Think Tanks and Public Policy Research

Think tanks play a critical role in advancing social change. They can shape broad public debates, such as the role government should play in the economy or what America’s foreign policy priorities should be. They can also translate the demands of grassroots movements and advocacy campaigns into detailed policy plans and legislative proposals so that calls for change get turned into action.

This aspect of politics and policy-making can get lost for donors who may not see the deep background work being done by the scholars and experts that staff think tanks, most of which are based in Washington, D.C., and state capitals. But make no mistake: Investing in institutions that focus on ideas and policy is among the impactful strategies available to donors. This brief offers an overview of giving to support think tanks and public policy research, including key considerations and best practices.

Why Donors Fund Think Tanks and Policy Research

Think tanks have a long history of influencing public policy, and groups like the Heritage Foundation, Brookings Institution and Center for American Progress are well known in Washington for having the ear of government officials and the media. State-based think tanks are less visible, but can be powerful players in an increasingly important policy arena. These are some of the reasons donors fund think tanks and policy research:

Successful advocacy and movement-building need actionable ideas. For donors focused on issues that can be addressed through public policy, being successful relies on a three-legged stool. The first two legs are grassroots organizing/movement-building and high-level advocacy. Research and ideas are the third leg, and just as important as the other two. Along with pushing the envelope on ideas, organizations like think tanks take the demands of grassroots and advocacy organizations and convert them into actionable policy agendas. Engaging in advocacy at a high level requires well-researched, data-driven proposals, while it takes exciting ideas and a compelling narrative to generate and/or direct grassroots energy. A good example here is the labor-focused Economic Policy Institute: EPI represents the interests of American workers on issues of labor rights, regulation and business, and works to translate the demands of workers into detailed policy positions.
People need a voice in every part of the policy process. As we discuss in our strategy briefs on advocacy and grassroots organizing, average Americans have to organize to make their voices heard. But this work gets more challenging when the issues or policy processes are complex and technical. That’s where think tanks come in, ensuring that the important groups and views are represented in the corridors of power. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, for example, doesn’t just help craft policy proposals to improve the lives of low-income Americans, it’s also engaged in the implementation process, which often involves battling over the language in federal rulemaking. Collectively, dozens or hundreds of small victories in this realm can mean the difference between effective and toothless policies. Think tanks like CBPP do admirable work, but without more enthusiastic giving from small and medium-level donors, they’re often drowned out by corporate and billionaire-funded public policy groups. Predictably, such research often ends up backing ideas favorable to those funding it. Average Americans need a counterbalance to the think tanks backed by billionaires.
Winning transformative policies and legislation requires narrative and culture change. At their highest level, think tanks and research institutions develop and promote ideas that go on to influence broader public opinion and culture surrounding a certain issue. This is often what sets the table for the work most people think of when it comes to politics: organizing, elections, lobbying, advocacy, and so forth. Take drug policy as an example: Before anyone could seriously push to legalize marijuana, writers, scholars and activists helped change the way Americans thought about the dangers of drugs and the effectiveness of the war on drugs. Through a combination of scholarly research, effective public messaging and grassroots activism, the default view of marijuana as dangerous and addictive shifted to broader acceptance of marijuana use and opposition to harsh criminal punishment for it. It was only after that shift occurred that policy changes became possible, which led to a cascading effect. Ideas alone can’t make change, but they’re an integral part of it.

Key Considerations

For donors thinking about funding think tanks and policy research, and how such funding fits into their larger philanthropy strategy, here are some issues to consider:

This work takes time. Over the past several decades, major corporations and the uber-wealthy have built an extremely well-funded network of public policy organizations to advance their interests. They have been highly successful by investing with long-term goals in mind, and continuing to give consistently despite political ups and downs. Donors looking to make more positive changes likewise need to think long-term, especially with the knowledge that they’re facing powerful and well-organized opponents.
Impact can be hard to measure. While donors should always be thoughtful in their giving, it’s important to understand that think tanks and research organizations do not typically generate the sort of firm metrics of success that direct service or even advocacy groups use. Funders of think tanks and policy research embrace a more holistic approach to evaluation.
Multi-issue think tanks are needed most. The most effective think tanks cover a wide array of policy areas. Doing this helps them build cohesive narratives and advance not just a set of policy asks, but an overarching ideology in support of their priorities. In contrast, issue-specific organizations are more likely to operate in silos and produce work that isn’t rooted in a coherent worldview. To help advance holistic change, donors can support multi-issue think tanks, give to intermediaries and other groups focused on improving coordination and infrastructure among think tanks and research organizations, and back expansion or mergers of smaller, issue-focused groups.

Taking Action

Below are some tips for funding think tanks and public policy research. You can also see our guides on giving for specific causes, many of which highlight research and narrative-change organizations working on a given issue.

Give multi-year, general operating support. Battles over ideas often unfold over years and sometimes decades. Progress can be painfully slow at times, but the hard work of convincing people and changing the narrative simply can’t happen overnight. Effective think tanks also need to be nimble and adaptive, capable of pouncing on opportunities or changing direction when necessary. Restricted grants still make up the majority of philanthropic funding, but those donations can hamper an organization’s flexibility. Multi-year, general operating support gives organizations support they can count on over the long term and the flexibility to use funds where they are needed at any given time.
Help build out community-focused state and local public policy research. State and local public policy are becoming increasingly important, especially as a conservative Supreme Court kicks issues down to the states and Congress remains divided. As is the case at the federal level, wealthy individuals and big businesses have built sophisticated policy operations at the state and local levels, including many think tanks. But a growing number of funders are now backing research organizations that center the needs and ideas of communities that are not well served by current policies. There’s a lot of promise for progress at the state level on many issues that are deadlocked in Congress, but winning those fights will require greater investment in policy work across the country.
Support other writing and research. Think tanks are certainly in need of funding, but donors can also make a difference in the battle for ideas by making donations in support of journalism, policy journals, academia and grassroots groups doing narrative and culture change work. Many influential writers and thinkers have taken to platforms like Substack, where they depend on subscribers and donors to fund their independent writing. There are also publications like Democracy that take a more scholarly approach to policy that is nonetheless aimed at a broader audience than academic journals, as well as publications like The American Prospect. Funders who donate to their alma mater or other universities can look for opportunities to fund campus research on specific issues there.

Grow your knowledge. Donors can learn more by following IP’s coverage of think tanks and research, as well as reading our briefs on the specific issues they want to impact with their philanthropy. Donors interested in public policy can also read our brief on different types of philanthropic and political giving, as many think tanks have begun investing in advocacy and organizing work that can sometimes blur lines between traditional philanthropy and politics. In 2020, IP editor and founder David Callahan launched Blue Tent, an information hub for progressive donors. Blue Tent covers every aspect of giving on organizing, advocacy, and policy research, along with reviews and recommendations for donors.

Have suggestions for improving this brief? Please email us at editor@insidephilanthropy.com.