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Institute for Free Speech
| Institute for Free Speech | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Washington, D.C. |
| Type: | 501(c)(3) |
| Affiliation: | Nonpartisan |
| Top official: | David Keating, President |
| Founder(s): | Bradley A. Smith |
| Year founded: | 2005 |
| Website: | Official website |
The Institute for Free Speech (formerly known as the Center for Competitive Politics) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a focus on protecting First Amendment rights through education, research, and litigation. It is located in Washington, D.C.
Background
The Institute for Free Speech was founded as the Center for Competitive Politics in 2005 by Bradley Smith, a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission. According to an archived version of the organization's website from 2015, the organization "was created, in part, as a way for former Federal Election Commission (FEC) chairman Bradley Smith to address serious misconceptions about money in politics." One of the center's first major steps was to draft an amicus brief supporting the nonprofit organization Citizens United in its lawsuit against the FEC.[1]
As of July 2025, the organization had the following mission statement on its website:[2]
| “ |
The Institute for Free Speech promotes and defends the First Amendment rights to freely speak, assemble, publish, and petition the government through strategic litigation, communication, activism, training, research, and education. Our dedicated professional staff works tirelessly to protect political speech under these freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment. We are the nation’s largest organization dedicated solely to protecting First Amendment political speech rights. Free political speech guaranteed by the First Amendment is the most important right. It is the right that allows citizens to criticize, challenge, and ultimately improve their government. Despite its importance, the Institute for Free Speech is the only organization with a dedicated professional staff and mission seeking to promote and defend American citizens’ First Amendment political speech rights.[3] |
” |
Leadership
As of July 2025, the following individuals held leadership positions at the Institute for Free Speech:[4]
- Bradley A. Smith, chairman and founder
- David Keating, president
- Alan Gura, vice president for litigation
- Tom Garrett, vice president and chief communications officer
- Del Kolde, senior attorney
- Charles Miller, senior attorney
- Brett Nolan, senior attorney
- Owen Yeates, senior attorney
Work and activities
First Amendment and campaign finance litigation
The IFS conducts legal research and strategic litigation and offers pro bono representation on First Amendment cases. The organization has contributed original research to numerous campaign finance cases, including Wisconsin Right to Life v. FEC and Davis v. FEC.[5]
David Keating, current president of CCP, was a plaintiff in another campaign finance case decided shortly after Citizens United. Keating's organization SpeechNOW.org, which he founded in 2007, won its lawsuit against the FEC on appeal to the D.C. Circuit, which based its reasoning on the judgment issued in Citizens United. That decision led to the creation of the political committees known as Super PACs.[6] From 2015 to 2025, the organization said it "won four major lawsuits targeting invasive donor disclosure laws."[5]
Notable 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 Institute for Free Speech's revenues and expenses from 2006 to 2023. The information comes from Internal Revenue Service reports.
| Year | Revenue | Expenses |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | $373,571 | $316,458 |
| 2007 | $834,471 | $552,799 |
| 2008 | $1,443,030 | $1,597,753 |
| 2009 | $1,631,103 | $1,172,140 |
| 2010 | $1,535,085 | $1,333,560 |
| 2011 | $1,816,786 | $1,577,324 |
| 2012 | $1,420,276 | $1,252,639 |
| 2013 | $1,754,752 | $1,545,035 |
| 2014 | $1,951,006 | $1,495,165 |
| 2015 | $1,956,529 | $1,596,794 |
| 2016 | $2,154,786 | $1,815,747 |
| 2017 | $2,433,660 | $1,939,035 |
| 2018 | $2,646,991 | $2,106,292 |
| 2019 | $2,564,214 | $2,302,467 |
| 2020 | $3,293,250 | $2,453,045 |
| 2021 | $3,314,675 | $2,732,506 |
| 2022 | $3,882,053 | $3,036,081 |
| 2023 | $3,683,677 | $3,147,692 |
See also
- What is an influencer?
- Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
- SpeechNOW.org v. Federal Election Commission
- 501(c)(3)
- Nonprofit organization
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ CCP, "Financial Disclosure," accessed July 28, 2025
- ↑ Institute for Free Speech, "Our Mission," accessed July 28, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ CCP, "Board of Directors," accessed July 2, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Institute for Free Speech, "About Us," accessed July 28, 2025
- ↑ Wall Street Journal, "Meet the Parents of the Super PACs," February 10, 2012
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