Patrons and administrators offer
this advice to
those seeking to establish or back an advocacy think
tank:* A think tank annually consumes roughly $750,000 for each issue
it addresses;
this covers office space, administrative staff and grants
to several
full-time
research fellows. * Prepare for your findings—and donors—to be scrutinized and
criticized. Unlike
universities, most advocacy think tanks do
not have their research
reviewed by
peers. If your think
tank’s analyses are flawed, your
opponents will be quick to
point it out. * Even significant victories can be fleeting, and many partisan
successes—such
as tax reform—can be overturned with a change in
administration.
Constant
vigilance is required. * The IRS generally allows think tanks to establish themselves as
tax-exempt,
501(c)3 nonprofits. This offers the standard tax breaks to
donors
and allows
think tanks to claim unlimited entertainment
expenses.
Ironically, the law
restricts lobbying by 501(c)3
groups, although real
think tank
“lobbying”—producing and
disseminating research—is
allowed.
* Measure the
effectiveness of your think tank, in part, by
evaluating the
types and number of
media outlets you reach. Think tank
analysts have become regular contributors to
newspaper op-ed
pages and
cable television news programs.
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