In 1986, a small group of staff and supporters of state-based policy organizations met at the Madison Hotel in Washington DC. At the time, this group had no idea their participation in this meeting marked the beginning of what is today called State Policy Network (SPN)—an organization whose primary mission is to serve and strengthen the community of state-based policy organizations.
SPN was originally called the Madison Group—named after the hotel they met at in the late 1980s. In 1992, SPN was established as an independent 501(c)(3) educational organization providing services to its members—the state-focused, free market think tanks and their national think tank partners. At that time, the goal was to encourage cooperation and collaboration within the fledgling state think tank movement, maintaining a basic schedule of meetings and providing advisory services as needed during its first five years of operations.
As the years passed, the state policy research community continued to grow. SPN’s Board of Directors realized the need for a stronger organization that would provide additional services. After extensive discussions, the existing Board took a bold and historic step in September 1998, dissolving itself and appointing a transitional Board to fulfill the broader role envisioned for the organization. SPN’s primary mission continues to be serving and supporting independent, state-focused, market-oriented policy research organizations and these institutional changes created the flexibility to provide a broader range of services to state think tanks.
When SPN was founded, there were 12 independent, market-oriented, state-focused think tanks. Today — in less than 25 years — there are 64 representing all 50 states.
Take a look below at SPN’s key milestones throughout the years.
- 1984-1990
- 1991-1995
- 1996-2000
- 2001-2005
- 2006-2010
- 2011-2015
- 2016-2020
1984-1990
1984
Independence Institute Founded in Colorado
1985
Washington Policy Center Founded in Washington State
1986
Pacific Research Institute Founded in California
1986
President Ronald Reagan urges successful entrepreneur and philanthropist Tom Roe to create a network of think tanks in the states
1986
South Carolina Policy Council founded by Tom Roe and a group of other influential South Carolinians
1986
SPN is founded. The organization originated in 1986 as the Madison Group, an informal confederation of the state think tanks and their supporters. The group was named after the Madison Hotel in Washington, DC—where they first met
1987
Wisconsin Policy Research Institute Founded (Now called the Badger Institute)
1987
Yankee Institute for Public Policy Founded in Connecticut
1987
The Madison Group holds its second meeting with eight think tanks in attendance
1987
Mackinac Center for Public Policy Founded in Michigan
1988
By the end of 1988, there are 10 state-based think tanks
1988
Commonwealth Foundation Founded in Pennsylvania
1988
Goldwater Institute Founded in Arizona
1988
The James Madison Institute Founded in Florida
1988
Pioneer Institute Founded in Massachusetts
1989
Alabama Policy Institute Founded
1989
Texas Public Policy Foundation Founded
1989
The Madison Group hosts a set of meetings
1989
John Locke Foundation Founded in North Carolina
1990
Center of the American Experiment Founded in Minnesota
1990
Freedom Foundation Founded in Washington State
1991-1995
1991
Cascade Policy Institute Founded in Oregon
1991
Georgia Public Policy Foundation Founded
1991
Nevada Policy Research Institute Founded
1992
ANNUAL MEETING—Colorado Spring, CO (Attendance: 19)
1992
Byron Lamm Hired as Executive Director
1993
ANNUAL MEETING—Traverse City, MI (Attendance: 25)
1993
Ethan Allen Institute Founded in Vermont
1993
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to Joseph Dolan of The JM Foundation, Thomas A. Roe of The Roe Foundation, and J. Patrick Rooney of Golden Rule Insurance Company
1994
ANNUAL MEETING—Tampa, FL (Attendance: 22)
1994
Michigan adopts paycheck protection for 45,000 unionized state workers
1994
The Buckeye Institute Founded in Ohio
1994
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to John Andrews of Texas Public Policy Foundation and Joseph Bast of The Heartland Institute
1995
ANNUAL MEETING—San Diego, CA (Attendance: 33)
1995
Arkansas Policy Foundation Founded
1996-2000
1996
ANNUAL MEETING—Minneapolis, MN (Attendance: 39)
1996
Sutherland Institute Founded in Utah
1996
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to William Eggers of The Reason Foundation, John H. Fund of The Wall Street Journal, and Lawrence W. Reed of Mackinac Center for Public Policy
1997
ANNUAL MEETING—Tempe, AZ (Attendance:35)
1997
SPN Celebrates 5th Year: 34 State Think Tanks
1997
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to Carl Helstrom of The JM Foundation and Bob Williams of Evergreen Freedom Foundation.
