American Antitrust Institute

What American Antitrust Institute does

The American Antitrust Institute (AAI) is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1998 and headquartered at 1025 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. It is the first public-interest organization devoted exclusively to promoting competition through antitrust enforcement, serving as a progressive counterweight to conservative influence in U.S. competition policy. With approximately 20 full-time staff (lawyers and economists) supplemented by a 500+ member Advisory Board, Senior Fellows, International Advisors, and Emeritus network, AAI serves the public, federal regulators (FTC, DOJ Antitrust Division, state attorneys general), and the legal and academic community through research, education, and advocacy.

AAI's core deliverables include amicus briefs filed in appellate antitrust proceedings, economic and policy analysis, legal commentary, industry-specific reports, congressional testimony, public comments to federal regulators, and the "Ruled by Reason" podcast distributed across Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. The organization runs two flagship programs: the AAI Appellate Project (which bridges resource gaps for pro-enforcement litigants through moot courts, best-practices sharing, and Pennsylvania-CLE-accredited training) and the AAI Public Service Fellowship (launched April 2025, providing at-least-$5,000 stipends to former government competition experts for public-interest research). AAI also administers five recognition programs, including the Alfred E. Kahn Award and the Jerry S. Cohen Award for Antitrust Scholarship.

AAI's revenue model combines individual donations (at $100 to $5,000+ levels), tiered corporate annual sponsorships (Supporter $7,500, Silver $10,000, Gold $15,000, Platinum $25,000, Diamond $50,000), cy pres grants from antitrust class actions (dating back to 2001), and event/program sponsorships. An explicit independence policy caps any single for-profit corporation or trade association donation at 5-8% of operating budget. AAI has no parent company, no subsidiaries, no external institutional investors, and no publicly disclosed revenue.

Name

American Antitrust Institute

Legal name

American Antitrust Institute

Website

https://antitrustinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The American Antitrust Institute is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1998 in Washington, D.C. It conducts research, education, and advocacy on antitrust enforcement, producing amicus briefs, legal analysis, reports, and the Ruled by Reason podcast for the public, regulators, and the legal community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington, District of Columbia

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting AAI's research, education, and advocacy mission. AAI is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
2. Annual Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships at various levels (Diamond $50,000, Platinum $25,000, Gold $15,000, Silver $10,000, Supporter $7,500) providing access, recognition, and involvement in AAI events throughout the year.
3. Cy Pres Grants: AAI receives cy pres grants as a qualified recipient in antitrust class actions dating back to 2001, helping fund activities that indirectly benefit victims of antitrust violations.
4. Event and Program Sponsorships: Support for roundtables, conferences, and briefings on particular industries or topics, and for initiatives like AAI's IP-Competition Project.
5. Fellowship Program: The AAI Public Service Fellowship offers stipends of at least $5,000 to former government competition experts for approved public interest projects, funded entirely by charitable contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The American Antitrust Institute (AAI) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit that promotes competition protecting consumers, businesses, and society through research, education, and advocacy on antitrust enforcement and competition policy. It produces amicus briefs, economic and policy analyses, legal analyses, reports, public comments and congressional testimony, grant-funded research, films, and the Ruled by Reason podcast, while operating programs such as the AAI Appellate Project and the AAI Public Service Fellowship.

Product overview

The American Antitrust Institute operates as a nonprofit research, education, and advocacy organization offering a portfolio of work products including Amicus Briefs, Economic & Policy Analysis, Legal Analysis, Reports, Public Comments and Testimony, Film & Video, Grant Research, and the Ruled by Reason Podcast. Supporting programs include the AAI Appellate Project, AAI Public Service Fellowship, Awards Programs, and CLE Credits. The organization focuses on competition enforcement across sectors including Airlines, Banking & Finance, Digital Technology, Energy, Food & Agriculture, Health & Pharmaceuticals, Intellectual Property, Labor, Media & Communications, and Transportation. The organization hosts conferences, industry roundtables, symposia, and awards events throughout the year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ruled by Reason: AAI's podcast exploring current topics in progressive antitrust with experts from enforcement, business, and academia
• AAI Appellate Project
• AAI Public Service Fellowship

