What Washington Policy Center does

Washington Policy Center (WPC) is a free-market policy research think tank headquartered in Seattle, Washington, founded in 2013, with a secondary office in Spokane. The organization produces non-partisan, evidence-based research and advocacy across nine specialized policy centers: Agriculture, Education, Energy & Environment, Government Reform, Health Care, Small Business, Transportation, Worker Rights, and Tech & Telecom, supplemented by a WPC en Espanol vertical. Its core products are research publications and blog posts, the annual Report Card for Washington's Future (a state performance data dashboard), and the quarterly WPC Magazine. WPC also runs an Annual Dinner event and a tiered Young Professionals Membership Program with monthly auto-renewal.

WPC is staffed by approximately 11-50 employees led by President & CEO Steven Hatting, with senior researchers and directors including former U.S. Congressional chiefs of staff, a former Washington State House Representative, and domain experts in tax, agriculture, transportation, and worker-rights policy. The organization does not operate as a software platform; its underlying technology footprint consists of a Wix-hosted website, newsletter and social-media distribution channels (Facebook, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn), and an annual Report Card dashboard — there are no APIs, integrations, or proprietary technology products.

The business model is nonprofit and donation-funded. Revenue streams include charitable donations, multi-tier individual memberships (Emerging Leader through Patron, plus Pillar Society, Liberty Partners, and Legacy Society programs), and event-driven fundraising through the Annual Dinner. Pricing for membership tiers is not publicly disclosed. The primary customer segments are Washington state residents who support free-market principles, state policymakers and legislators, and civic-minded community members engaged through events and membership; geographic scope is limited to Washington state.

Name

Washington Policy Center

Legal name

Washington Policy Center

Website

https://washingtonpolicy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Washington Policy Center is a Seattle-based free-market policy think tank, founded in 2013, producing research across nine policy areas for Washington state residents, legislators, and civic-minded supporters through publications, events, and a tiered membership program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Think Tank Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Political Organizations (813940)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA), Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research (BPAHALAF), News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

• Policy research services
• Public policy analysis
• Free-market advocacy
• Think tank research
• State policy publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: Primary revenue generation through charitable donations and membership programs including Young Professionals membership tiers (Emerging Leader, Rising Leader, Civic Leader, Impact Leader, Patron), Pillar Society, Liberty Partners, and Legacy Society programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Washington Policy Center is an independent free-market think tank that produces original policy research, analysis, and publications across nine specialized issue centers covering agriculture, education, energy and environment, government reform, health care, small business, transportation, worker rights, and tech and telecom for Washington State. The organization also publishes the annual Report Card for Washington's Future, a quarterly WPC Magazine, hosts an Annual Dinner event, and runs a tiered Young Professionals membership program to engage supporters.

Product overview

Washington Policy Center (WPC) is a free-market think tank offering a portfolio of policy research products and services. Its core offerings include policy publications and research across nine specialized centers covering agriculture, education, energy/environment, government reform, health care, small business, transportation, worker rights, and technology policy. The organization publishes the annual Report Card for Washington's Future (a data dashboard assessing state performance), WPC Magazine (quarterly publication), and maintains a blog with daily policy commentary. WPC also offers event programming including an Annual Dinner and a Young Professionals membership program. The organization does not operate as a software platform but rather as a content and research publisher.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Publications and Research Policy research publications, blog posts, white papers, and analysis covering topics including agriculture, education, energy, environment, government reform, health care, small business, transportation, worker rights, and tech policy for Washingtonians and policymakers.
• Report Card for Washington's Future An annual data-driven assessment of Washington State's performance across key policy areas including taxes and business climate, energy and environment, education, agriculture, and transportation, delivered through a public data dashboard.
• WPC Magazine A quarterly publication providing in-depth analysis and commentary on Washington state policy issues, featuring articles from WPC researchers and policy experts.
• Policy Issue Centers Specialized research centers covering nine policy areas: Agriculture, Education, Energy & Environment, Government Reform, Health Care, Small Business, Transportation, Worker Rights, and Tech & Telecom, each producing targeted research and analysis for Washington state audiences.
• Annual Dinner Event An annual fundraising dinner event featuring policy discussions and keynote speakers, with table registration available to supporters and community members.
• Young Professionals Membership Program A membership offering engagement opportunities for young professionals interested in free-market policy ideas, with five membership levels including Emerging Leader, Rising Leader, Civic Leader, Impact Leader, and Patron (Over 40 Years Old), billed monthly with auto-renewal options.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pacific Research Institute: San Francisco-based free-market think tank focused on public policy research; directly comparable as a state/Western U.S. free-market policy research organization, and Pam Lewison at WPC's Center for Agriculture also contributes to PRI.
• Freedom Foundation: Pacific Northwest-based nonprofit focused on free-market and limited-government policy, with offices in Washington and Oregon; directly competes with WPC for Washington state policy influence, donors, and free-market advocacy.
• Mackinac Center for Public Policy: Largest state-level free-market think tank (Michigan), operating with similar multi-center policy research, publications, donor programs, and a state-specific scorecard product; directly comparable operating model to WPC.
• Goldwater Institute: Arizona-based state-level free-market think tank with multi-issue policy centers, publications, donor programs, and state-level advocacy; directly comparable operating model to WPC.

Broad incumbents

• State Policy Network: Umbrella network of 60+ state-level free-market think tanks; WPC is a member, and SPN provides shared services, donor pipelines, and policy coordination that directly overlap with WPC's operating model.
• Cato Institute: National libertarian think tank producing policy research across the same domains as WPC (tax, regulation, healthcare, environment); broader scope and larger staff, but comparable free-market policy orientation.
• Heritage Foundation: One of the largest U.S. conservative think tanks producing policy research that frequently influences Washington state legislators; broader national reach but overlapping free-market/conservative policy agenda.
• American Enterprise Institute: National think tank with scholarship across domestic policy, economics, and governance; comparable research depth and free-market orientation, but at materially larger scale than WPC.

Emerging players

• Manhattan Institute: Free-market policy research organization focused on state and local policy reform; comparable in its emphasis on state-level policy innovation and data-driven research products similar to WPC's Report Card.
• Reason Foundation: Libertarian think tank with a strong state policy division producing research on transportation, education, and housing — direct overlap with WPC's Transportation and Education centers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wapolicycenter
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCTljIqVt94OrqtCyNkRlRqg
• Facebookfacebook.com/washington.policy.center
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/washington-policy-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Washington Policy Center