Think tanks in the United States constitute a substantial industry, with total revenues estimated at approximately $1 billion annually. These policy research organizations, which originated in the early 20th century, aim to influence policymaking and are particularly successful in the US compared to other regions. There are around 1,830 think tanks in America, making up a significant portion of the world's estimated 6,618 policy research organizations.
Funding for these institutions comes from various sources. The U.S. government contributed at least $1.49 billion to U.S. think tanks between 2019 and 2023, with the vast majority ($1.4 billion) going to the RAND Corporation, which primarily works directly for the government. Other top recipients of U.S. government funds include the Stimson Center, Atlantic Council, and Aspen Institute. Foreign governments and foreign government-owned entities donated over $110 million to US think tanks in the past five years from 54 different countries. The United Arab Emirates ($16.7 million), the United Kingdom ($15.5 million), and Qatar ($9.1 million) were the most generous foreign donors. The Atlantic Council, Brookings Institution, and German Marshall Fund received the most foreign government money, at $20.8 million, $17.1 million, and $16.1 million, respectively. Additionally, top Pentagon contractors contributed more than $34.7 million to the top 50 think tanks from 2019 to 2023, with Northrop Grumman ($5.6 million), Lockheed Martin ($2.6 million), and Mitsubishi ($2.1 million) being major donors. The Atlantic Council, Center for a New American Security, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies were the top recipients of these funds, receiving $10.2 million, $6.6 million, and $4.1 million, respectively.
This significant funding, especially from foreign governments and defense contractors, has led to concerns about transparency and potential conflicts of interest. A 2022 survey found that less than half (48 percent) of U.S. public respondents believe think tankers and public policy experts are valuable, with skepticism stemming from suspicions of hidden agendas and a lack of transparency regarding funding. Many think tanks do not fully disclose their donors; for example, around 40% of think tanks do not disclose any donors. This lack of transparency is worse in the US than in other regions globally. The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft launched the Think Tank Funding Tracker to address this issue by providing a publicly available repository of funding from governments and Pentagon contractors to top U.S. think tanks.
