Solana Policy Institute

What Solana Policy Institute does

Solana Policy Institute (SPI) is a non-partisan, non-profit policy advocacy organization founded in 2025 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It educates U.S. federal and international policymakers on the operation of blockchain networks — with a particular focus on Solana and decentralized finance — and advocates for legal frameworks that allow these networks and their developers to operate with regulatory certainty. Its primary 'customers' are U.S. senators, representatives, committee staff, and regulators at the SEC, CFTC, OCC, Treasury, and FTC, alongside foreign legislators such as South Korea's Democratic Party.

SPI's core outputs are not commercial products but policy deliverables: formal comment and coalition letters to federal agencies, amicus briefs in precedent-setting cases (e.g., the DeFi patent lawsuit), drafted legislative language for bills such as the CLARITY Act and GENIUS Act, and the Project Open proposal submitted to the SEC's Crypto Task Force. It also operates the Solana Summit event series (Washington x Wall Street), maintains an active blog, and runs a coalition-based GTM motion in which SPI is the policy voice and partner organizations (Orca, Phantom, Superstate, DeFi Education Fund, Blockchain Association, Crypto Council for Innovation, 1inch, Aave Labs, Dune) provide the industry signatories.

The organization is funded through donations and grants from the Solana ecosystem and aligned crypto-industry contributors rather than priced products or services. It does not have a published pricing model, has no disclosed revenue, and supplements its advocacy with direct political spending — including a $750,000 contribution to the Sentinel Action Fund PAC for the 2026 Ohio Senate race and a $500,000 donation to the legal defense funds of Tornado Cash developers Roman Storm and Alexey Pertsev. Headcount is small (1-10, approximately 7 named staff), but SPI's influence is amplified by its leadership pedigree — Founder/CEO Miller Whitehouse-Levine (ex-DeFi Education Fund CEO, ex-Blockchain Association) and President Kristin Smith (ex-Blockchain Association CEO, ex-Senate aide) — and by its track record of shaping landmark crypto legislation.

Name

Solana Policy Institute

Legal name

Solana Policy Institute

Website

https://solanapolicyinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Solana Policy Institute is a non-partisan nonprofit that educates U.S. and international policymakers on blockchain regulation, advocates for the Solana ecosystem and DeFi developers, and shapes market structure legislation such as the CLARITY Act and GENIUS Act.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Advocacy Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Business Associations (813910), International Affairs (92812)

SIC

Finance Services (6199), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Governance Frameworks & DAO Tooling (modules, templates, standards) (FSAPAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Coordination & Contributor Management (tasks, bounties, roles) (FSAPAHAD)

Keywords

• Crypto policy advocacy
• Blockchain regulation
• Legislative education
• Non-profit policy research
• Developer protection advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Political Contributions and PAC Funding: SPI makes political contributions and funds PACs as part of its advocacy strategy, including $750,000 contribution to Sentinel Action Fund for Ohio Senate race.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Solana Policy Institute is a non-partisan, non-profit policy advocacy organization that educates U.S. policymakers on blockchain and DeFi regulation. It files legal submissions and amicus briefs, drafts legislative language, organizes high-profile summits connecting policymakers with the crypto industry, and advocates for favorable legislation for the Solana ecosystem, particularly around stablecoins, developer protections, and market structure.

Product overview

Solana Policy Institute is a non-partisan, non-profit policy advocacy organization, not a commercial product company. It does not offer software products or technology services. Its offerings consist of policy education initiatives, legislative advocacy, legal filings and regulatory comments, hosted events (Solana Summits), blog content, and participation in political action committees. The organization focuses on educating U.S. policymakers about blockchain technology and advocating for favorable regulations for the Solana ecosystem and decentralized finance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Policy Advocacy and Education
• Legal Filings and Amicus Briefs
• Solana Summit Events (Washington x Wall Street)

Quantifiable outcome

• CLARITY Act advanced to Senate markup with developer protections language included
• +2 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

