Face The State Staff Report
A new, conservatively-aligned think tank is taking shape in Colorado, but few details are available about the forthcoming launch of the Colorado Policy Institute.
The state already has an assortment of non-profit policy organizations like the Independence Institute, a libertarian think-tank in Golden, and the Rocky Mountain Foundation, a research and education institute founded by former Congressman Tom Tancredo. Independence Institute founder and former state Senate President John Andrews also recently launched the Centennial Institute, an academic policy center at Colorado Christian University. These groups hold non-profit 501(c)(3) status under federal tax law, and do not typically participate in candidate elections. Their primary roles are public education, charity and research, with only a limited resources dedicated specifically to political lobbying.
Conversely, CPI will be organized under section (c)(4), allowing the group to take a greater role in elections if it so chooses. Despite the group's structure similar to a typical non-profit, donations to CPI would not be tax deductible.
“Once we’re up and running we’ll have conversations with II and other center-right organizations, so we aren’t duplicative in our efforts,” said CPI Director Sean Tonner, who is also president of the political consulting firm Phase Line Strategies.
In April, Tonner was in the news when all-but-announced gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis left voicemails with GOP donors naming Tonner as the point person for a 527 political committee supportive of his upcoming candidacy. The messages raised questions about possible illegal coordination under campaign finance laws. McInnis quickly clarified the message, telling The Denver Post that Tonner is “a supporter and answering questions about potential future 527s.” Tonner tells Face The State that CPI is unrelated to the McInnis campaign.
The use of 501(c)(4) "social welfare" groups for political purposes is on the rise as consultants nationwide work to identify structures that provide maximum flexibility for donors who wish to influence candidate campaigns. Like (c)(3) non-profits, the groups are barred from spending a substantial portion of their budgets on direct lobbying, but are unlimited in their ability to fund "educational" media campaigns. Those advertisements are generally designed to be construed by viewers as favorable to one candidate or another without explicitly calling voters to action.
Tonner said that CPI is still in the “formation phase” and is slated to launch in earnest this September. Once ramped up, Tonner says CPI will focus on “researching and advocating the principles of individual liberty, limited government, and free markets.”
Currently, CPI’s Web site only provides a vague description of the organization but touts an unnamed network of policy experts that will help “educate elected officials and promote politics to the general public through broadcast media, direct mail and the Internet.”
Tonner declined to name the experts, but said former Gov. Bill Owens will serve as honorary chair of the group. “We will ask him to opine on some of the issues that face Colorado,” Tonner said.
Though CPI has yet to announce a formal structure or any programmatic initiatives, its Facebook group boasts 280 members including local bloggers, political activists and state lawmakers.
Jon Caldara, president of the Independence Institute, said he has never heard of CPI but said their tax status indicates “it is more of a political organization than a policy organization.”