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Mississippi Center for Public Policy
| Mississippi Center for Public Policy | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Jackson, Mississippi |
| Type: | 501(c)(3) |
| Affiliation: | Nonpartisan |
| Top official: | Douglas Carswell, President and CEO |
| Year founded: | 1993 |
| Employees: | Nine |
| Website: | Official website |
The Mississippi Center for Public Policy (MCPP) is a 501(c)(3) organization that advances "the constitutional ideals of liberty and justice for all Mississippians by employing an evidenced-based approach to public policy whereby we advocate for and advance real conservative ideals with policy makers, members of the media, business leaders, the academic community, and private citizens."[1] As of August 2025, MCPP's priorities were "Education Freedom ... Opposing 'Woke' Extremism ... Lower Taxes ... [and] Affordable Health care."[1]
Background
The MCPP was founded in 1993 to promote "free markets, limited government, and strong traditional families."[2][3] As of August 2025, Douglas Carswell was the president and CEO. Carswell previously served as a member of Parliament in the United Kingdom and as non-executive director at the Department of International Trade. While in Parliament, Carswell co-founded Vote Leave, the campaign supporting Brexit.[4]
Leadership
As of August 2025, the following individuals held leadership positions at the Mississippi Center for Public Policy:[5]
- Douglas Carswell, president and CEO
- Richard Wilson, chief development officer
- Anika Page, director of operations
Work and activities
Electoral activities and influence
MCPP created The Mississippi Freedom Index, which showed how Mississippi's legislators voted on school choice, income tax elimination, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and healthcare.[6]
Legislative and policy work
MCPP has campaigned on a number of issues that became state law. These campaigns included one that "led to the Mississippi Tax Freedom Act 2022, which secured the largest tax cut in [the] state's recent history,"[7] and another that helped ban the teaching of Critical Race Theory in 2022.[2] MCPP also sponsored a campaign that led to the passing of the Universal Occupational Licensing Act in 2021, which, according to the organization, makes "it easier for people to find work in our state."[7]
MCPP launched "Move Up, Mississippi" in September 2024. The campaign promoted school choice as a way to improve the state's education outcomes. Carswell said in a press release, "School Choice would mean every family gets to decide where their share of the state education budget is spent. It would mean that the values being taught in your child’s classroom would have to align with the values of Mississippi families."[8]
Affiliations
As of August 2025, MCPP was a member of the State Policy Network, an organization of 64 state-based affiliates and more than 110 national nonprofits. The organization said its mission was "to catalyze thriving, durable freedom movements in every state, anchored with high-performing independent think tanks."[9] The State Policy Network said it worked with network members "by helping them build Durable Freedom Infrastructure, providing strategy support, targeted grants, leadership training, and importantly, intentional and frequent connections to their peers so they can test and replicate success from state to state."[10]
Finances
The following is a breakdown of Mississippi Center for Public Policy's revenues and expenses from 2014 to 2022. The information comes from the Internal Revenue Service.
| Year | Revenue | Expenses |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $416,788 | $566,644 |
| 2015 | $581,876 | $611,461 |
| 2016 | $622,290 | $612,527 |
| 2017 | $655,820 | $733,270 |
| 2018 | $499.773 | $616,253 |
| 2019 | $688,637 | $766,618 |
| 2020 | $1.0 million | $987,601 |
| 2021 | $925,133 | $884,845 |
| 2022 | $987,650 | $850,850 |
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.
See also
External links
- Mississippi Center for Public Policy
- Mississippi Center for Public Policy on Facebook
- Mississippi Center for Public Policy on X
- Mississippi Center for Public Policy on YouTube
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mississippi Center for Public Policy, "What We Do," accessed August 5, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mississippi Center for Public Policy, "Annual Review 2024-2025," accessed August 5, 2025
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Mississippi Center for Public Policy," accessed August 5, 2025
- ↑ Magnolia Tribune, "Brexit Leader, former British Parliament Douglas Carswell appointed MCPP President & CEO," January 5, 2021
- ↑ Mississippi Center for Public Policy, "Our Team," accessed August 5, 2025
- ↑ Mississippi Center for Public Policy, "The Mississippi Freedom Index 2025," accessed August 5, 2025
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Mississippi Center for Public Policy, "Our Impact," accessed August 5, 2025
- ↑ Mississippi Center for Public Policy, "Move up, Mississippi! It’s time for school choice in our state," September 16, 2024
- ↑ State Policy Network, "About State Policy Network," accessed August 5, 2025
- ↑ State Policy Network, "What We Do," accessed August 5, 2025
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