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• South Korea's Democratic PartycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2026South Korea's Democratic Party held a closed-door seminar on June 22 with Solana ecosystem representatives including SPI and Orca to discuss DeFi, DEX regulation, and investor protection as part of drafting crypto legislation. This marked Solana's first public event with Korean Democratic Party members. The party is working on Representative Min Byung-deok's June 10 bill proposing a unified supervisory framework and stablecoin legislation.
• OrcacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2026Participated with SPI in South Korea's Democratic Party seminar on DeFi regulation. Also part of Project Open coalition with SPI and Phantom that submitted legal frameworks to SEC's Crypto Task Force.
• Sentinel Action FundminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 June 2026Pro-crypto Super PAC that received $750,000 contribution from SPI for Ohio's 2026 Senate race. PAC pledged to spend more than $8 million in the state alongside its sister organization Right Vote.
• Crypto Council for InnovationcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 April 2026Co-authored a letter with the Blockchain Association urging the US Senate Banking Committee to advance the CLARITY Act, signed by over 120 cryptocurrency and blockchain entities. The coalition warned that absence of comprehensive US regulatory framework risks driving investment, jobs, and technological development offshore.
• Blockchain AssociationcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 April 2026Co-authored coalition letters with the Crypto Council for Innovation urging Senate action on the CLARITY Act. Also held informational briefing on Capitol Hill regarding the CLARITY Act to educate congressional staffers. Senator Thom Tillis indicated the bill is ready to move to markup.
• Defend Developers PACcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 April 2026A new political action committee established as a hybrid PAC to support incumbent politicians who champion legal protections for crypto developers and DeFi projects. Board includes members from Uniswap Labs, DEF, and the Solana Policy Institute. Plans to raise and contribute more than six figures across key races in upcoming midterms.
• 1inchminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 March 2026Led the '1inch Forward' coalition of over 20 DeFi projects urging U.S. universities to integrate DeFi and crypto education into business and law school curricula. Coalition includes 1inch, Blockchain Association, DeFi Education Fund, Solana Policy Institute, Aave Labs, and Dune.
• DeFi Education FundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2025SPI and DeFi Education Fund jointly filed an amicus brief in a critical patent lawsuit that could fundamentally reshape the future of decentralized finance (DeFi). Also co-authored multiple SEC comment letters on non-custodial wallet software and FTC comment letters on digital asset regulations.
• Project Open Coalition (Orca, Superstate, Phantom)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 June 2025SPI, alongside coalition partners Orca, Superstate, and Phantom, submitted comprehensive legal frameworks to the SEC's Crypto Task Force as part of Project Open proposal to establish clear regulatory pathways for digital asset networks.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Coin Center: Long-standing non-profit crypto policy research and advocacy organization; competes for mindshare with SPI on legislative priorities.
• Blockchain Association: Trade association for the blockchain industry; SPI's president Kristin Smith is the former CEO, making it a directly comparable advocacy organization with similar mission and Washington presence.
• Crypto Council for Innovation: Global crypto advocacy coalition; directly co-authors legislative coalition letters with SPI on bills like the CLARITY Act.
• Chamber of Digital Commerce: Digital asset trade association advocating for blockchain policy; similar Washington-based policy mission and coalition function as SPI.
• DeFi Education Fund: Non-profit focused on DeFi policy and education; co-files amicus briefs with SPI and shares founder lineage (Miller Whitehouse-Levine ran DEF before founding SPI).

Broad incumbents

• Coinbase Policy (Stand With Crypto): Coinbase-affiliated pro-crypto political movement advocating for favorable regulation; overlaps with SPI's PAC and developer protection mission but is funded by a major exchange.

Others

• Consumer Choice Center: Pro-innovation, limited-government advocacy group; adjacent ideological ally in regulatory modernization but not directly crypto-focused.

Emerging players

• Satoshi Action Fund: Pro-crypto political advocacy group; overlaps with SPI on political spending and electoral engagement in crypto-friendly races.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SolanaInstitute
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SolanaInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/solana-policy-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Solana Policy Institute