Competitive Enterprise Institute

What Competitive Enterprise Institute does

The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public policy research and advocacy organization founded in 1984 by Fred L. Smith Jr. and headquartered at 1310 L Street NW in Washington, DC. It advances the principles of limited government and free enterprise through three integrated activities: producing peer-reviewed policy studies and reports (including its flagship annual Ten Thousand Commandments regulatory survey and Issue Analysis series), persuading policymakers via direct engagement, congressional testimony, regulatory comments, and coalition letters, and pursuing strategic litigation including Supreme Court amicus and co-counsel work (notably Free Enterprise Fund v. PCAOB, 2010). The organization distributes its output through a multi-channel platform spanning two podcasts, four newsletters, a blog, op-eds in major national outlets, Capitol Hill briefings, and an active presence on Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, and Instagram.

CEI is funded entirely by donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations; it explicitly accepts no government grants or contracts and holds no endowment, which it markets as preserving independent editorial direction. Its named end users include members of Congress, executive-branch officials, federal and state policymakers, and major media outlets that cite its research. The operating team spans policy, legal, communications, events, digital marketing, IT, and philanthropy functions, with senior fellows organized around issue centers (Energy and Environment, Finance Policy, Healthcare, Tech and Telecom, Trade and International, Climate, Labor and Employment, among others). Kent Lassman has served as President and CEO since 2016, succeeding founder Fred L. Smith Jr. and Lawson Bader. The organization celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2024 and remains actively publishing research, filing regulatory comments, and leading coalitions of 36+ aligned free-market organizations as of mid-2026.

Name

Competitive Enterprise Institute

Legal name

Competitive Enterprise Institute

Website

https://cei.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Competitive Enterprise Institute is a Washington, DC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank founded in 1984 that produces peer-reviewed policy research, advocates for regulatory reform to policymakers and courts, and convenes coalitions of free-market organizations, funded entirely by private donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: CEI is funded by donations from supporters and allies who share its values and policy priorities, including individuals, businesses, and foundations. CEI does not accept government funding and its work is independently directed by its policy experts. As a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, contributions are fully deductible.
2. Donor Support: CEI's work is funded by donations from supporters and allies who share its values and policy priorities, including individuals, businesses, and foundations. CEI does not accept government grants or contracts and has no endowment.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) is a non-profit public policy research organization that produces peer-reviewed studies, policy analyses, newsletters, podcasts, coalition letters, legal briefs, congressional testimony, and regulatory comments to advance limited government, free enterprise, and regulatory reform. It complements its research with direct advocacy campaigns targeting federal and state policymakers and pursues strategic litigation, including amicus briefs and direct cases that have produced precedent-setting Supreme Court rulings. CEI operates its programs entirely through donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations and accepts no government funding.

Product overview

The Competitive Enterprise Institute is a policy research organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of research publications, policy advocacy tools, podcasts, and special projects. The core offerings include Studies (Fast Track, OnPoint, Issue Analysis), Newsletters (CEI Planet, The Surge), outreach materials (Coalition Letters, Legal Briefs, Congressional Testimony, Regulatory Comments), and podcasts (Free the Economy, How The World Works). Special initiatives include Eye on FTC (campaign tracking Federal Trade Commission actions), Modernizing the EPA (reform blueprint), Ten Thousand Commandments (annual regulatory report), and the Julian L. Simon Memorial Award. These products work together to advance CEI's mission of regulatory reform through research, advocacy, litigation, and public education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Eye on FTC: An educational campaign raising awareness about overreach and lack of transparency at the Federal Trade Commission.
• Ten Thousand Commandments
• The Open Market Blog
• Prometheus Society
• Modernizing the EPA
• The Surge
• CEI Planet

