Bill of Rights Institute

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Bill of Rights Institute
Bill of Rights Institute.jpg
Basic facts
Location:Arlington, Virginia
Type:501(c)(3)
Top official:David Bobb, President
Founder(s):Charles Koch
Year founded:1999
Website:Official website

The Bill of Rights Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Virginia. The organization's website describes it as "a non-partisan, non-profit educational organization. Its team develops educational resources on American history and government, provides professional development opportunities to teachers, and runs student programs and scholarship contests."[1]

Background

Charles Koch founded the Bill of Rights Institute in 1999 "due to concern about the lack of support, resources, and professional development for civics and history educators".[2] Koch is an entrepreneur and the president and chief executive officer of Koch Industries. In addition to the Bill of Rights Institute, he has helped found the Cato Institute, the Mercatus Center, and the Charles Koch Foundation.[3]

As of September 2025, the Bill of Rights Institute website listed its vision as:[1]

“

We seek an America where we more perfectly realize the promise of liberty and equality expressed in the Declaration of Independence. This calls for civic education that helps students examine the story of our country and exercise the skills of citizenship.[4]

”

Leadership

As of September 2025, the following individuals held leadership positions at the Bill of Rights Institute:[5]

  • David Bobb, president
  • Adam Cushing, chief operating officer
  • Stan Swim, chief program officer
  • Anthony Simone, vice president for development
  • Joanne McKinney, vice president for human resources
  • Kevin Hart, vice president for communications
  • Kirk Higgins, vice president for content

As of September 2025, the following individuals sat on the Bill of Rights Institute's board of directors:[5]

  • Mark Humphrey
  • Ryan Stowers
  • Todd Zywicki
  • Charles Widger
  • Kristina Arriaga

Work and activities

Legislative and policy work

As of September 2025, the Bill of Rights Institute produced a variety of educational materials aimed both at educators and students. The institute's content is focused on civics and U.S. history and includes modules aimed at elementary through advanced high school-level material. The content produced includes essays, videos, primary sources, lesson plans for educators, and games for students.[6]

As of September 2025, the Bill of Rights Institute's lesson plans listed five founding principles and nine civic virtues and vices. The organization's "design framework incorporates the founding principles and civic virtues into our learning design. This ensures BRI resources cover essential civic topics with congruent pedagogical approaches, developing self-governed individuals capable of informed engagement in civic life. "[7]

As of September 2025, the five founding principles were:[8]

“
  1. Natural Rights Foundation
    1. Natural/Inalienable Rights: Rights which belong to humans by nature and can only be justly abridged through due process. Examples are life, liberty, and property.
    2. Liberty: The power to think and act as one sees fit without restraint except by the laws of nature and interfering with someone else’s rights.
    3. Equality: All individuals have the same claim as human beings to natural rights and treatment under the law.
    4. Justice: Having a political order that protects the rights of all equally and treats everyone equally under the law.
  2. Consent and Republican Government
    1. Majority Rule/Minority Rights: Laws are made with the consent of the majority but do not infringe on the inalienable rights of the minority.
    2. Consent of the Governed: The power of government comes from the people.
    3. Democracy: A form of government in which ultimate authority is based directly on the will of the people.
    4. Republic: A constitutional form of government with elected representatives who represent and “refine and enlarge” the will of the people.
  3. Limited Government
    1. Rule of Law: Government and citizens all abide by the same laws regardless of political power. Those laws must be stable and justly applied.
    2. Due Process: The government must apply law and rules equally to all people.
  4. Constitutional/Auxiliary Precautions
    1. Separation of Powers: Each division of government exercises distinct powers to carry out its functions and to prevent the accumulation of power.
    2. Checks and Balances: The branches of government each have powers to limit the powers of the other branches and to prevent any branch from becoming too powerful.
    3. Federalism: The national and state governments have a balance of separate and shared powers. The people delegate certain powers to the national government, while the states retain other powers; and the people retain all powers not delegated to the governing bodies.
  5. Bill of Rights
    1. Freedom of Religion: The right to choose one’s religion or form of worship, if any, without interference; freedom of conscience.
    2. Freedom of Speech, Press, and Assembly: The right to express one’s opinions freely, orally or in writing and the right to gather with others in groups of one’s choice without arbitrary or unreasonable restrictions.
    3. Private Property: The natural right of all individuals to create, obtain, and control their possessions, beliefs, faculties, and opinions as well as the fruits of their labor.[4]
 ”

