Libertas Institute

Libertas Institute
Basic facts
Location:	Lehi, Utah
Top official:	Connor Boyack, President
Founder(s):	Connor Boyack
Year founded:	2011
Website:	Official website

The Libertas Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Utah. The group describes itself as "an award-winning think tank that has changed 100+ laws—two dozen of them the first of their kind in the entire country—and improved the lives of millions. We boldly advance powerful policy reforms that reduce government control to empower entrepreneurs and families across America."

Background

Connor Boyack founded the Libertas Institute in 2011. Boyack is an author who has, as of September 2025, written more than 50 books including the Tuttle Twins series. Boyack is executive producer of the Tuttle Twins animated cartoon.

As of September 2025, the organization's mission was "to change hearts, minds, and laws to build a freer society by creating and implementing innovative policy reforms and exceptional educational resources."

Leadership

As of September 2025, the following individuals held leadership positions at the Libertas Institute:

• Connor Boyack, president
• Jason Chipman, director of public policy
• Michael Melendez, executive vice president

As of September 2025, the following individuals sat on the Libertas Institute's board of trustees:

• John Pestana, chairman
• Jeffrey Harmon
• Andrea Golding
• Patrick Donohue
• Connor Boyack

Work and activities

Legislative and policy work

The Libertas Institute's work includes articles and full policy briefs outlining suggested policies at the state and national levels as well as a guide to local government and legislator scorecards specific to Utah.

The organization's work is centered on the following five principles:

“

Free Enterprise: Entrepreneurs and employees deserve a level playing field, fair competition, and the elimination of unnecessary regulations that obstruct free exchange and innovation. Personal Freedom: Each person has the right to peacefully pursue their own definition of happiness, including owning and using their property to the benefit of self and society. Building Alternatives to Criminalization: Addiction, mental illness, and poverty are among many human conditions that need individualized and community solutions instead of a punitive approach that should be reserved for violent criminals. Education Empowerment: Every parent, child, and teacher must have the opportunity to innovate and individualize education. Privacy: The person and property of each individual is protected from unreasonable searches and seizures, regardless of the existence of a societal expectation of privacy or the use of a third party.

”

The organization operates on a model it refers to as Nail It and Scale It, proposing policies in Utah first, then nationwide:

“

Nail It We use our HQ state, Utah, as a policy incubator where we develop innovative reforms in a receptive legal environment. This increases the likelihood other states will adopt our reforms once someone else has taken the first step Scale It We then partner with think tanks, grassroots organizations, and elected officials across the country to help their states enact our reforms. The families in our network become advocates who drive the adoption of these reforms in their own states.

”

Notable endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.

Notable ballot measure endorsements by Libertas Institute

Measure	Position	Outcome
Montana C-48, Search Warrant for Electronic Data Amendment (2022)  source	Support	Approved

Affiliations

The Libertas Institute is, as of September 2025, one of four Utah organizations affiliated with the State Policy Network.

Finances

The following is a breakdown of the Libertas Institute's revenues and expenses from 2012 to 2024. The information comes from ProPublica.

Libertas Institute financial data 2012-2024

Year	Revenue	Expenses
2012	$0.03 million	$0.02 million
2013	$0.1 million	$0.1 million
2015*	$0.5 million	$0.5 million
2016	$0.8 million	$0.7 million
2017	$1.6 million	$1.8 million
2018	$2.1 million	$1.9 million
2019	$2.7 million	$2.4 million
2020	$9.1 million	$7.8 million
2021	$14.4 million	$11.9 million
2022	$13.9 million	$13.7 million
2023	$14.4 million	$12.9 million
2024	$15.1 million	$11.7 million

*Financial information was not available for 2014.

See also

• What is an influencer?
• 501(c)(3)
• State Policy Network

External links

• Libertas Institute official website
• Libertas Institute on Facebook
• Libertas Institute on Instagram
• Libertas Institute on X
• Libertas Institute on YouTube