1997
Virginia Institute for Public Policy Founded
1998
ANNUAL MEETING—Atlanta, GA (Attendance: 48)
1998
Kansas Policy Institute Founded
1998
Rio Grande Foundation Founded in New Mexico
1998
SPN refines its mission to serving and supporting independent, state-focused, market-oriented policy research organizations and these institutional changes created the flexibility to provide a broader range of services to state think tanks
1998
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to C.C. Guy of South Carolina Policy Council, Edward T. McMullen, Jr. of South Carolina Policy Council, John M. Hood of John Locke Foundation, and Joseph P. Overton of Mackinac Center for Public Policy.
1999
ANNUAL MEETING—Dallas, TX (Attendance: 67)
1999
Carl Helstrom named SPN's Chairman of the Board of Directors
1999
Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy Founded in New Hampshire
1999
SPN hires President Tracie Sharp. Sharp helped launch Oregon’s Cascade Policy Institute in 1991
1999
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to Grover N. Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform and Robert W. Poole, Jr. of Reason Foundation
2000
Longtime Chairman of the Board Tom Roe passes away. Tom had an abiding vision for SPN as a service and networking organization that would help coordinate state and national efforts to promote free enterprise
2000
ANNUAL MEETING—St. Louis, MO (Attendance: 146)
2000
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to J. Stanley Marshall of James Madison Institute, William H. "Chip" Mellor of Institute for Justice, and Lovett "Pete" Peters of Pioneer Institute
2001-2005
2001
ANNUAL MEETING—Boulder, CO (Attendance: 167)
2001
Grassroots Institute of Hawaii Founded
2001
Mackinac Center for Public Policy launches MichiganVotes.org— the world’s first web-driven legislative database that describes in plain English every bill and amendment, as well as recording every vote of every legislator
2001
Maryland Public Policy Institute Founded
2001
Oklahoma passes right-to-work, the first state to do so since 1985
2001
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to Steve Buckstein of Cascade Policy Institute and Bridgett G. Wagner of The Heritage Foundation
2002
ANNUAL MEETING—Indianapolis, IN (Attendance: 180)
2002
Illinois Policy Institute Founded
2002
Maine Heritage Policy Center Founded (Now the Maine Policy Institute)
2002
SPN Celebrates 10th Year: 43 State Think Tanks
2002
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to Jo Kwong of Atlas Economic Research Foundation and Gary Palmer of Alabama Policy Institute
2003
ANNUAL MEETING—Seattle, WA (Attendance: 223)
2003
Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions Founded in Kentucky
2003
The first Overton Award presented to Lynn Harsh, executive director of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation. The award is given occasionally to a colleague in the movement who exhibits qualities of leadership, loyalty, management innovation, support for the cause of liberty, and who is also an indispensable right-hand man or woman who may not be in the limelight but whose contribution to his or her organization is nonetheless vital
2003
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to Gisèle Huff of the Jacquelin Hume Foundation
2004
ANNUAL MEETING—Austin, TX (Attendance: 250)
2004
Beacon Center of Tennessee Founded
2004
Thomas A. Roe Award Presented to Sally Pipes of Pacific Research Institute
2005
ANNUAL MEETING—Charleston, SC (Attendance: 310)
2005
Civitas Institute Founded in North Carolina
2005
Show-Me Institute Founded in Missouri
2005
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to Jon Caldara of Independence Institute
2006-2010
2006
ANNUAL MEETING—Milwaukee, WI (Attendance: 400)
2006
Montana Policy Institute Founded
2006
SPN begins Searle Freedom Trust grants to help state think tanks build capabilities in the states
2006
SPN raises more than $1 million in revenue
2006
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to Darcy Olsen of Goldwater Institute
2007
ANNUAL MEETING—Portland, ME (Attendance: 410)
2007
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota Founded
2007
Platte Institute Founded in Nebraska
2007
SPN launches the 50-50-5 campaign
2007
SPN’s 15th Year: 52 State Think Tanks
2007
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to Kevin Gentry of Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation.
