Institute for Free Speech: mission, leadership and finances
Washington group founded in 2005 that litigates for political speech and campaign finance freedom.
Organization
| Founded | 2005 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Washington, DC |
| EIN | 20-3676886 |
| Tax status | 501(c)(3) |
| Website | ifs.org |
Finances (IRS Form 990)
| Total revenue | $3.7 million |
|---|---|
| Total expenses | $3.1 million |
| Total assets | $9.2 million |
| Tax year | 2023 |
What it does
The Institute for Free Speech is a nonprofit that defends the First Amendment rights of speech, press, assembly and petition, with a focus on campaign finance law.
Institute for Free Speech is listed here in the category "Legal". A listing on 4conservative.com describes an organization; it is not an endorsement of it or of its positions.
History
It was founded in 2005 as the Center for Competitive Politics by Bradley Smith, a former Federal Election Commission chair.
Institute for Free Speech is a legal organization. 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
It is funded by donations and files a Form 990, shown here.
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 $3.7 million, total expenses of $3.1 million and total assets of $9.2 million at year end. ProPublica lists the filer as Institute For Free Speech. 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
It argues that political speech should be as free as possible from regulation.
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 Center for American Liberty, Institute for Justice, Cato Institute.
Sources
Profile last reviewed November 8, 2026