irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2022
what they reported doing
Program narrative the organization filed with the IRS. Ordered by program spending.
- #1 primary $2.10MPOLICY ANALYSIS, RESEARCH AND EDUCATION, EXTERNAL AFFAIRS: THE GOLDWATER INSTITUTE CONDUCTS SCHOLARLY RESEARCH AND IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF STATE-LEVEL PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES AND COMMUNICATES THAT RESEARCH TO THE PUBLIC. OUR PRIMARY AREAS OF RESEARCH INCLUDE CONSTITUTIONAL LAW, EDUCATION REFORM, AND HEALTHCARE POLICY. IN 2022, WE DELIVERED 71 PUBLIC SPEECHES, DISTRIBUTED 5 POLICY REPORTS, AND TESTIFIED REGULARLY BEFORE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES. IN 2022, WE HAD 31 POLICY AND LITIGATION VICTORIES IN COURTS AND LEGISLATURES NATIONWIDE. TO DATE, 22 STATES HAVE ADOPTED GOLDWATER'S UNIVERSAL RECOGNITION LAW, ALLOWING WORKERS LICENSED IN ONE STATE TO CONTINUE WORKING WHEN THEY MOVE TO A NEW STATE WITHOUT HAVING TO SPEND TIME AND MONEY GETTING ANOTHER. OTHER VICTORIES INCLUDE STATE LAWS THAT: EMPOWER FAMILIES WITH GREATER EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS THAT FIT THEIR CHILDREN'S UNIQUE NEEDS (16 STATES HAVE APPROVED PROGRAMS BASED ON GOLDWATER'S EDUCATION SAVINGS ACCOUNTS); PROTECT PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO OPERATE AN UNOBTRUSIVE HOME-BASED BUSINESS WITHOUT BEING UNFAIRLY TARGETED BY ONEROUS AND UNNECESSARY REGULATIONS; AND SAFEGUARD PATIENTS' RIGHT TO TRY CUTTING-EDGE, INDIVIDUALIZED TREATMENTS. THIS WORK WAS SUPPORTED IN PART THROUGH OUR RONALD REAGAN FELLOWS PROGRAM, WHICH DEVELOPS YOUNG TALENT BY TEACHING AND EMPLOYING 14 INTERNS AND LAW CLERKS.
- #2 $855KCOMMUNICATIONS: IN 2022, THE GOLDWATER INSTITUTE CONTINUED TO CAPTURE NATIONAL MEDIA ATTENTION WITH INTERVIEWS AND NEWS REPORTS ABOUT OUR SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS TO DEFEND INDIVIDUAL LIBERTIES.THE GOLDWATER INSTITUTE'S MEDIA RELATIONS EFFORTS ARE BUILT ON A MULTI-LEVEL STRATEGIC APPROACH THAT HARNESSES THE POWER OF ITS IN-HOUSE DIGITAL PLATFORMS, THE REACH OF TRADITIONAL MEDIA, AND THE VIRALITY OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO REACH AUDIENCES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THE RESULTS ARE SEEN BY COUNTLESS AMERICANS ON THE PAGES OF THE NATION'S MOST NOTABLE NEWSPAPERS AND MOST-WATCHED NEWS NETWORKS. GOLDWATER INSTITUTE EXPERTS AND CLIENTS PUBLISHED 55 OP-EDS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR IN 2022, IN OUTLETS THAT INCLUDED THE DAILY CALLER, WASHINGTON EXAMINER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, THE HILL, THE DISPATCH, REASON, THE WASHINGTON TIMES, NATIONAL REVIEW, TOWNHALL, AND THE DAILY JOURNAL, WHOSE COMBINED DAILY ONLINE CIRCULATION EXCEEDS 3 MILLION READERS. OUR EXPERTS WERE ALSO A REGULAR PRESENCE ON NATIONAL CABLE TV NEWS NETWORKS, NATIONALLY SYNDICATED RADIO SHOWS, AND LOCAL BROADCAST TV AND RADIO, HELPING TO SHARE GOLDWATER'S WORK WITH AN EVEN WIDER AUDIENCE. ALL TOLD, GOLDWATER HAD 13 APPEARANCES ON NATIONAL CABLE TELEVISION, MORE THAN 100 LOCAL AND NATIONAL RADIO AND PODCAST APPEARANCES, AND MORE THAN 4,800 MENTIONS IN TRADITIONAL (PRINT, RADIO, TELEVISION, AND ONLINE) AND SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETS. THE GOLDWATER INSTITUTE DOES NOT JUST RELY ON OUTSIDE MEDIA OUTLETS TO DISSEMINATE ITS MESSAGE. LAST YEAR, THE GOLDWATER INSTITUTE LAUNCHED A REDESIGNED WEBSITE AT GOLDWATERINSTITUTE.ORG, WHERE IT PUBLISHES ORIGINAL ARTICLES, BLOG POSTS, COMMENTARY, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS, LEGAL AND POLICY RESEARCH, AND ORIGINAL VIDEOS. IN 2022, GOLDWATERINSTITUTE.ORG WELCOMED NEARLY 200,000 VISITORS WHO CAME TO THE SITE NEARLY 400,000 TIMES. THE GOLDWATER INSTITUTE ALSO CONTINUED TO HARNESS THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO BOLSTER ITS INFLUENCE. GOLDWATER'S FACEBOOK POSTS REACHED MORE THAN 109,000 PEOPLE, AND ITS CONTENT RECEIVED MORE THAN 1,300,000 IMPRESSIONS ON TWITTER. ADDITIONALLY, GOLDWATER'S VIDEOS RECEIVED 40,600 VIEWS ON YOUTUBE, AN INCREASE OF 224% OVER 2021.