2008
ANNUAL MEETING—Scottsdale, AZ (Attendance: 463)
2008
Pelican Institute Founded in Louisiana
2008
SPN Hosts First CEO Retreat
2008
SPN begins a three-year project to drive greater transparency in state governments
2008
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to Brooke Rollins of Texas Public Policy Foundation
2008
Wyoming Liberty Group Founded
2008
SPN launches Generation Liberty Fellows Program providing scholarships to attend Annual Meeting as well as tailored programming to young professionals who are just getting started in the state policy field
2009
Alaska Policy Forum Founded
2009
ANNUAL MEETING—Asheville, NC (Attendance: 570)
2009
Caesar Rodney Institute Founded in Delaware
2009
MacIver Institute Founded in Wisconsin
2009
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to Art Pope, President and Chairman of the Board of the John William Pope Foundation
2009
Eight Development Directors gather for the network’s first Development Directors Retreat (Today, there are over 100 development staff employed in SPN affiliate organizations)
2010
Advance Arkansas Institute Founded
2010
ANNUAL MEETING—Cleveland, OH (Attendance: 615)
2010
California Policy Center Founded
2010
Idaho Freedom Foundation Founded
2010
SPN begins the Direct Mail grants program, providing grants to help SPN affiliates build a robust Direct Mail program
2010
SPN sponsors its first strategic positioning session with an SPN affiliate organization
2010
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to Tarren Bragdon of Maine Heritage Policy Center
2011-2015
2011
ANNUAL MEETING—Bellevue, WA (Attendance: 650)
2011
Foundation for Government Accountability Founded in Florida
2011
Kevan Kjar delivers a plenary talk on the importance of storytelling at the SPN Annual Meeting in Bellevue, Washington
2011
Libertas Institute Founded in Utah
2011
Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity Founded
2011
SPN hosts its first ArrowHead Workshop
2011
SPN's mission evolves from having a think tank in every state to building free market movements in every state anchored by highly performing and independent think tanks
2011
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to John Tillman of Illinois Policy Institute
2012
SPN begins providing grants to allow network CEOs to engage in professional executive coaching (since then, 45 senior executives of SPN affiliates have receive executive coaching through the program)
2012
ANNUAL MEETING—Amelia Island, FL (Attendance: 780)
2012
The Vernon K. Krieble Unsung Hero Award presented to Jason Moore
2012
Indiana passes right-to-work, the first state to do so since 2001
2012
SPN Celebrates 20 Years: 59 State Think Tanks
2012
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to David R. Brown of Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs and The Heritage Foundation
2013
ANNUAL MEETING—Oklahoma City, OK (Attendance: 829)
2013
The Vernon K. Krieble Unsung Hero Award presented to Jennifer Parini
2013
Empire Center for Public Policy Founded in New York
2013
Empower Mississippi Founded
2013
Michigan becomes the 24th right-to-work state—20 years after Mackinac first called for the reform
2013
Palmetto Promise Institute Founded in South Carolina
2013
SPN launches We the People project. The project provided a series of educational stories about American founding principles, the Constitution, and economic freedom in the form of curriculum, videos, podcasts, study guides, and blog posts
2013
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to Joe Lehman of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy
2014
ANNUAL MEETING—Denver, CO (Attendance: 911)
2014
Cardinal Institute of West Virginia Founded
2014
Granite Institute Founded in New Hampshire
2014
Overton Award presented to Charles Mitchell of Commonwealth Foundation
2014
PR-CIPP founded in Puerto Rico
2014
SPN boosts more multistate policy mobilization and issue campaigns
2014
The Vernon K. Krieble Unsung Hero Award presented to Patti Morrow
2014
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to Jeff Coors of Golden Technologies Company
2015
ANNUAL MEETING— Grand Rapids, MI (Attendance: 1,005)
2015
Overton Award presented to Kristina Rasmussen of Illinois Policy Institute
2015
The Vernon K. Krieble Unsung Hero Award presented to Elaine Vechorik
2015
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to Whitney Ball of Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund
2015
Wisconsin becomes the 25th state to pass right-to-work
2016-2020
2016
The Vernon K. Krieble Unsung Hero Award presented to Kirk Allen and John Kraft
2016
Garden State Initiative Founded in New Jersey
2016
SPN updates its visual brand and website—chooses the tagline “State Solutions. National Impact.”
2016
The Beacon Center of Tennessee’s innovative digital strategy and education awareness campaign helps to end the Hall Income Tax. This is the first repeal of an income tax in nearly 50 years
2016
Thomas A. Roe Award presented to Clint Bolick of the Arizona Supreme Court
2016
West Virginia becomes the 26th state to pass right-to-work
2016
ANNUAL MEETING—Nashville, TN (Attendance: 1,324)
2017
ANNUAL MEETING—San Antonio, TX (Attendance: 1,288)
2017
Kentucky becomes the 27th state to pass right-to-work
2017
Missouri becomes the 28th state to pass right-to-work
2017
SPN’s 25th Year: 66 State Think Tanks
2017
SPN and a coalition of more than 25 states successfully see to the end of the implementation of the Clean Power Plan
2018
ANNUAL MEETING—Salt Lake City, UT
2018
SPN’s Generation Liberty Fellows Program celebrates its 10th Anniversary. To date 401 Fellows have attended Annual Meeting to connect with the Network and develop their skills
2018
US Supreme Court decides in favor of Mark Janus in landmark Janus v. AFSCME and restores First Amendment rights to government workers
2019
ANNUAL MEETING—Colorado Springs, CO (Attendance: 1,300)
2020