R Street Institute

R Street Institute (R Street) is a non-profit, nonpartisan public policy research organization founded in 2012 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It describes its mission in terms of advancing classical liberal principles—supporting free markets and limited, effective government—and fostering evidence-based policy discussions across policy areas where many other groups focus less. R Street organizes its policy work into major issue areas including criminal justice and civil liberties, cybersecurity and emerging threats, energy and environment, finance and trade, governance, health/behavioral health and harm reduction, insurance, and technology and innovation. In addition to publishing research, analysis, explainers, and policy studies, the organization engages with policymakers through federal and state government affairs and provides public-facing commentary and outreach.

Strategically, R Street positions itself as a cross-partisan coalition-builder (“principled pluralism”) rather than a single-ideology movement; it emphasizes relationships, credibility, and dialogue in its policy process. Recent work areas visible on its site include technology governance and innovation policy (including AI and online content policy), cyber and privacy/security policy (including themes like post-quantum migration and data privacy/security priorities), and elections/governance-related policy.

R Street is organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 26-3477125) and states that it does not accept government funding. Its funding profile (from IRS Form 990-derived aggregations) indicates that it receives multi-year philanthropic grant support from foundations and other grantmakers, with its largest reported funder being the Hewlett Foundation.