Council of State Governments

Council of State Governments
Basic facts
Location:	Lexington, Kentucky
Type:	501(c)(3)
Affiliation:	Nonpartisan
Top official:	Joshua Green, President
Founder(s):	Henry Toll
Year founded:	1933
Website:	Official website

The Council of State Governments (CSG) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving all three branches of elected and appointed officials across the 50 states. The organization says it "champions excellence in state government, bringing state leaders from across the nation and through its regions together to put the best ideas and solutions into practice."

Background

State Sen. Henry Toll of Colorado founded the Council of State Governments in 1933 after founding the American Legislators' Association during his time in the state senate in the 1920s, when he saw "a need to address conflicting laws regard­ing taxation, among other issues." Toll was an attorney who obtained his law degree from Harvard University and fought in World War I.

As of September 2025, the organization had the following mission statement:

“

CSG is a nonpartisan community of the states, committed to connecting, informing, inspiring and empowering public servants in all three branches of state government to put the best ideas and solutions into practice.

”

Leadership

As of September 2025, the following individuals held leadership positions in the Council of State Governments:

• Joshua Green (D), national president
• Elgie Sims (D), national chairman
• Mike Gipson (D), national chairman-elect
• Cameron Sexton (R), national vice chairman
• Joe Lombardo (R), immediate past national president
• Kevin Ryan (D), immediate past national chairman
• David Adkins, executive director and chief executive officer

Work and activities

Legislative and policy work

As of September 2025, the organization produced policy reports and analyses in the following eight subject areas:

• Military & Veteran Affairs
• Occupational Licensure
• Research Informed Governing
• Education & Workforce
• Elections
• Health & Human Services
• Fiscal Policy
• Criminal Justice
• Interstate Compacts

The organization identified the following ten values as guiding its work and mission:

“

Democracy: We believe state government is a force for good. We are committed to preserving, protecting and defending the constitutions of the states and nation. We work to build a more perfect union. We believe that interbranch and intergovernmental cooperation, collaboration and communication enhance policy development and government performance. We believe the states play a vital role in our nation’s dual sovereignty system of our democracy. We advocate for the interests of the states to all three branches of the federal government. We grow civic literacy, access to democracy and citizen participation in government. Integrity: We act ethically in all that we say and do. We are trustworthy and transparent. We are good stewards of resources. We honor our commitments. We hold ourselves accountable. Civility: We practice civility and engage in respectful discourse. We seek to understand and learn from those with whom we disagree. We are pragmatic consensus builders. We are tolerant of differences and mindful of all that we share in common with others. Excellence: We aspire to achieve the highest levels of excellence in all that we do. We learn from failures and are committed to continuous improvement. Truth: We value knowledge. We are honest. We believe facts matter and that a shared understanding of facts is essential when developing good public policy. We believe the proper use of data can help us understand and solve problems. Innovation: We create new knowledge and identify promising approaches to solve problems. We use technology wisely. We engage in continuous learning. We evolve to meet emerging needs. We aren’t afraid of change. We accept failure and disruption as a component of innovation. CSG will always be agile and adaptable, ready to respond to the priorities of state officials. Collaboration: We work well with others. We share information and expertise freely. We forge productive partnerships to improve our impact. We initiate and facilitate productive interbranch and intergovernmental dialogue, collaboration and cooperation. We acknowledge the contributions of others in our work. We are grateful for our partners who help fund and support our work. Unity: We bring public servants together to learn from each other and to advance common goals. We are trusted convenors and skilled facilitators of diverse audiences. We value the history of CSG and its commitment to create harmony among the states. We build bridges and foster consensus. Together, we accomplish more. Impact: We want to make a difference. We believe any state official can be more effective by being an active member of the CSG informed community of diverse peers. We build trust in state government when we help state officials solve problems to improve the lives of the people they serve.

”

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 Council of State Governments' revenues and expenses from 2000 to 2023. The information comes from ProPublica.

Council of State Governments financial data 2000-2023

Year	Revenue	Expenses
2000	$17.7 million	$16.8 million
2001	$17.4 million	$16.9 million
2002	$19.5 million	$18.6 million
2003	$19.1 million	$18.6 million
2004	$20.4 million	$19.5 million
2005	$24.9 million	$24.1 million
2006	$26.1 million	$25.6 million
2007	$28.9 million	$27.5 million
2008	$31.8 million	$31.1 million
2009	$29.0 million	$29.6 million
2010	$34.3 million	$33.4 million
2011	$35.8 million	$36.0 million
2012	$31.0 million	$30.4 million
2013	$33.8 million	$32.7 million
2014	$33.4 million	$33.4 million
2015	$36.1 million	$35.1 million
2016	$41.1 million	$40.9 million
2017	$39.4 million	$39.7 million
2018	$39.9 million	$39.1 million
2019	$41.5 million	$39.2 million
2020	$38.8 million	$39.3 million
2021	$43.2 million	$38.5 million
2022	$46.7 million	$46.0 million
2023	$65.3 million	$37.6 million

See also

• What is an influencer?

External links

• Council of State Governments official website
• Council of State Governments on LinkedIn
• Council of State Governments on Instagram
• Council of State Governments on X
• Council of State Governments on Facebook
• Council of State Governments on YouTube