7/27/2019 TN - Who Is Behind The Beacon Center

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The State Policy Network (SPN) is an umbrella group of right-wing think tanks across the country. The BeaconCenter of Tennessee (formerly the Tennessee Center for Policy Research) is SPNs cookie-cutter think tank inthe Volunteer State. While the Institute claims to be focused on issues important to the people of Tennessee, it

actually pushes an agenda dictated by its national right-wing funders and partners.

The following are notable items in the Beacon Centers right-wing agenda, as found in its108thGeneral Assembly - Legislators Guide to the Issuespublication:

Defund and privatize Tennessee public schools with vouchers and charter schools

Repeal Tennessees Pre-Kindergarten program

Block access to affordable health care for Tennessee families

Repeal coverage mandates that require health insurance companies to provide coverage forspecific treatments

Oppose the use of renewable energy sources and repeal environmental pollution protections

Cut public spending on essential programs and initiatives

The Beacon Center also has a robustlobbyingoperation, registering at least three lobbyistsand spending over $10,000 on lobbying events in recent years.

While the Beacon Institute is not required to disclose its donors to the public, and does not publish alist voluntarily, the identities of its few known donors reveal the institute is largely funded by out-of-state right-wing special interest groups. Most notably, the Beacon Center has received over $1.1million from two Koch-funded groups, Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund, known as the darkmoney ATM of the conservative movement. Funding from the Donors groups alone in 2010 madeup over 38% of the institutes total revenue. All of the Beacon Centers known funders are based

outside of Tennessee:

FUNDER BASED IN AMOUNT YEARSDonors Trust/Donors Capital Fund Virginia $1,123,500 2005-2011

The Roe Foundation South Carolina $115,000 2007-2011Searle Freedom Trust Illinois $80,000 2007State Policy Network Virginia $52,588 2007

Jaquelin Hume Foundation California $33,750 2008-2009JM Foundation New York $20,000 2005

Castle Rock Foundation Colorado $10,000 2009

[American Bridge:Tennessee Center for Policy Research;American Bridge:Beacon Center of Tennessee;Beacon Center of Tennessee IRS 990, 2010]

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