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Outlet profile

John Locke Foundation

U.S. right (North Carolina free-market conservative/libertarian-leaning)

Owned byAn independent nonprofit (501(c)(3)) think tank based in Raleigh, N.C. It has no parent company or owner. A board of directors governs it. It was founded in 1990 with backing from Art Pope, a North Carolina businessman and Republican donor.
FundingTax-deductible donations from individuals, corporations and foundations. Reporting from 2011 and 2010 found that most of its money came from foundations tied to Art Pope's family discount-store fortune, with smaller amounts from Koch-linked foundations and tobacco companies. Current funding mix is not confirmed in the sources I consulted. It is a member of the State Policy Network, a national group of conservative and free-market state think tanks.
On the administrationmixed

Background

The foundation was created in 1990 as a conservative research and policy organization in North Carolina. Art Pope helped start it after working in state government in the 1980s, when he saw a lack of groups producing conservative policy ideas. It became part of a wider network of Pope-funded groups, which also included the Civitas Institute. Over time it became one of the most influential state-level free-market think tanks in the country. Legislators have often looked to it for alternative state budgets and tax proposals. It has ties to the State Policy Network and the American Legislative Exchange Council. Critics, including Facing South and DeSmog, have said it has misled the public on climate science and that its donor base is narrow. The foundation calls itself an independent think tank working for freedom and the future of North Carolina. Its output includes research reports, commentary and daily news summaries, and it comes from a consistent conservative, free-market perspective. Its coverage tends to follow its policy priorities, such as taxes, spending, regulation and school choice, and so may praise or criticize a Trump policy depending on how it fits those priorities.

Sources

  1. John Locke Foundation - Wikipedia
  2. John Locke Foundation - DeSmog
  3. John Locke Foundation - SourceWatch
  4. Art Pope's think tank keeps misleading on climate science - Facing South
  5. Painting North Carolina Redder - Philanthropy Roundtable
  6. Art Pope - Wikipedia

Profile compiled 2026-10-08; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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