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American Enterprise Institute
| American Enterprise Institute | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Washington, D.C. |
| Type: | 501(c)(3) |
| Top official: | Arthur C. Brooks |
| Year founded: | 1938 |
| Website: | Official website |
The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) is a 501(c)(3) think tank based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1943, AEI calls itself "a public policy think tank dedicated to defending human dignity, expanding human potential, and building a freer and safer world."[1] According to its website, AEI focuses its policy work on several policy areas, including agriculture, energy, economics, education, foreign policy, health care, housing, legal, and culture.[2]
History
The American Enterprise Institute began in 1938 as the American Enterprise Association, a group that worked in response to the congressional "talk of making wartime price and production controls permanent when the war ended to prevent another depression."[3]In 1943, the group moved from New York City to Washington, D.C., and began a series of legislative analyses, brief surveys of 50 congressional bills each year. The group officially changed its name to the American Enterprise Institute in 1962.[4]
According to an article in Newsweek, AEI's work has been notable for what it called "its wonkish focus on policy without aggressive promotion of that work." The group briefly bordered on bankruptcy in the 1980s before gaining influence during the presidency of George W. Bush (R).[5] According to Vanity Fair, the group was seen "as the intellectual command post of the neoconservative campaign for regime change in Iraq" during the Bush years.[6]
As of July 2025, the organization's website says its mission is "dedicated to defending human dignity, expanding human potential, and building a freer and safer world."[1]
Work
Policy research
The American Enterprise Institute primarily works to research public policy; they are also called to testify before Congress. The organization focuses on seven policy areas: economics, foreign and defense policy, healthcare, education, politics and public opinion, poverty studies, and society and culture.[1]
The group's research is typically published as white paper policy reports.[7]
Leadership
Staff
As of July 2025, the following were listed as staff:[8]
- Robert Doar, AEI President
- Jason Bertsch, Executive Vice President
- Katheryne Walker, Senior Vice President of Operations, Chief Human Resources Officer
- Matthew Continetti, Director, Domestic Policy Studies
- Yuval Levin, Director, Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies
- Kori Schake, Director, Foreign and Defense Policy Studies
- Michael R. Strain, Director, Economic Policy Studies
Board of Trustees
As of July 2025, the following were listed as members of the Board of Trustees:[9]
- Daniel A. D’Aniello
- Clifford S. Asness
- Peter H. Coors
- Harlan Crow
- Ravenel B. Curry III
- Kimberly O. Dennis
- Dick DeVos
- Robert Doar- AEI President
- Behdad Eghbali
- Martin C. Eltrich III
- Tully M. Friedman
- Christopher B. Galvin
- Harvey Golub
- Frank J. Hanna
- Bill Haslam
- Deepa Javeri
- Joanna F. Jonsson
- Marc S. Lipschultz
- John A. Luke Jr.
- Drew McKnight
- Bob Murley
- Pat Neal
- Ross Perot Jr.
- Geoffrey S. Rehnert
- Matthew K. Rose
- Edward B. Rust Jr.
- Wilson H. Taylor
- William H. Walton
- Will Weatherford
Affiliations
Brookings Instittution
In 1998, the American Enterprise Institute launched the AEI-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies with the Brookings Institution. The joint effort aimed to address "growing concerns about the effects of regulation on consumers, businesses, and government."[7]
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.
Finances
The following is a breakdown of the American Enterprise Institute's revenues and expenses for the 2011 to 2023 fiscal years. The following information comes from the Internal Revenue Service:
| Year | Revenue | Expenses |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | $38,831,796 | $32,235,853 |
| 2012 | $45,780,708 | $31,797,938 |
| 2013 | $64,011,505 | $35,435,906 |
| 2014 | N/A | N/A |
| 2015 | $84,616,388 | $38,611,315 |
| 2016 | $60,020,287 | $46,953,435 |
| 2017 | $75,066,910 | $55,822,303 |
| 2018 | $61,713,630 | $50,853,733 |
| 2019 | $51,439,296 | $57,228,170 |
| 2020 | $48,035,784 | $51,698,842 |
| 2021 | $80,742,317 | $51,057.669 |
| 2022 | $69,385,964 | $60,624,542 |
| 2023 | $53,808,205 | $66,819,074 |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'American Enterprise Institute'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 American Enterprise Institute, "About," accessed February 29, 2016
- ↑ American Enterprise Institute, "Economics," accessed February 29, 2016
- ↑ American Enterprise Institutte, "About (March 3, 2016)," accessed July 22, 2025
- ↑ American Enterprise Institute, "AEI: The first 75 years," accessed February 29, 2016
- ↑ Newsweek, "Arthur Brooks's Push To Make The American Enterprise Institute—and Republicans—relevant Again," April 1, 2014
- ↑ Vanity Fair, "Why Was the Dalai Lama Hanging Out with the Right-Wing American Enterprise Institute?" February 26, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 American Enterprise Institute, "The AEI-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies," November 1, 1998
- ↑ American Enterprise Institute, "Officers," accessed July 22, 2025
- ↑ American Enterprise Institute, "Board of Trustees," accessed July 22, 2025
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