The Buckeye Institute

What The Buckeye Institute does

The Buckeye Institute is an Ohio-based, independent nonprofit think tank founded in 1989, headquartered at 88 East Broad Street in Columbus. Its mission is to advance free-market public policy at the state level, organized around two operating units: the Economic Research Center, which produces economic modeling, tax-policy analysis, jobs and budget research, and the biennial "Piglet Book" identifying Ohio government waste; and the Legal Center, which litigates constitutional and federalism cases and files amicus briefs. The organization serves Ohio state policymakers, individual citizens affected by constitutional and property-rights issues, and the broader public interested in government accountability, education, healthcare, energy, labor, and regulatory reform.

The Buckeye Institute's portfolio comprises research services rather than commercial products: policy reports, legal briefs, legislative testimony, public comments to regulators, and a public salary database covering Ohio state, K-12, local, and higher-education employees since 2011. Its technology footprint is conventional — economic modeling and data analytics — with no disclosed software platform, API, or proprietary AI system. Distribution runs through a layered architecture combining direct policymaker engagement (legislative testimony, briefings), self-serve website publication of free research and data tools, earned media (op-eds in Washington Post, The Hill, National Review, FoxNews.com), and coalition partnerships with peer state think tanks.

The organization is funded entirely through donations and grants from individuals and institutions supporting free-market policy research; it has no disclosed parent company, no parent entity, no funding rounds, and no commercial revenue stream. With a headcount of 1-10, the operational footprint is intentionally small relative to peer national think tanks, relying on a lean senior team (President/CEO Robert Alt, EVP of Policy Rea S. Hederman Jr., Director of Litigation David C. Tryon, Senior Research Fellow Greg R. Lawson, plus economics analysts and litigators).

Name

The Buckeye Institute

Legal name

The Buckeye Institute

Website

https://buckeyeinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Buckeye Institute is an Ohio-based nonprofit think tank founded in 1989 that advances free-market public policy through economic research, legal advocacy, and constitutional litigation, serving state policymakers, courts, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research and Advocacy

NAICS

Administration of Economic Programs (9261), Administration of Economic Programs (926), Administration of General Economic Programs (92611), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (9211)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Economics, Finance & Funding Policy Research (EDADADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Finance, Budgeting & Treasury Administration (EDADAKAF), State/Provincial Corrections, Probation & Parole Administration (BPAIABAF), Funding, Finance & Grants Reporting (Allocations, Claims, Reconciliation) (EDADAIAG)

Keywords

• Policy research services
• Free-market think tank
• Economic policy analysis
• Legal advocacy services
• Constitutional litigation

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Buckeye Institute is an independent nonprofit think tank that produces free-market public policy research, economic modeling, and constitutional legal advocacy for Ohio and the states. Its offerings include policy research reports, legal briefs and amicus filings, legislative testimony, public regulatory comments, a public employee salary database, and the biennial Piglet Book on government waste, delivered through its Economic Research Center and Legal Center.

Product overview

The Buckeye Institute is an independent policy research organization (think tank) founded in 1989, offering research publications, policy analysis, legal advocacy, and public salary databases rather than a commercial software product. Its portfolio consists of research services including the Economic Research Center and Legal Center divisions, the Salary Database (covering state, K-12, local, and higher education salaries), Policy Research & Reports, Legal Briefs, Testimony & Public Comments, and the biennial Piglet Book publication on government waste. These products work together to advance free-market public policy advocacy in Ohio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Economic Research Center: Research center focused on economic policy analysis
• Legal Center

