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SPN In Your State: LOUISIANA

Who Is Behind The Pelican Institute?

ALECs Home In Louisiana
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The State Policy Network (SPN) is an umbrella group of right-wing think tanks across the country. The Pelican Institute for Public Policy is SPNs cookie-cutter think tank in Louisiana. While the institute claims to be focused on issues important to the people of Louisiana, it actually pushes an agenda dictated by its national right-wing funders and partners.

The Landrieu Break In

In January 2010, then-Pelican Institute blogger Robert Flanagan was charged, along with conservative activist James OKeefe, with entering property under false pretensesa felonyafter they attempted to tamper with the phones in Democratic U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu's New Orleans office. The arrests occurred just days after OKeefe spoke at a Pelican Institute event, where he told the audience that they would soon find out about a new project he was working on.

The Pelican Institute has close connections to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a controversial organization where state lawmakers and corporate lobbyists come together behind closed doors to vote on model bills, with no public input, to be introduced in state legislatures across the country. The results of ALECs bills often benefit the special interests of their corporate members. ALEC is a sponsor of the institute's Policy Orientation for the Louisiana Legislature. Other sponsors include the Texas Public Policy Foundation (SPNs think tank in Texas), Altria (the parent company of Philip Morris), Americans for Tax Reform, the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association, and FreedomWorks. The State Policy Network, which the Pelican Institute is an affiliate of, is also an active member and longtime supporter of ALEC.

Manufacturing The News In Louisiana

The Pelican Institute is the publisher of the Pelican Post, which is the Louisiana affiliate of the Franklin Center, an umbrella organization of rightwing "news" outlets in states across the country. Despite the Franklin Center's nonpartisan designation, many of the websites funded by the Center have received criticism for their conservative bias.

The Pelican Institutes Destructive Agenda for Louisianas Middle Class

! ! ! Block access to affordable healthcare for Louisiana families Defund and privatize Louisianas public schools through vouchers Destroy public pensions by converting a defined-contribution plan Oppose pollution protections like cap-and-trade programs

EXPOSED: The Pelican Institutes Secretive Out-of-State Funders

While the Pelican Institute is not required to disclose its funding sources to the public, and does not do so voluntarily, the few publicly available records show the institute is largely funded by out-of-state right-wing groups. Pelicans largest known funder is the Koch-funded Donors Capital Fund, known as the dark money ATM of the conservative movement. Representing 52% of Pelicans revenue between 2009 and 2011, funding from Donors is notable not only due to the amount Pelican has received, but also because Donors keeps their original funders hidden, therefore adding another layer of secrecy. Pelicans other right-wing funders include the Roe Foundation (of SPN founder Thomas Roe) and the Coors familys Castle Rock Foundation (of Coors Brewing Company).
FUNDER Donors Capital Fund State Policy Network Jaquelin Hume Foundation The Roe Foundation Castle Rock Foundation BASED IN Virginia Virginia California South Carolina Colorado AMOUNT $644,600 $253,718 $70,000 $45,000 $20,000 YEARS 2009-2011 2007-2010 2009-2011 2009-2011 2011

Pelican Institute: Research

[American Bridge Conservative Transparency; Donors Capital Fund IRS 990s, 2009-2011; Pelican Institute, IRS 990s, 2009-2011]

FACT: In 2009, over 92% of the Pelican Institutes funding came from just three organizations: Donors Capital Fund, the Jaquelin Hume Foundation, and the Roe Foundation none of which are based in Louisiana.