The American Consumer Institude
The American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that conducts evidence-based consumer welfare policy research. It serves federal and state policymakers, the public, and media through public comments, research reports, and op-eds on technology, healthcare, energy, and finance policy.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The American Consumer Institude does
The American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research (ACI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational and research institute headquartered at 4350 Fairfax Drive, Suite 725, Arlington, Virginia. Founded on the premise that mainstream consumer advocacy organizations tend to represent narrow special interests and overlook collateral or unintended consequences of regulation, the organization positions itself as an empirical, non-partisan voice on consumer economic welfare. ACI's work spans technology, internet public policy, consumer health, energy and environment, finance and insurance, taxation, and general regulatory issues.
ACI does not develop or sell commercial products or services. Its core output consists of policy research and analysis delivered as blog articles, public comments submitted to federal and state regulatory agencies (including the FCC, EPA, and Utah state authorities), op-eds placed in outlets such as Fox News, the Washington Examiner, RealClear Health, and The Economic Standard, a podcast series titled "Policy-ish Talk," interactive digital tools, and video content. Staff identified in the input data include a Director of Technology Policy (Logan Kolas), a Senior Policy Analyst (Justin Leventhal), and a Policy Analyst (Leah Locke), consistent with a small analytical team.
The organization's business model is donation-funded rather than revenue-generating. As a registered 501(c)(3) (EIN 20-8601897), ACI raises funds through donor contributions solicited via its website; no products, services, or pricing models are commercialized. Its primary audiences—federal and state policymakers, the general consumer public, and media—are not paying customers but rather the targets of its advocacy, research distribution, and earned-media engagement. The organization is described as having 11-50 employees, indicating a small operating footprint typical of an independent policy think tank.
The American Consumer Institude firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The American Consumer Institude
- Legal name
- The American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research
- Website
- https://theamericanconsumer.org
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that conducts evidence-based consumer welfare policy research. It serves federal and state policymakers, the public, and media through public comments, research reports, and op-eds on technology, healthcare, energy, and finance policy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The American Consumer Institude industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Policy Research
- akta.pro primary industry
- Consumer Rights & Public Interest Advocacy (BPAGAFAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research (BPAHALAF), Education Policy, Research & Advocacy Organizations (Nonprofit) (BPAGADAN)
Keywords
Where The American Consumer Institude is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The American Consumer Institude business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels9 records
The American Consumer Institude product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational and research organization that conducts evidence-based policy research and analysis on consumer welfare issues including technology regulation, healthcare policy, energy and environment regulations, financial regulations, internet policy, and taxation. The organization publishes blog articles, submits public comments to federal and state regulatory agencies (such as the FCC, EPA, and Utah regulators), produces a podcast ("Policy-ish Talk"), interactive tools, and videos, and provides expert commentary to media outlets on consumer-impacting policies.
Product overview
The American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational and research institute that does not offer commercial products or services. The organization focuses on advocating for consumers through evidence-based analysis and data insights, covering issues including Technology, Consumer Tips/Health, Internet Public Policy Issues, Energy/Environment, Finance/Insurance, Taxation, General Regulations, and Research. The organization publishes public comments, blog posts, and policy analysis rather than technology products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Policy Research and Analysis Evidence-based research and analysis on consumer welfare covering technology, healthcare, energy and environment, internet policy, finance and insurance, taxation, and general regulation; intended for policymakers, media, and the general public.
- Public Comments to Regulatory Agencies Formal public comments and coalition letters submitted to federal and state regulatory agencies (including the FCC, EPA, and state-level bodies such as Utah regulators) on proposed rules affecting consumers.
- Policy-ish Talk Podcast A podcast series covering consumer policy issues, distributed through ACI's media channels and on the organization website.
Companies that use The American Consumer Institude
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The American Consumer Institude technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The American Consumer Institude partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The American Consumer Institude competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- National Consumers League: Long-standing consumer advocacy nonprofit focused on marketplace fairness, fraud prevention, and labor standards. Comparable to ACI in the nonprofit consumer-policy research space, with overlapping regulatory-engagement activity.
- Americans for Tax Reform: Advocacy organization focused on tax, regulatory, and free-market policy with active federal and state-level lobbying. Comparable to ACI on regulatory-comment engagement and policy advocacy positioning, particularly on taxation issues ACI also covers.
- Consumer Reports: Independent consumer research and advocacy nonprofit producing evidence-based product and policy analysis. Directly comparable to ACI's empirical, consumer-welfare-focused mission, though operating at far larger scale and with product-testing depth ACI does not match.
- U.S. PIRG: National public-interest research group that conducts consumer and environmental policy advocacy. Comparable to ACI as a nonprofit research/advocacy organization targeting consumer welfare through regulatory comment and public campaigns.
- Public Citizen: Consumer and public-interest advocacy nonprofit engaged in federal regulatory comment, litigation, and policy research. Directly comparable in nonprofit consumer-advocacy function, though with a more litigation- and grassroots-driven model than ACI's research-led approach.
- Consumer Federation of America: Federation of consumer advocacy organizations conducting policy research and grassroots advocacy across federal and state levels. Comparable to ACI in nonprofit consumer-policy research and regulatory engagement model.
- Competitive Enterprise Institute: Free-market think tank advocating for limited regulation and consumer choice. Closely comparable to ACI on pro-consumer deregulation philosophy, regulatory comment activity, and small-team policy research output.
Broad incumbents
- American Enterprise Institute: Major Washington think tank producing policy research across economics, regulation, healthcare, and technology. Comparable to ACI on policy-research-and-comment activity, but at far greater scale and with a much broader ideological footprint.
- Heritage Foundation: Large conservative policy research organization producing studies and regulatory comment across a broad agenda. Comparable to ACI on regulatory-comment activity and conservative-leaning policy positioning, but with vastly greater research output and institutional reach.
- Cato Institute: Libertarian think tank conducting policy research and regulatory engagement across regulation, technology, healthcare, and finance. Comparable to ACI on libertarian deregulatory stance and policy-research orientation, but operating at much larger scale and broader issue footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The American Consumer Institude social profiles
Digital presenceThe American Consumer Institude financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The American Consumer Institude leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
The American Consumer Institude funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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The American Consumer Institude M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The American Consumer Institude
What does The American Consumer Institude do?
The American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational and research organization that conducts evidence-based policy research and analysis on consumer welfare issues including technology regulation, healthcare policy, energy and environment regulations, financial regulations, internet policy, and taxation. The organization publishes blog articles, submits public comments to federal and state regulatory agencies (such as the FCC, EPA, and Utah regulators), produces a podcast ("Policy-ish Talk"), interactive tools, and videos, and provides expert commentary to media outlets on consumer-impacting policies.
Is The American Consumer Institude a public or private company?
The American Consumer Institude is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The American Consumer Institude founded?
The American Consumer Institude was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The American Consumer Institude based?
The American Consumer Institude is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
Who are The American Consumer Institude's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are National Consumers League, Americans for Tax Reform, Consumer Reports, U.S. PIRG, Public Citizen, Consumer Federation of America and Competitive Enterprise Institute. Broad incumbents are American Enterprise Institute, Heritage Foundation and Cato Institute.
Does The American Consumer Institude have an API?
No public API is recorded for The American Consumer Institude.
What industry is The American Consumer Institude in?
The American Consumer Institude's product category is Public Policy Research. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAK, Consumer Rights & Public Interest Advocacy, with a secondary code of BPAHALAF, Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research.