CIVITAS INSTITUTE

What CIVITAS INSTITUTE does

Civitas Institute is a North Carolina-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservative policy organization founded in 2005 and headquartered in Raleigh. The organization produces policy research, public opinion polling, election data tools, and conservative-leaning commentary targeting North Carolina legislators and citizens. Its core technology stack consists of proprietary single-state databases — including the Civitas Partisan Index (a Cook-PVI-style measure of legislative district partisanship), the Carolina Elections database with weekly voter registration statistics by county, the NC Vote Tracker for real-time early voting data, and the Mapping the Left project documenting 140+ progressive activist organizations, 1,800+ individuals, and 300+ funders — alongside polling and traditional policy research methods.

The organization's product portfolio spans publications (Civitalk Podcast, NC Capitol Connection monthly newspaper, Public Policy Series dating to 1985, NC Economic Performance Factbook), data tools (CPI, NC Vote Tracker, Voter Registration Database), programs (Summer Fellows Program, Center to Advance Economics, Center for Law & Freedom public interest law firm, Freedom Action Network podcast), and an affiliated 501(c)(4)-style advocacy arm (Civitas Action). Distribution is multi-channel: direct website, email newsletters, mailed print newspaper, social media, and live events/symposia targeted at the North Carolina legislature and conservative citizenry.

Civitas operates on a donation-and-grant funding model typical of nonprofit think tanks, with no commercial revenue streams. On January 1, 2021, Civitas merged with the John Locke Foundation (a larger North Carolina free-market think tank), and the combined organization continues operating under the John Locke Foundation brand at johnlocke.org. Civitas's geographic scope is exclusively North Carolina, and its staff (11-50 employees) is led by figures including Brooke Medina (Executive Director), Francis De Luca (Vice President), Bob Luebke (Director of Policy), and Andy Jackson (Election Policy Analyst).

Name

CIVITAS INSTITUTE

Legal name

Civitas Institute

Website

https://nccivitas.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Civitas Institute is a Raleigh, North Carolina-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservative policy organization producing polling, election databases, and policy research for state legislators and citizens. It merged with John Locke Foundation in January 2021.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Research (Conservative Think Tank)

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Political Organizations (81394)

akta.pro primary industry

Electoral Support & Election Observation (BPADAGAA)

Keywords

• Conservative policy research
• Election data tracking
• Voter registration database
• Political polling
• Public policy analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Civitas Institute is North Carolina's conservative policy organization that conducts policy research, performs political polling, tracks election and voter registration data, and publishes conservative policy guides, newspapers, and podcasts. It operates data tools including the Civitas Partisan Index, NC Vote Tracker, and Mapping the Left research database, and provides free legal representation through its Center for Law & Freedom public interest law program.

Product overview

CIVITAS INSTITUTE is North Carolina's conservative policy organization offering a portfolio of publications, research databases, and educational programs. The core offerings include the Civitalk Podcast and NC Capitol Connection newspaper for ongoing commentary; the Public Policy Series and NC Economic Performance Factbook for in-depth policy analysis; and data tools like NC Vote Tracker, Voter Registration Database, and Civitas Partisan Index for election analytics. The organization also operates specialized projects including Mapping the Left database, Center to Advance Economics, Center for Law & Freedom, and Freedom Action Network, along with a Summer Fellows Program for developing policy professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Civitalk Podcast Weekly podcast connecting culture with civics, featuring discussions on North Carolina politics and policy with hosts Ray Nothstine and Brooke Medina.
• NC Capitol Connection (Civitas Newspaper) Monthly print newspaper mailed to subscribers covering voter registration tracking, poll results, General Assembly actions, and political developments affecting North Carolina.
• Public Policy Series Policy guides containing data and historical references covering key North Carolina policy issues dating back to 1985, including State Budget, Education, Healthcare, and Transportation.
• NC Economic Performance Factbook Economic performance publication providing data and analysis on North Carolina's economic indicators.
• NC Vote Tracker Real-time early voting data tracker for North Carolina elections, allowing users to monitor voting patterns.
• Voter Registration Database Voter registration statistics updated weekly by county, showing changes over time from week to week, month to month, and year to year.
• Civitas Partisan Index (CPI) Legislative political landscape analysis tool modeled after Cook Partisan Voting Index, measuring partisan lean of NC legislative districts using Council of State election data.
• Mapping the Left (MTL) Database tracking over 140 activist organizations with more than 1,800 individuals advancing a progressive agenda, plus over 300 funders awarding hundreds of millions in grants.
• Center to Advance Economics Educational initiative introducing users to Austrian School economic principles through an app-based platform, with additional lessons planned.
• Center for Law & Freedom (CLF) Nonprofit public interest law firm housed within Civitas Institute providing free legal representation to North Carolinians facing constitutional or legal rights violations.
• Freedom Action Network Daily podcast featuring 'What Matters in North Carolina' providing the latest political and policy buzz from Raleigh, with opinions from both left and right perspectives.
• Summer Fellows Program Paid, full-time 3-month fellowship program for graduating seniors interested in the public policy nonprofit sector, offering experience in North Carolina policy research.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• John Locke FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021On January 1, 2021, Civitas Institute joined forces with John Locke Foundation, North Carolina's free-market think tank. This merger combined two major conservative policy organizations in the state. The combined organization operates under the John Locke Foundation brand at johnlocke.org, with Civitas staff joining the Locke team. This represents a significant consolidation of conservative policy research capacity in North Carolina.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Manhattan Institute: State-and-federal conservative-leaning policy research organization with strong state policy focus. Comparable mission overlap (state policy reform, elections, education) and donor-driven nonprofit model, but at larger scale than Civitas.
• American Enterprise Institute: National center-right policy research organization covering economics, education, elections, and social policy. Comparable in ideological orientation and policy breadth, but at a much larger national scale.
• Heritage Foundation: National conservative think tank with a much larger footprint. Broadly comparable in mission and ideological orientation, but national rather than NC-specific, and with a far larger staff, budget, and policy portfolio than Civitas.

Direct peers

• NC Justice Center: North Carolina's leading progressive policy and research organization. Operates as a mirror image of Civitas in the same geography — state-focused nonprofit policy research, polling-adjacent work, advocacy — but on the opposite end of the political spectrum.
• Foundation for Government Accountability: State-focused conservative policy and advocacy organization with comparable issue areas (welfare, healthcare, election integrity) and similar donor-funded model. Directly comparable as a state-level conservative policy shop.
• John Locke Foundation: North Carolina's leading free-market think tank, now the merged parent of Civitas since January 1, 2021. Operates in the same conservative policy space, same NC geographic focus, and overlapping issue areas (economics, education, elections). Most directly comparable peer.
• Americans for Prosperity: Koch-affiliated state-and-federal grassroots advocacy organization with strong NC presence. Closely comparable as a donor-funded, conservative, multi-state advocacy and policy organization operating in the same political landscape.
• American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC): Conservative state-legislator-focused policy organization producing model legislation on the same issues Civitas covers (elections, education, economics). Comparable in targeting state lawmakers with conservative policy products.
• James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal: North Carolina-based conservative education policy organization focused on K-12 and higher education reform. Comparable to Civitas as a state-focused conservative advocacy shop with a vertical issue specialization in education policy.

Others

• State Policy Network: Umbrella network of state-level free-market think tanks including John Locke Foundation. Civitas (via JLF) sits within this network; comparable as a peer operating in the state think tank ecosystem it represents.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NCCivitas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CIVITAS INSTITUTE