The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) is a right-wing policy and communications group that opposes federal protections that make communities safer in everything from labor to the financial sector to the FDA. CEI has a program — at one time the organization’s largest — dedicated to climate change denial — labeling it “ClimateGate.”
Koch Network
CEI was founded by Fred Smith in 1984 after he worked with Charles Koch at Koch’s Council for a Competitive Economy (the predecessor of Citizens for a Sound Economy, which in turn became Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks). CEI credits the Kochs with having “helped create the modern free-market movement of think tanks, advocacy groups, and activist campaigns of which the Competitive Enterprise Institute is a part.” CEI dedicated a blogpost to David Koch and his influence upon his death in 2019. Charles and David Koch’s philanthropic arms jointly gave over $640,000 to CEI between 1997 and 2015, but this tally does not include later funding or any potential funds from Koch Industries. The Competitive Enterprise Institute is also an associate member of the Koch-linked State Policy Network.
