American Enterprise Institute
The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) is a public-policy think tank based in Washington, DC, founded in 1938. Its research covers economics, foreign and defense policy, social, cultural, and constitutional issues, and domestic policy.
Contents14 sections
Key facts
1938Founding
In 1938, business and financial leaders founded AEI to promote free enterprise.[1]
1943Move to Washington
AEI’s address archive records its move from New York to Washington in 1943.[2]
December 7, 1988Reagan’s Address
President Ronald Reagan addressed AEI, linking its intellectual work to his administration’s policy agenda and thanking its scholars for their contributions.[3]
February 26, 2003Iraq Policy Address
At Washington’s Hilton Hotel, George W. Bush addressed an AEI audience on Iraq policy, stating that the United States was prepared to disarm Iraq by force if it did not disarm. This was Bush’s stated policy position.[4]
February 2007Climate Research Honoraria Dispute
In February 2007, AEI’s invitation offering scientists up to $10,000 for commentary on an IPCC report drew controversy. Grist’s retrospective examined the dispute over research independence and media coverage.[5]
AEI scholars Kenneth P. Green and Steven F. Hayward said the honoraria covered reviewing material and writing 7,500–10,000-word analyses, and rejected the allegation of bribing scientists for critical conclusions.[6]
2015Joint Poverty Report
An AEI/Brookings working group published Opportunity, Responsibility, and Security, proposing poverty-reduction measures concerning family, work, and education. Spanning different political perspectives, the group worked together for fourteen months and made twelve recommendations.[7]
2016New Headquarters
The address archive dates AEI’s move to 1789 Massachusetts Avenue NW in Washington to 2016.[2]
July 2019Robert Doar Becomes President
Robert Doar became AEI’s twelfth president in July 2019. He joined the institute in 2014 and previously led its work on opportunity and social mobility.[8]
October 2020Governing Priorities
In October 2020, AEI published Governing Priorities: Advice for America’s President, for 2021 and Beyond, collecting recommendations from nine scholars for the next US administration.[1]
September 3, 2025American Revolution Symposium
The introduction to the final volume of AEI’s America at 250 series traces its essays to a September 3, 2025 conference at Monticello. The eighth volume examines the American Revolution’s historical significance.[9]
October 2026Research and Governance
The website assigns governance to trustees and external development to its National Council.[10]
October 2026Published Institutional Rules
AEI describes itself as a nonpartisan nonprofit educational organization funded mainly by individual, corporate and foundation donations and endowment earnings. It states that it accepts no contract research, government grants, or foreign-government funding.[11]
Its published rules state that AEI takes no institutional policy positions, scholars are responsible for their views, and donations cannot require predetermined research conclusions.[11]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
American Enterprise Institute: Official website: https://www.aei.org/ (opens in a new window)[10]
X: Official account: https://x.com/AEI (opens in a new window)[12]
LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: Official account: https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-enterprise-institute/ (opens in a new window)[13]
YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: Official account: https://www.youtube.com/user/AEIVideos (opens in a new window)[14]
Instagram: Official account: https://www.instagram.com/aei/ (opens in a new window)[15]
Facebook: Official account: https://www.facebook.com/aei/ (opens in a new window)[16]
Sources
- American Enterprise Institute 2020 (opens in a new window)
- AEI Addresses (opens in a new window)
- Remarks to the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (opens in a new window)
- President Discusses the Future of Iraq (opens in a new window)
- How a conservative think tank’s foray into climate policy stirred up a media hornet’s nest (opens in a new window)
- Scenes from the Climate Inquisition (opens in a new window)
- Opportunity, Responsibility, and Security: A Consensus Plan for Reducing Poverty and Restoring the American Dream (opens in a new window)
- Robert Doar (opens in a new window)
- The American Revolution in American History (opens in a new window)
- About (opens in a new window)
- AEI’s Organization and Purposes (opens in a new window)
- American Enterprise Institute (@AEI) / X (opens in a new window)
- American Enterprise Institute | LinkedIn (opens in a new window)
- American Enterprise Institute - YouTube (opens in a new window)
- American Enterprise Institute (opens in a new window)
- American Enterprise Institute (opens in a new window)