Competitive Enterprise Institute: mission, leadership and finances

What it does

The Competitive Enterprise Institute, known as CEI, is a Washington think tank that advocates free enterprise and limited government. It focuses on regulatory reform, energy and climate, technology and finance. It also files amicus briefs and has litigated regulatory cases.

Competitive Enterprise Institute is listed here in the category "Think tanks". A listing on 4conservative.com describes an organization; it is not an endorsement of it or of its positions.

History

CEI was founded in 1984 by Fred L. Smith Jr., who led it for decades. It became known for opposing regulation, including energy efficiency standards and climate policy. It publishes the annual "Ten Thousand Commandments" report, which tallies federal regulations.

Competitive Enterprise Institute is a think tank. It is headquartered in Washington, DC. Its IRS tax status is 501(c)(3). Like other organizations in this collection, it is described here from its own published material and from public records, and the facts on this page are limited to what those sources state.

Leadership and funding

CEI relies on donations from individuals, foundations and corporations, and publishes its trustees and staff on its website. It files an annual Form 990.

The IRS figures on this page come from the latest Form 990 filing that ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer lists for the organization, for tax year 2023: total revenue of $10.1 million, total expenses of $8.4 million and total assets of $10.0 million at year end. ProPublica lists the filer as Competitive Enterprise Institute. The figures describe a single tax year and can differ sharply from year to year; check the filing itself and the organization's own site for the current picture.

Where it stands

CEI argues that markets and property rights serve consumers better than regulation, and it is skeptical of many climate policies and mandates.

These summaries reflect the organization's own stated mission and publicly known activities as of the date below; they are neutral descriptions, not evaluations. Related organizations on this site include Cato Institute, The Heartland Institute, Institute for Energy Research.