Outlet profile

Cato Institute (Cato at Liberty)

U.S. libertarian

Owned byIndependent nonprofit; governed by a self-perpetuating board of directors (restructured in 2012 after a legal settlement with co-founders Charles and David Koch, who retain board seats)

FundingFunded almost entirely by private donations — approximately 78% from individuals, 9% from foundations, and 2% from corporations as of fiscal year 2025; accepts no government funding; major historical donors include the Charles Koch Foundation, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, and ExxonMobil

On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

The Cato Institute was incorporated in 1974 as the Charles Koch Foundation and formally launched in San Francisco in 1977 by libertarian activist Edward Crane, economist Murray Rothbard, and businessman Charles Koch, taking its name from Cato's Letters, influential 18th-century British essays championing individual liberty. It relocated to Washington, D.C. in 1981 to increase its policy influence. For decades it was one of the most prominent libertarian policy organizations in the United States, promoting deregulation, free trade, Social Security privatization, drug decriminalization, and skepticism of military intervention — positions that cut across conventional left-right lines. In 2012, a governance crisis erupted when Charles and David Koch sued to gain majority control of the institute following the death of a shareholder; the dispute was settled by converting Cato from a shareholder-controlled structure to a self-perpetuating board, with the Kochs retaining seats. Despite its Koch-linked origins, Cato has historically maintained editorial independence — notably opposing the Iraq War, supporting immigration liberalization, and criticizing surveillance programs under both Republican and Democratic administrations. During the Trump second term (beginning January 2025), Cato's scholars and its Cato at Liberty blog have been sharply critical of administration tariff policy, firing of inspectors general, conflicts of interest, and restrictions on both legal and illegal immigration — consistent with its longstanding libertarian skepticism of executive power and protectionism regardless of party.

Sources

Profile compiled 2026-07-12; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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