Products and services

• Policy Research & Reports Free-market policy research publications covering topics including taxes, healthcare, education, energy, labor, and regulatory reform, produced for Ohio policymakers and the public.
• Legal Briefs and Amicus Filings Legal analysis and amicus briefs filed in cases on constitutional issues, federalism, property rights, and individual liberties affecting Ohioans and broader U.S. litigants.
• Testimony & Public Comments Legislative testimony and regulatory comments submitted by Buckeye Institute experts to Ohio and federal policymakers on bills and regulations.
• Public Employee Salary Database A searchable public database containing salary information for Ohio public employees, including state, K-12 teachers, local government, and higher education staff, with historical data back to 2011.
• Piglet Book A biennial publication identifying areas of government waste in Ohio's budget, co-published with Citizens Against Government Waste.
• Economic Research Center Services Research division focused on economic modeling, tax policy analysis, jobs and economy research, and budget analysis for Ohio.
• Legal Center Litigation Services Legal advocacy division handling litigation, constitutional challenges, and federalism cases, including Buckeye v. IRS and Ream v. U.S. Department of Treasury.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Buckeye Institute's economic modeling revealed that an $800 billion annual carbon tax would cost every American $2,900 annually and devastate the U.S. economy, resulting in $1.2 trillion in economic loss in 2034
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Taxpayers UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 November 2025Partnership on economic research including reports on data center policy and AI race, and e-commerce tax policy analysis. Co-authored multiple policy reports including 'Ohio's Blueprint: How Market-Oriented Energy Reform Can Help States Win the AI Race'.
• Frontier Institute (Montana)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 August 2023Free-market think tank that joined Buckeye Institute in coalition filing public comments on EPA proposed rule for greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.
• Caesar Rodney Institute (Delaware)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 August 2023Free-market think tank that joined Buckeye Institute in coalition filing public comments on EPA proposed rule for greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.
• John Locke Foundation (North Carolina)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 August 2023Free-market think tank that joined Buckeye Institute in coalition filing public comments on EPA proposed rule for greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.
• Mackinac Center for Public Policy (Michigan)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 August 2023Free-market think tank that joined Buckeye Institute in coalition filing public comments on EPA proposed rule for greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.
• The Center for Individual Rights (CIR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIR represents Texas Top Cop Shop in the Corporate Transparency Act case. The Buckeye Institute filed its fifth amicus brief urging SCOTUS to hear the case and has filed four previous amicus briefs in support.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Goldwater Institute: Arizona-based free-market state think tank with a strong litigation practice. Closely comparable model combining state-level economic research with constitutional litigation — Buckeye's most structurally similar peer.
• John Locke Foundation: North Carolina-based free-market state think tank. Direct peer — analogous state-focused free-market research and policy advocacy; partnered with Buckeye on EPA greenhouse gas rule coalition comments.
• Mackinac Center for Public Policy: Michigan-based free-market state think tank. Direct peer — same mission (state-level free-market policy), same model (research plus legal advocacy), and explicitly partnered with Buckeye on EPA public comments.
• National Taxpayers Union: National taxpayer advocacy organization with active state-level affiliate network. Direct peer in tax and fiscal policy research; co-author with Buckeye on AI/data-center policy reports.
• Pacific Research Institute: California-based free-market think tank pursuing state-level policy reform through research and engagement. Comparable model to Buckeye with a regional/state policy focus.
• Frontier Institute: Montana-based free-market state think tank. Direct peer — analogous state-focused mission; explicitly co-filed EPA coalition comments with Buckeye.
• Caesar Rodney Institute: Delaware-based free-market state think tank. Direct peer — coalition partner with Buckeye on EPA rulemaking comments; mirrors the state-level free-market research model.

Broad incumbents

• Cato Institute: Prominent libertarian think tank producing economic and constitutional policy research. Comparable in research and legal advocacy orientation but operates at significantly larger national scale than Buckeye.
• Manhattan Institute: National center-right policy research organization producing state-relevant economic and legal research. Comparable in research rigor and policy engagement, though operating nationally rather than at a single-state focus.
• Heritage Foundation: Large national conservative think tank. Comparable ideological orientation and policy scope, but operates at national scale with vastly larger resources. Heritage is also an alumni network for Buckeye's senior leadership.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thebuckeyeinst
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/buckeye-institute-for-public-policy-solutions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Buckeye Institute