named programs · 12 · from sources
what they call their work
Academic Transparency Reform
Policy initiative ensuring parents have the right to know what their children are being taught in public schools, especially regarding political content
Campus Free Speech
Model legislation protecting free speech on public university campuses, preventing protesters from shutting down disfavored speakers
Campus Free Speech Law
Advocates for laws ensuring free speech on college campuses and preventing the silencing of speakers.
Constitutional Limits on Government
Defends and restores the rights of the American people by upholding constitutional limits on government authority.
Data Center Protection
Advocates for policies that prevent overly restrictive zoning, unpredictable permitting, and policy driven by misconceptions that can stifle investment in data centers.
Economic Liberty Initiatives
Works to break down barriers to earning a living by advocating for state laws that reduce unnecessary occupational licensing and regulations.
Property Rights Protection
Legal and policy efforts to defend individuals’ rights to use their property without undue government interference
Right to Earn a Living
State-level laws removing unnecessary occupational licensing barriers to empower individuals to work without excessive bureaucratic hurdles
Right to Try
Legislation enabling terminally ill patients to access investigational treatments not yet approved by the FDA; enacted in 16 states and federally in 2018
Right to Try Law
Advocates for and enacts legislation allowing terminally-ill patients to access investigational treatments not yet approved by the FDA.
Right to Try for Individualized Treatments
Advocates for laws allowing terminally-ill patients to access treatments designed for them based on unique genetics.
School Choice Expansion
Advocacy and policy work to expand education options for families, including charter schools and education savings accounts
activities · 10 groups
what they do
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Legislative Advocacy & Policy Engagement 2 activities
- Advocacy for Individual Liberties and Free MarketsAchieves legal and policy victories across all 50 states to expand individual liberties, including advocating for Right to Try laws, reducing occupational licensing barriers, promoting school choice, advocating for tax simplification, implementing Campus Free Speech laws, and defending property rights.
- Occupational licensing reformEnacts state-level laws to reduce or eliminate unnecessary government-imposed occupational licensing barriers, enabling individuals to enter or expand their careers freely.
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Gene Therapy Access Advocacy 2 activities
- Advocacy for rare disease treatment accessSupported policy changes in states like West Virginia to improve patient access to treatments for rare and ultra-rare diseases.
- Right to Try legislation advocacyAdvocated for and supported the passage of Right to Try laws at both state and federal levels, including the 2018 federal law and model policies adopted in 16 states, enabling terminally ill patients to access investigational and genetically tailored treatments not yet FDA-approved.
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State and Local Legislative Advocacy 1 activity
- Advocacy for civics education requirementsAdvocates for mandatory American civics education as a graduation requirement for university students in Arizona.
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Arizona-Based College Scholarship Programs 1 activity
- Arizona Civics Scholars ProgramOffers renewable scholarships of up to $1,500 to 50 students enrolled in civics-focused higher education programs in Arizona.
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Free Speech Advocacy in Public Education 1 activity
- Campus Free Speech law implementationAdvocates for and implements state laws protecting free speech rights at public universities.
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Teacher & Classroom Support Grants 1 activity
- Excellence in Civics Education School District Grant ProgramProvides up to $300,000 in support to school districts through textbooks, $3,000 per teacher stipends, and professional development for educators in U.S. history and government.
