Discovery Institute: mission, leadership and finances
Seattle think tank founded in 1990, known for its Center for Science and Culture and advocacy of intelligent design.
Organization
| Founded | 1990 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Seattle, WA |
| EIN | 91-1521697 |
| Tax status | 501(c)(3) |
| Website | discovery.org |
Finances (IRS Form 990)
| Total revenue | $10.2 million |
|---|---|
| Total expenses | $9.8 million |
| Total assets | $11.7 million |
| Tax year | 2023 |
What it does
The Discovery Institute is a public policy think tank in Seattle. It has programs on technology, transportation, economics and American history, and its best-known program is the Center for Science and Culture, which promotes intelligent design as an alternative to Darwinian evolution.
Discovery 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
The institute was founded in 1990 by Bruce Chapman and George Gilder. It began with regional transportation and economic studies and added the science center in the 1990s. Its role in the intelligent design movement has been controversial, and scientific organizations and courts have rejected intelligent design as science.
Discovery Institute is a think tank. It is headquartered in Seattle, WA. 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
Discovery is funded by individuals and foundations, and its Form 990 is public. It lists its leadership on its website.
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 $10.2 million, total expenses of $9.8 million and total assets of $11.7 million at year end. ProPublica lists the filer as Discovery 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
The institute supports technological progress, free markets and intelligent design, and criticizes some uses of technology. Most scientific bodies reject its claims about evolution.
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 The Heritage Foundation, Claremont Institute, Pacific Research Institute.
Sources
Profile last reviewed November 8, 2026