As of September 2025, the Bill of Rights Institute listed the following nine civic virtues:[8]

“
  • Courage: The ability to take constructive action in the face of fear or danger. To stand firm as a person of character and do what is right, especially when it is unpopular or puts one at risk.
  • Honor: Demonstrating good character and being trustworthy.
  • Humility: A recognition that one’s ignorance is far greater than one’s knowledge. Putting others ahead of ourselves in thought, word, and deed. A willingness to give others credit and to admit when we are wrong.
  • Integrity: To tell the truth, expose untruths, and keep one’s promises.
  • Justice: Upholding of what is fair and right. Respecting the rights and dignity of all.
  • Moderation: The avoidance of excess or extremes.
  • Prudence: Practical wisdom that applies reason and other virtues to discern right courses of action in specific situations.
  • Respect: Regard for and defending the equal rights and inherent dignity of all human beings, including oneself.
  • Responsibility: Acting on good judgment about what is right or wrong even when it is not popular. Individuals must take care of themselves, their families, and their fellow citizens/ others in civil society and a republic and be vigilant to preserve their own liberty and the liberty of others.[4]
 ”

As of September 2025, the Bill of Rights Institute listed the following nine civic vices:[8]

“
  • Cowardice: Failing to take constructive action in the face of fear or danger. A lack of firmness or conviction.
  • Dishonor: Failing to demonstrate good character, integrity, and acting deceptively
  • Hubris: To have excessive pride, vanity, and arrogance that usually leads to a tragic fall.
  • Self-deception: Acting on a belief that a false idea or situation is true. Being deluded or deceived by ideas that endanger the humanity of others and movements that are unjust.
  • Injustice: To harm others by applying unequal rules and damaging another’s inalienable rights and dignity.
  • Immoderation (Extremism): Acting in excess or to an extreme. Lacking restraint.
  • Imprudence: Acting without care or thoughtfulness for consequences. Exercising lack of wisdom appropriate to situations.
  • Contempt: Showing disregard, disdain, or lack of consideration for someone or something worthy of action or admiration.
  • Irresponsibility: Acting on poor judgment or failing the trust others place in you.[4]
 ”

Notable endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope. Know of one we missed? Click here to let us know.

Finances

The following is a breakdown of the Bill of Rights Institute's revenues and expenses from 2001 to 2024. The information comes from ProPublica.

Bill of Rights Institute financial data 2001-2024
Year Revenue Expenses
2001 $1.3 million $1.0 million
2002 $1.4 million $1.2 million
2003 $5.6 million $1.5 million
2004 $1.9 million $5.1 million
2005 $2.6 million $2.0 million
2006 $3.5 million $2.6 million
2007 $3.9 million $2.9 million
2008 $3.5 million $4.2 million
2009 $3.7 million $4.1 million
2010 $2.6 million $3.8 million
2011 $2.2 million $3.7 million
2012 $2.3 million $2.6 million
2013 $2.4 million $2.1 million
2014 $3.3 million $2.1 million
2015 $2.9 million $2.8 million
2016 $3.2 million $3.2 million
2016* $0.4 million $1.1 million
2017 $4.6 million $4.0 million
2018 $4.7 million $4.9 million
2019 $5.7 million $5.3 million
2020 $6.8 million $6.7 million
2021 $9.4 million $8.0 million
2022 $7.7 million $8.1 million
2023 $8.9 million $8.8 million
2024 $9.8 million $9.7 million

*The Bill of Rights Institute switched from an August to a December filing schedule in 2016. The second entry for 2016 indicates the organization's December filing.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bill of Rights Institute, "About BRI," accessed September 16, 2025
  2. ↑ LinkedIn, "Bill of Rights Institute Celebrates 25 Years of Innovation in Civics and History Education," August 6, 2024
  3. ↑ Koch News, "Charles Koch," accessed September 16, 2025
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bill of Rights Institute, "Team Members," accessed September 16, 2025
  6. ↑ Bill of Rights Institute, "Home page," accessed September 16, 2025
  7. ↑ Bill of Rights Institute, "Educating for Self-Governance," accessed September 16, 2025
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Bill of Rights Institute, "Founding Principles and Civic Virtues," accessed September 16, 2025
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