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Strategic Religious Liberty Litigation 1 activity
- Legal and policy advocacy for individual libertiesConducts litigation and advocacy efforts resulting in over 400 legal or policy victories across all 50 states since 1988, focusing on expanding individual liberties through court cases, legal research, case analysis, court preparation, drafting, and litigation strategy.
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Education Funding & School Choice Advocacy 1 activity
- School choice and academic transparency advocacyAdvocates for school choice policies and reforms that increase parental oversight of public school curricula through greater academic transparency.
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Industry-Specific Legislative Advocacy 1 activity
- Tax simplification and reduction advocacyAdvocates for policies that simplify and reduce taxes to lower the tax burden on individuals.
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Uncategorized 5 activities
- Advocacy for Individual Liberties and Free MarketsAchieves legal and policy victories across all 50 states to expand individual liberties, including advocating for Right to Try laws, reducing occupational licensing barriers, promoting school choice, advocating for tax simplification, implementing Campus Free Speech laws, and defending property rights.
- American Civics InitiativeLaunched a $300,000 initiative to teach foundational U.S. founding principles to future generations.
- Civics Education and Scholarship ProgramsOperates an American Civics Initiative to teach founding principles, offers grants up to $300,000 for civics education in school districts including teacher stipends and professional development, and provides renewable scholarships of up to $1,500 to 50 students in civics-focused higher education programs.
- Civics Education and Scholarship ProgramsOperates an American Civics Initiative to teach founding principles, offers the Excellence in Civics Education School District Grant Program providing up to $300,000 for textbooks, teacher stipends, and professional development, and awards renewable scholarships of up to $1,500 to 50 students in civics-focused higher education programs through the Arizona Civics Scholars Program.
- Property rights defenseDefends private property rights by challenging government restrictions on land use through legal and policy advocacy.
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financials · form 990 · fy2022
revenue
Total revenue$7.84M
Contributions & grants$6.43M82%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$1.10M14%
Other revenue$308K
expenses
Total expenses$5.51M
Program expenses81%
Admin / overhead7%
Fundraising12%
Salaries & benefits$3.35M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$13.77M
Cash$3.48M
Investments$8.73M
Liabilities$639K
Net assets$13.13M
Liquid reserves26.6 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2022 · YoY revenue +27.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2022
who runs it
paid leadership · 8
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| VICTOR RICHES | PRESIDENT/CEO | 40 | $283K |
| TIMOTHY SANDEFUR | VP FOR LITIGATION | 40 | $213K |
| CHRISTINA SANDEFUR | EVP | 40 | $172K |
| NAOMI LOPEZ | VP HEALTHCARE POLICY | 40 | $167K |
| JONATHAN RICHES | VP FOR LITIGATION & GENERAL COUNSEL | 40 | $157K |
| MICHAEL BROWNFIELD | DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS | 40 | $153K |
| HEATHER CURRY | DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT | 40 | $147K |
| ROGER ZETAH | CFO/CORP SECRETARY | 40 | $117K |
board members · 9
- BARRY GOLDWATER JR — DIRECTOR
- CHARLES LAWRENCE — TREASURER
- CHRISTOPHER GLEASON — VICE CHAIRMAN
- ERIC CROWN — CHAIRMAN
- GROVER NORQUIST — DIRECTOR
- JIM CHAMBERLAIN — VICE CHAIRMAN
- JOHN COTTON — DIRECTOR
- LEO BEUS — DIRECTOR
- RANDY P KENDRICK — DIRECTOR
relationships · 7
who they work with
- Arizona State University Partner — Diego Morris, a law student and advocate supported by Goldwater Institute initiatives, is enrolled at Arizona State University, where he promotes Right to Try policies.
- Arizona State University Partner — Institution hosting the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership, a participating program in the Arizona Civics Scholars Program.
- Case Inquiries at the Goldwater Institute Partner — Receives written case submissions from individuals seeking legal assistance.
- Gov. Patrick Morrisey Government — Collaborated with or supported policy initiative led by Governor of West Virginia to expand access to treatments for rare diseases.
- Right to Try Partner — Collaborated on advocacy and enactment of Right to Try laws for terminally ill patients.
- School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership Partner — Partnering higher education program in the Arizona Civics Scholars Program.
- law schools Partner — Collaborates with law schools to enable law clerks to earn academic credit for their work.