizabeth McCullough — Donor Communications Coordinator
- Mitchell Nozka — Deputy Director, Donor Communications
- Bethany Jones – Regional Development Officer
- John McGovern — Regional Development Officer
- Oressa Boelk — Donor Relations Officer
- Yana Myaskovskaya — Regional Development Officer
- Katherine Bolyard — Donor Relations Officer
- Aaron Rainwater — Donor Relations Officer
- Martin Rojas — Donor Communications Coordinator
- Frank Manning — Volunteer
- Clark Vandeventer — Regional Development Officer
- Brandon Blum — Regional Development Officer
- Michael LaCroix — Donor Relations Officer
- Waverly Woods — Donor Relations Officer
According to SourceWatch, past students at the LI have included: [20]
- Mitch McConnell — U.S. Senator from Kentucky.
- Jim Gilmore — former governor of Virginia.
- Karl Rove — Bush 43 political strategist.
- James Guckert — Talon News “reporter.”
- David McIntosh — Congressman from Indiana.
- Mark Souder — Congressman from Indiana.
- JoAnn Davis — Congresswoman from Virginia.
- Joe Wilson — Congressman from South Carolina.
- Grover Norquist — President, Americans for Tax Reform.
- Ralph Reed — former Executive Director Christian Coalition.
- Jason Miller — Young conservative leader.
Actions
February 22–25, 2017
The Leadership Institute was a Supporting Sponsor of the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), among a range of other conservative and pro-industry groups. [23]
July 7–9, 2015
The LI was a Co-Sponsor of the Heartland Institute‘s Tenth International Conference on Climate Change in Washington, DC. [13]
July 7–9, 2014
The Leadership Institute was an official Co-Sponsor of the Heartland Institute’s Ninth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC9). [14]
May 21–23, 2012
The Leadership Institute was a “Gold Sponsor” (PDF) of the Heartland Institute’s Seventh International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC7). [15]
May 27, 2010
The Leadership Institute’s Campus Reform project encourages students to “fight back” by setting up groups on their campus to challenge or implicate climate change researchers supposedly involved in “Climategate.” [5]
Campus Reform tells students to ask questions like “what professors are researching and what foundations or entities are funding his or her research. Are they implicated in the Climategate scandal? Email the professors and ask their opinions on the situation. Try to see if they are willing to be transparent with their data.” Campus Reform says that their goal is to “help you expose the leftist abuses on your campus”
May 16–18, 2010
The LI was a Co-Sponsor (PDF) of the Heartland Institute’s Fourth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC4). [16]
December, 2009
The LI‘s Campus Reform Project promoted the formation of groups to “highlight the absurdity of climate change claims” with the specific purpose of getting media attention and starting a movement on campus to “share information about Climategate and climate change with other students.” [17]
June 7, 2002
LI President Morton Blackwell was a signatory to a letter to President Bush urging him to withdraw the Climate Action Report 2002 and to “direct that it be re-written on the basis of sound science and without relying on discredited products of the previous administration.”
Signatories also urged Bush “to dismiss or re-assign all administration employees who are not pursuing your agenda, just as you have done in several similar instances.” [18]
Leadership Institute Contact & Location
As of June 2016, the Leadership Institute listed the following contact information on its website: [21]
Leadership Institute
Steven P.J. Wood Building, 1101 N Highland St,
Arlington, VA, 22201Phone: (703) 247-2000
Fax: (703) 247-2001
Related Organizations
- LI Studios
- CampusReform.org
- Cornell Review — “affiliated with Campus Reform through the Leadership Institute’s Campus Leadership Program” [19]
Social Media
- @LeadershipInst on Twitter.
- “Leadership Institute” on Facebook.
- “The Leadership Institute” on LinkedIn.
Resources
- “About the Leadership Institute,” Leadership Institute. Archived October 21, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cR2AENf6
- “Leadership Institute-trained freedom fighters gather in Washington, DC,” Leadership Institute, January 22, 2010. Archived October 21, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cSDK1iSG
- “Morton C. Blackwell,” American Conservative Union. Archived August 16, 2000.
- “Leadership Institute,” Right Wing Watch. Archived October 21, 2015.
- “Climategate Scandal Not Over Yet,” Campus Reform, May 27, 2010. Archived October 21, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cSCCHcam
- “Global Warming Beach Party,” Leadership Institute. Accessed October 20, 2015.
- Justin Pulliam. “Hopenhagen Socialism Part 1: ‘Change the System’,” CampusReform.org, December 22, 2009. Archived December 22, 2009.
- “Leadership Institute,” (search string), Conservative Transparency. Data retrieved July 6, 2016.
- The Foundation Directory, 1995 Edition, P. 1349 (PDF). Archived by Greenpeace.
- Lisa Graves. “Right-Wing Operatives Take Up ALEC‘s Voter Suppression Agenda,” PR Watch, April 19, 2012. Archived October 21, 2015.
- “The Leadership Institute’s Board of Directors,” Leadership Institute. Archived October 21, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cRve7bhX
- “LI Staff Directory,” Leadership Institute. Archived October 21, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cSAFH2gP
- “Sponsors,” ICCC10. Archived July 15, 2015.
- “ICCC9 CoSponsors,” International Conferences on Climate Change (The Heartland Institute). Archived July 27, 2015.
- “Seventh International Conference on Climate Change: Sponsored by the Heartland Institute” (PDF), the Heartland Institute. Archived August 15, 2015.
- “Co-Sponsors,” The 2010 International Conference on Climate Change, January 16, 2010. Archived January 24, 2010.
- “Can’t Go to Copenhagen? You Can Still Party for a Good Cause,” Campusreform, December 8, 2009. (*Page no longer available on live web, or on web archive).
- “Joint Letter To President Bush On The EPA‘s Climate Action Report,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, June 7, 2002. Archived October 21, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cSBlfiq8
- Casey Breznick. “Cornell professor says hiring Republicans would decrease faculty quality,“ The Cornell Review, October 15, 2015. Republished by Campus Reform. Archived October 21, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cSChy61Z
- “The Leadership Institute,” SourceWatch. Archived October 21, 2015.
- “Contact the Leadership Institute,” Leadership Institute. Archived June 29, 2016. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6icOHwVn9
- “Koch Industries: Secretly Funding the Climate Denial Machine,” Greenpeace USA. Accessed March 14, 2017. Data on file at DeSmog.
- “CPAC 2017 Sponsors,” cpac.conservative.org. Archived March 6, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/SKFRU
Other Resources
- “Leadership Institute,” Wikipedia.
