The Cicero Institute

What The Cicero Institute does

The Cicero Institute is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public policy organization founded in 2021 by entrepreneur and technology investor Joe Lonsdale. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, the organization develops and advocates for market-driven state-level policy solutions across five issue verticals: healthcare, public safety, homelessness, education and workforce, and regulatory reform. It operates two wholly-owned subsidiaries — Cicero Action (its affiliated advocacy entity) and Cicero Research (its research arm) — and partners directly with governors, state legislators, and state agency leaders to design model legislation, provide policy research, supply legislative testimony, and deliver briefings. Since inception, the organization reports that 656 pieces of legislation have been informed by its research, 233 bills containing its recommendations have passed both chambers of state legislatures, and 195 bills have been signed into law across what the organization variously reports as 24 or 29 states.

The organization has no core technology product. Its principal deliverable is policy research, model legislation, policy briefs, and analytical reports. Its only named digital tool is the Higher Education Transparency Database, a data product providing return-on-investment information on colleges and majors for students, families, and state policymakers. Distribution occurs through a self-serve website, direct policy engagement with state officials, national and state media placements, podcast appearances, and policy publication downloads. The organization employs between 11 and 50 staff and is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by Lonsdale, with additional directors including former gubernatorial chiefs of staff, a retired venture partner, and a practicing attorney.

The Cicero Institute is funded entirely through tax-deductible charitable contributions from individuals, foundations, and institutional partners (tax ID 86-1325445). It does not sell products or services and has no commercial pricing model. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. Its go-to-market motion is a direct, field-based advocacy model targeting state-level policymakers rather than a traditional sales pipeline, with thought-leadership content (research publications, op-eds, media appearances) serving as both brand-building and persuasion mechanism.

Name

The Cicero Institute

Legal name

The Cicero Institute

Website

https://ciceroinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Cicero Institute is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public policy organization founded in 2021 that develops model legislation and partners with state policymakers across 29 states on healthcare, public safety, homelessness, education, and regulatory reform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Research and Advocacy

NAICS

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Administration of Education Programs (923110)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Democratic Governance & Public Administration Reform (BPADAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Higher Education Governance & Quality Policy Research (EDADADAI), Governance Bodies & Board/Trustee Administration (EDADAKAL)

Keywords

• Public policy research
• State policy advocacy
• Model legislation development
• Think tank research
• Regulatory reform policy

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Charitable Contributions and Donations: Cicero Institute is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization that relies on donations from individuals, foundations, and institutional partners. The organization is funded through tax-deductible charitable contributions. Their federal tax identification number is 86-1325445.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Cicero Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public policy organization that develops and advocates for bold state-level policy solutions in healthcare, public safety, homelessness, education and workforce, and regulatory reform. It produces policy research, model legislation, analytical reports, and data tools — including the Higher Education Transparency Database — to support state leaders in designing market-driven policy systems.

Product overview

The Cicero Institute is a public policy organization that produces research, policy solutions, and advocacy materials rather than a unified technology product. Its primary tool is the Higher Education Transparency Database, which provides data on college costs and outcomes to help students, families, and policymakers make informed educational decisions. The organization's offerings consist of policy research, model legislation, and policy briefs across issue areas including healthcare, homelessness, public safety, education, workforce, and regulatory reform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Higher Education Transparency Database A data-driven transparency tool that provides Return on Investment data on average past college performance to help students select colleges/majors and assist state policymakers and higher education leaders in funding decisions. Free to access through the Cicero Institute website.
• State Policy Research and Model Legislation The Cicero Institute's core deliverable: a research-and-advocacy service that produces policy research, model bills, op-eds, and policy briefs across five issue areas. Provided free to state policymakers, with direct engagement support via Cicero Action for government affairs and Cicero Research for research production.

Quantifiable outcome

• 195 bills signed into law across 29 states since 2021
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mackinac Center for Public Policy: Michigan-based state-focused policy think tank with a long track record of influencing state-level legislation on education, labor, and healthcare; comparable organizational model and ideological positioning to Cicero.
• Goldwater Institute: Arizona-based state-level conservative policy organization focused on education choice, regulatory reform, and free-market healthcare; operates a similar state advocacy and litigation-driven model targeting state policymakers.
• Foundation for Government Accountability: Florida-based state-level policy think tank focused on healthcare, welfare, and government reform; multiple Cicero team members previously worked here, including Bo Herlin, Josh Archambault, and Jared Meyer, indicating strong organizational and ideological overlap.
• Manhattan Institute for Policy Research: National policy research organization with state-level engagement on healthcare, housing, criminal justice, and education reform; Senior Advisor Jared Meyer previously worked there, signaling direct competitive overlap with Cicero's issue portfolio.
• American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC): National organization that drafts and disseminates model legislation to state legislators across conservative policy areas; directly comparable to Cicero in offering pre-packaged state-level policy frameworks that have been enacted into law in dozens of states.
• Texas Public Policy Foundation: Austin-based conservative state policy think tank operating in Cicero's home state of Texas; focuses on similarly limited-government, market-driven policy solutions in healthcare, education, and regulatory reform at the state level.
• Cicero Action: Wholly-owned 501(c)(4) advocacy subsidiary of the Cicero Institute; provides the lobbying and political engagement arm that complements Cicero's 501(c)(3) research mission and is directly comparable as a state-level policy advocacy organization.
• Pioneer Institute: Boston-based state-level policy think tank focused on healthcare, education, and economic opportunity; Senior Fellow Josh Archambault previously worked there, and the organization operates a comparable model of producing research that informs state legislation.

Regional players

• Pelican Institute: Louisiana-based state policy organization focused on fiscal responsibility, education reform, and criminal justice; operates a similar model of state-level policy research and advocacy but limited to a single state rather than multi-state engagement.

Broad incumbents

• Heritage Foundation: Largest and most well-funded conservative think tank in the U.S., operating across all major policy areas with federal and state-level engagement; competes with Cicero for donor dollars and policy influence but at substantially greater scale and longer tenure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/institutecicero
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CiceroInstitute
• Facebookfacebook.com/ciceroinstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ciceroinstitute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Cicero Institute