Common Sense Institute Arizona

What Common Sense Institute Arizona does

Common Sense Institute Arizona (CSI Arizona) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit policy research organization headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, that examines the fiscal and economic impacts of policies, initiatives, and proposed laws on the Arizona economy and individual opportunity. The organization employs dynamic REMI (Regional Economic Models, Inc.) modeling alongside rigorous research techniques to produce fiscal impact analyses, serving three articulated segments: Arizona residents seeking to understand policy consequences, state policymakers and legislators needing evidence-based analysis, and the Arizona business and Chamber community evaluating regulatory impacts. Its research output spans eleven substantive verticals — ballot issues, crime and public safety, education, energy and environment, the Free Enterprise Report, healthcare, housing, infrastructure, jobs and the economy, the state budget, taxes and fees, and workforce — and is organized around three policy centers covering energy and environment, workforce and education, and public safety and criminal justice.

The institute's product portfolio centers on policy research publications, REMI economic modeling outputs, the School Closures Dashboard (a live K-12 enrollment and fiscal-impact tracking tool), ballot-issue analysis, and a podcast series covering Arizona economic and policy topics. The organization is led by a four-person core team — Chairman Earl Wright, Executive Director Katie Ratlief, Director of Policy and Research Glenn Farley, and Researcher Zachary Milne — supported by a Fellows program across education, workforce, free enterprise, and economic development verticals. Distribution is entirely self-serve and free, with research materials, dashboards, and podcasts delivered through the website (commonsenseinstituteus.org/arizona/), supplemented by social channels (Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube) and an email subscription funnel.

The business model is a charitable-contribution model: as a tax-exempt organization (Tax-ID 27-4253618), CSI Arizona is funded through donations, memberships, and a Legacy Partners program, with no pricing charged for research outputs. The organization maintains transparency via a Guidestar profile and pursues strategic partnerships such as the Arizona Chamber Foundation co-development of the 2025 'Arizona Job Killers List.' Revenue, donor concentration, and operating budget are not disclosed in the source data.

Name

Common Sense Institute Arizona

Legal name

Common Sense Institute

Website

https://commonsenseinstituteaz.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Common Sense Institute Arizona is a Phoenix-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces rigorous fiscal and economic policy research for Arizona using REMI dynamic modeling, serving state residents, policymakers, and the business community across eleven issue verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Reporting, Dashboards & Business Intelligence (BI) (EDADAIAC), Education Policy Evaluation & Impact Assessment Organizations (EDADADAD)

Keywords

• Fiscal policy research
• Economic impact analysis
• Policy research publications
• Economic modeling services
• Ballot measure analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable Contributions and Donations: As a 501(c)(3) charitable organization (Tax-ID: 27-4253618), CSI Arizona relies on charitable contributions from individuals, organizations, and potentially membership programs to fund operations and research activities.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Common Sense Institute Arizona is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) research organization that produces fiscal and economic research evaluating the impact of policies, initiatives, and proposed laws on the Arizona economy and individual opportunity. It uses dynamic economic modeling (the REMI Model) and publishes reports, dashboards, podcasts, and ballot analyses across topics including jobs, education, healthcare, housing, taxes, infrastructure, energy, crime, workforce, and state budget.

Product overview

Common Sense Institute Arizona is a policy research organization offering a unified suite of economic and fiscal research services rather than a traditional software product. Its core offerings include policy research publications spanning 11 distinct research areas (jobs and economy, education, healthcare, housing, taxes, infrastructure, energy, crime, workforce, state budget, and ballot issues), supported by REMI economic modeling capabilities for fiscal impact analysis. Secondary offerings include the School Closures Dashboard for K-12 enrollment tracking and research podcasts addressing Arizona economic and policy topics. The portfolio is research and analysis-driven, not a technology platform with modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Policy Research Publications
• REMI Economic Modeling Analysis
• School Closures Dashboard
• Research Podcasts
• Ballot Issues Analysis
• Memberships

Quantifiable outcome

• Identified $12.2B in excess school district space market value, enough to cover 10 years of capital expenditures or save $1B annually if divested
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Arizona Chamber FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 September 2025Collaborative partnership with the Arizona Chamber Foundation to analyze the economic impact of legislation proposed in the 2025 legislative session. Jointly produced the '2025 Arizona Job Killers List' analyzing policies that threaten Arizona's job market.
• GuidestarminorOthersCSI Arizona maintains a Guidestar Profile (Profile 27-4253618), indicating transparency in nonprofit operations and financial reporting.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Manhattan Institute for Policy Research: National policy research organization producing in-depth economic, fiscal, and education research — comparable in methods and policy domains despite larger geographic footprint and budget.
• Cato Institute: National libertarian think tank publishing rigorous empirical policy research across economics, education, and fiscal topics — comparable in research methodology and ideological proximity though at much larger scale.
• Pacific Research Institute: West Coast free-market think tank producing quantitative policy analysis on taxation, education, and the economy — comparably positioned to CSI Arizona's state-focused, free-enterprise research agenda.
• Reason Foundation: National nonprofit that produces quantitative, data-driven research on economic and fiscal policy with strong state-level engagement — overlapping with CSI Arizona's free-enterprise and free-market orientation.

Emerging players

• National Taxpayers Union Foundation: Nonprofit that analyzes tax and fiscal policy at the federal and state level — overlapping with CSI Arizona's tax and state budget research areas.
• Beacon Policy Advisors: State fiscal policy research and analytics firm providing economic modeling and budget analysis to state-level decision makers — comparable in methodology and target audience to CSI Arizona's REMI-driven work.
• American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC): State-legislator-focused policy organization that produces model legislation and economic analyses — comparable in targeting state-level legislators and economic impact focus.

Direct peers

• Arizona Chamber Foundation: Strategic co-research partner of CSI Arizona on the annual Job Killers list; both produce Arizona-focused economic and fiscal impact analysis for business and policy audiences.
• Goldwater Institute: Arizona-based public policy research organization focused on limited government, free enterprise, and individual liberty — overlapping directly with CSI Arizona's research areas and Arizona policymaker audience.
• Common Sense Institute Colorado: Sister state chapter under the Common Sense Institute US umbrella, employing the same REMI-based economic modeling and policy research template aimed at Colorado stakeholders.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CSInstituteAZ
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwBC3A6orZ-hUSFwdCXKmnQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/Common-Sense-Institute-Arizona-102274838994065
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/common-sense-institute-arizona
• Instagraminstagram.com/csinstituteaz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Common Sense Institute Arizona