Products and services

• Policy Studies In-depth research publications including Fast Track, OnPoint, Issue Analysis, Profiles in Capitalism, 10,000 Commandments, Agenda for Congress, Individual Studies, and Books, produced for policymakers, media, scholars, and the general public.
• Newsletters Regular email publications including CEI Planet, The Bulletin, The Surge, and Great Capitalism that keep subscribers informed about CEI's research and policy developments.
• Coalition Letters Signed letters by coalitions of free-market organizations articulating joint policy positions on federal regulatory and legislative issues, sent to Congress and federal agencies.
• Legal Briefs Legal briefs and amicus filings submitted by CEI on regulatory and constitutional matters before U.S. federal courts, including the Supreme Court.
• Congressional Testimony Written and oral testimony provided to U.S. Congressional committees on regulatory and policy issues, used by members of Congress as the basis for reform actions.
• Regulatory Comments Formal comments submitted to federal agencies on proposed regulations, used to influence the rulemaking process on issues such as CAFE standards, ATSC 3.0, and AI policy.
• Free the Economy Podcast Weekly CEI podcast covering economic freedom, regulatory reform, and free-market policy issues.
• How The World Works Podcast CEI podcast exploring policy issues and their impact on free markets.
• Ten Thousand Commandments (Annual Report) CEI's annual report analyzing the size, scope, and cost of the federal regulatory state, including the total number of rules in effect and federal regulatory costs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Won precedent-setting rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court and lower federal courts
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• NCLA (New Civil Liberties Alliance)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026While not a direct partnership, the Supreme Court was asked to hear NCLA's case challenging the SEC's Gag Rule. At least 16 organizations including FIRE, Cato Institute, and Chamber of Commerce filed amici curiae briefs supporting NCLA's cert petition. CEI's involvement in similar litigation efforts positions them within this ecosystem of organizations fighting for constitutional rights.
• Coalition of 36 Free-Market OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 January 2026CEI led a coalition of 36 free-market organizations in sending a letter to Congressional transportation committee chairs opposing new regulatory mandates on freight rail companies being considered in surface transportation reauthorization legislation. The coalition argued that Railway Safety Act-style mandates would impose extensive new regulatory requirements without clear safety benefits.
• Coalition of Free-Market and Conservative Advocacy OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 January 2026A coalition of free-market and conservative advocacy organizations, led by CEI, submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission urging the agency to maintain its voluntary, market-driven approach to ATSC 3.0 next-generation broadcast television standards rather than imposing adoption mandates on broadcasters or device manufacturers.
• Hobby Distillers AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhile not an official partnership, CEI's policy positions align with Hobby Distillers Association members who were protected by an injunction in the 5th Circuit ruling on home distilling. CEI's broader advocacy for constitutional limits on federal power connects with such issues.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cato Institute: Libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, DC, with parallel emphasis on limited government, free markets, and regulatory reform. Cato's broader research scope (including international, civil liberties, and economic policy) maps closely to CEI's issue coverage and donor-aligned advocacy model.
• Mercatus Center: Free-market policy research center at George Mason University that closely mirrors CEI's focus on regulatory reform and limited government. Mercatus shares CEI's scholar-driven, regulatory-commentary approach and competes for the same donor and policy-shaper audiences.
• Reason Foundation: Libertarian think tank with overlapping emphasis on free markets, deregulation, and free speech. Reason's research and journalism model parallels CEI's research-plus-commentary approach and its opposition to regulatory overreach.
• R Street Institute: Center-right libertarian think tank with comparable emphasis on free-market regulatory reform, particularly in insurance, finance, and technology. R Street competes with CEI for coalition partners and donor support in the deregulatory policy space.
• Foundation for Economic Education: One of the oldest U.S. free-market educational organizations, with comparable donor-funded educational mission and focus on limited government. FEE and CEI both operate as 501(c)(3) educational institutes sharing overlapping audiences and ideological positions.
• Heartland Institute: Free-market think tank noted for its skepticism of regulatory expansion in climate, energy, and environmental policy. Heartland and CEI frequently file overlapping regulatory comments and amicus briefs on environmental deregulation matters.
• Independent Institute: Nonprofit public policy research organization focused on limited government and free-market economics, with comparable size, mission, and educational 501(c)(3) status. Independent Institute frequently appears as an amicus alongside CEI in regulatory litigation.

Broad incumbents

• Heritage Foundation: Larger and more established conservative think tank operating broadly across domestic and foreign policy. Heritage overlaps with CEI on regulatory reform and free-enterprise advocacy but at greater scale and with a wider policy portfolio.
• American Enterprise Institute: Centrist-to-right Washington think tank with comparable depth in economic regulation, antitrust, healthcare, and energy policy. AEI competes with CEI for media citations and policy influence but operates at a much larger budget scale.

Emerging players

• FreedomWorks: Grassroots advocacy organization aligned with CEI's pro-free-market positions. Compared with CEI, FreedomWorks is more activist and less scholarly, but the two organizations share donor overlap and regularly coordinate on regulatory and tax reform campaigns (including CEI's prior leadership ties to FreedomWorks).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ceidotorg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CEIdotorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/CompetitiveEnterpriseInstitute
• Instagraminstagram.com/competitiveenterprise
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/competitive-enterprise-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Competitive Enterprise Institute