Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

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The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii describes its mission as "promoting the principles of individual liberty, free markets, and limited and accountable government throughout the state of Hawaii and the Pacific Rim"[1] The Grassroot Institute is a member of the State Policy Network.

Ties to the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity

The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii has hosted writers from the ALEC-connected Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, which screens potential reporters on their “free market” views as part of the job application process.[2] The Franklin Center funds reporters in over 40 states.[3] Despite their non-partisan description, many of the websites funded by the Franklin Center have received criticism for their conservative bias.[4][5] On its website, the Franklin Center claims it "provides 10 percent of all daily reporting from state capitals nationwide."[6]

Franklin Center Funding

Franklin Center Director of Communications Michael Moroney told the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) in 2013 that the source of the Franklin Center's funding "is 100 percent anonymous." But 95 percent of its 2011 funding came from DonorsTrust, a spin-off of the Philanthropy Roundtable that functions as a large "donor-advised fund," cloaking the identity of donors to right-wing causes across the country (CPI did a review of Franklin's Internal Revenue Service records).[7] Mother Jones called DonorsTrust "the dark-money ATM of the conservative movement" in a February 2013 article.[8] Franklin received DonorTrust's second-largest donation in 2011.[7]

The Franklin Center also receives funding from the Wisconsin-based Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation,[9] a conservative grant-making organization.[10]

The Franklin Center was launched by the Chicago-based Sam Adams Alliance (SAM),[11] a 501(c)(3) devoted to pushing free-market ideals. SAM gets funding from the State Policy Network,[12] which is partially funded by The Claude R. Lambe Foundation.[13] Charles Koch, one of the billionaire brothers who co-own Koch Industries, sits on the board of this foundation.[14] SAM also receives funding from the Rodney Fund.

Ties to "Hawaii Reporter"

Malia Zimmerman, the former secretary of the institute's board of directors,[15] is also a co-founder of "Hawaii Reporter,"[16] a networked news organization funded by the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity[17] that produces an online daily newspaper based in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Funding

Between 2010 and 2014, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii received $161,183 in grants from DonorsTrust.[18] Donors Capital Fund provided $225,000 to the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii in 2010.[19] In its 2006 annual report the Cato Institute states that it provided a grant of $40,000 to the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.[20]

Core Financials

2016[21]:

  • Total Revenue: $515,849
  • Total Expenses: $4,831
  • Net Assets: $15,525

2015[22]:

  • Total Revenue: $463,184
  • Total Expenses: $470,188
  • Net Assets: $10,696

2014[23]:

  • Total Revenue: $379,955
  • Total Expenses: $371,109
  • Net Assets: $17,700

2013[24]:

  • Total Revenue: $319,899
  • Total Expenses: $321,725
  • Net Assets: $8,854

2012[25]:

  • Total Revenue: $164,115
  • Total Expenses: $180,789
  • Net Assets: $13,419

2011[26]:

  • Total Revenue: $189,566
  • Total Expenses: $394,440
  • Net Assets: $30,766

2010[27]:

  • Total Revenue: $519,209
  • Total Expenses: $495,469
  • Net Assets: $235,640

2009[28]:

  • Total Revenue: $387,191
  • Total Expenses: $519,000
  • Net Assets: $211,900

Personnel

Board Members

As of August 2016:[29]

Staff

As of August 2016:[30]

  • Joe Kent, Vice President of Research (former fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education)
  • Malia Blom Hill, Director of Policy
  • Kelsey Meehan, Director of Communications and Membership Services
  • Zachary Cox, Development
  • Matthew Reade, Researcher (Founder & Editor-in-Chief of the Restore America Project and Associate Editor of the Claremont Independent)

Former Staff

  • Cliff Slater, former Treasurer
  • Malia Zimmerman, former Secretary
  • Jack Schneider
  • Aaron Jensvold, former Vice-President
  • Cody Hensarling, former Director of Publications

Contact Details

Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
1314 S. King Street
Suite 1163
Honolulu, HI 96814
Phone: 808.591.9193
Fax: 808.356.1690
Email: info@grassrootinstitute.org
Website: http://www.grassrootinstitute.org/
Twitter:https://twitter.com/grassroothawaii
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrassrootInstitute

Articles and Resources

Sources

  1. ↑ Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, About Grassroot, accessed August 2016.
  2. ↑ Franklin Center, Franklin Affiliates in Your State, organizational website, accessed October 2012.
  3. ↑ The Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, Think tank Journalism: The Future of Investigative Journalism, organizational website, accessed August 19, 2011.
  4. ↑ Rebekah Metzler, "Watchdog" website puts a new spin on politics, The Portland Press Herald, October 2, 2010.
  5. ↑ Allison Kilkenny, The Koch Spider Web, Truthout, accessed August 19, 2011.
  6. ↑ Sara Jerving, Franklin Center: Right-Wing Funds State News Source, PRWatch.org, October 27, 2011.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Paul Abowd, Center for Public Integrity, Donors use charity to push free-market policies in states, organizational report, February 14, 2013.
  8. ↑ Andy Kroll, Exposed: The Dark-Money ATM of the Conservative Movement, Mother Jones, February 5, 2013.
  9. ↑ Daniel Bice, Franklin Center boss wants apology from Democratic staffer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, August 8, 2011.
  10. ↑ The Bradley Foundation. The Bradley Foundation. Organizational website. Accessed August 19, 2011.
  11. ↑ Sam Adams Alliance. Sam Adams Alliance Media Kit. Organizational PDF. Accessed August 19, 2011.
  12. ↑ Media Matters Action Network. Sam Adams Alliance. Conservative Transparency. Accessed August 19, 2011.
  13. ↑ Media Matters Action Network. State Policy Network. Conservative Transparency. Accessed August 19, 2011.
  14. ↑ Media Matters Action Network. Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation. Conservative Transparency. Accessed August 19, 2011.
  15. ↑ Grassroots Institute of Hawaii, Board Members, organizational website, accessed September 17, 2012
  16. ↑ Hawaii Reporter, About, organizational website, cached by Google September 8, 2012, accessed September 17, 2012
  17. ↑ Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, Hawaii Reporter Wins Four Awards, Including Top Investigative Reporting Award, from Society of Professional Journalists, organizational website article, June 29, 2011, accessed February 24, 2012
  18. ↑ DonorsTrust, IRS form 990, November 16, 2015.
  19. ↑ Donors Capital Fund IRS Form 990, November 4, 2011.
  20. ↑ Cato Institute, 2006 Annual Report, pages 19-23.
  21. ↑ Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, [paper copy 2016 Form 990], organizational tax filing, November 14, 2017.
  22. ↑ Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, [paper copy 2015 Form 990], organizational tax filing, November 10, 2016.
  23. ↑ Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, 2014 Form 990, organizational tax filing, October 8, 2015.
  24. ↑ Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, 2013 Form 990, organizational tax filing, August 22, 2014.
  25. ↑ Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, 2012 Form 990, organizational tax filing, May 29, 2013.
  26. ↑ Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, 2011 Form 990, organizational tax filing, June 25, 2012.
  27. ↑ Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, 2010 Form 990, organizational tax filing, June 8, 2011.
  28. ↑ Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, 2009 Form 990, organizational tax filing, August 11, 2010.
  29. ↑ Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, Board of Directors, organizational website, accessed August 18, 2016.
  30. ↑ Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, Staff Directory, organizational website, accessed August 18, 2016.

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