Products and services

• Amicus Briefs Legal briefs filed in significant court proceedings to influence the development of competition law and advance consumer interests on issues with widespread impact, prepared for filing in U.S. federal and state appellate courts.
• Economic & Policy Analysis Economic research and policy analyses examining competition issues across industries including airlines, healthcare, banking, and digital technology, produced by AAI's in-house economists for policymakers and the public.
• Legal Analysis Commentary and analysis of antitrust legal developments including algorithmic pricing, class action issues, and antitrust enforcement standards, produced by AAI's legal staff and counsel.
• Reports Comprehensive reports on antitrust enforcement, competition policy, merger analysis, and industry-specific studies produced for policymakers, scholars, and the public.
• Public Comments and Testimony Formal comments submitted to the FTC, DOJ, and other regulatory agencies, plus congressional testimony on competition policy and antitrust enforcement matters.
• Ruled by Reason Podcast AAI's ongoing podcast series featuring conversations with leading antitrust experts from enforcement, business, and academia on current topics in progressive antitrust and competition policy.
• AAI Appellate Project Initiative to improve the administration of antitrust laws by strengthening the position of pro-enforcement litigants in antitrust appellate proceedings, providing moot courts, best-practices sharing, expert guidance, and CLE programs to plaintiff-side appellate counsel.
• AAI Public Service Fellowship Fellowship for former government antitrust lawyers, economists, and competition experts offering stipends of at least $5,000 for approved public interest research and writing projects on competition law and policy, funded entirely by charitable contributions.
• Grant Research Externally funded research conducted under grant agreements examining private equity ownership in healthcare, platform dominance, and other antitrust topics, often in collaboration with academic and policy partners.
• Film & Video Documentary and video content on antitrust topics including the Fair Fight Film and educational materials explaining competition issues for general public audiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• Created and shaped the modern progressive antitrust movement
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• COSALmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 November 2025AAI and COSAL urged the Supreme Court to uphold FTC Act's for-cause removal provision in Trump v. Slaughter case.
• UC BerkeleycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 February 2024AAI partnered with UC Berkeley and Equitable Growth to issue addenda to reports on private equity ownership in healthcare, including physician practices acquisition analysis.
• Equitable GrowthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 July 2023AAI collaborated with UC Berkeley and Equitable Growth on research regarding private equity's acquisition of physician practices in healthcare.
• AFREFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 June 2023AAI and AFREF collaborated on a study calling attention to the growth of private equity ownership in home healthcare sector.
• Public KnowledgecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 September 2021AAI and Public Knowledge teamed up to urge DOJ to carefully scrutinize mergers in media/entertainment and distribution sectors, analyzing competition challenges and past merger failures.
• Berger MontaguecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBerger Montague serves as a key partner in the AAI Appellate Project, with attorneys Joshua Davis, Matthew Summers, and Eric Cramer involved in the project's Steering Committee and Affiliates.
• Garwin Gerstein & Fisher LLPcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDeborah Elman from Garwin Gerstein & Fisher LLP serves on the AAI Appellate Project Steering Committee.
• Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLCcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBenjamin Brown and Alison Deich from Cohen Milstein serve as affiliates in the AAI Appellate Project.
• Open Markets InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSandeep Vaheesan, Legal Director at Open Markets Institute, serves as an affiliate in the AAI Appellate Project.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Economic Policy Institute: Nonprofit think tank producing research on economic inequality, labor markets, and competition. Comparable to AAI in policy research output, progressive orientation, and reliance on grants and donations, with overlapping interest in labor antitrust.
• Cato Institute: Libertarian think tank active in antitrust and regulation policy. Directly comparable to AAI as a counterpoint ideological think tank with formal regulatory engagement, amicus activity, and policy publications, though from an opposing antitrust philosophy.
• Open Markets Institute: Independent nonprofit think tank focused on antitrust, monopoly, and competition policy from a progressive perspective. Directly comparable to AAI in mission, advocacy orientation, and audience, and is also an AAI Appellate Project affiliate.
• Public Knowledge: Public interest advocacy organization promoting competition, openness, and consumer protection in tech and communications. Comparable to AAI in amicus brief practice, policy advocacy, and antitrust focus on media/tech sectors; formal AAI partner.

Broad incumbents

• Brookings Institution: Large established think tank producing influential economic and regulatory policy research including antitrust. Comparable in publishing policy papers, hosting conferences, and influencing federal regulators, though far broader in scope.
• R Street Institute: Nonprofit public policy research organization engaged in regulatory and competition policy issues. Comparable in operating model (lean staff, donor-funded, policy publications), with some overlap in regulatory analysis.
• ITIF (Information Technology and Innovation Foundation): Think tank covering technology policy, innovation, and regulation including antitrust in digital markets. Comparable to AAI in publishing economic and policy analysis on competition, though from a more industry-friendly perspective.
• New America Foundation: Nonprofit think tank with programs on economic policy, technology, and competition. Comparable in producing policy research and hosting convenings, with prior 'Open Markets' program that overlapped directly with AAI's mission.

Emerging players

• Consumer Reports: Independent nonprofit consumer advocacy and research organization with growing antitrust engagement. Comparable in nonprofit advocacy model, donor/membership funding, and policy testimony before regulators, with overlapping interest in consumer protection via competition.
• EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation): Nonprofit civil liberties organization with adjacent engagement in tech competition and platform regulation. Comparable in amicus brief practice, donor-supported advocacy model, and intersection with digital market antitrust debates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/AntitrustInst
• YouTubepodcasts.apple.com/podcast/ruled-by-reason/id1517476326
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-antitrust-institute

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Antitrust Institute