RIGHT BIAS
These media sources are moderately to strongly biased toward conservative causes through story selection and/or political affiliation. They may utilize strong loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by using an appeal to emotion or stereotypes), publish misleading reports, and omit information that may damage conservative causes. Some sources in this category may be untrustworthy. See all Right Bias sources.
- The State Policy Network is a well-funded, highly coordinated coalition of conservative think tanks advocating for deregulation, privatization, and the decentralization of government authority. It plays a central role in promoting policies that align with the interests of large donors and corporate-aligned foundations. Though its operations are legal and its messaging polished, its consistent alignment with climate denial groups and efforts to undercut public education oversight justify a Right Bias and Mixed Factual rating.
Detailed Report
Bias Rating: RIGHT (6.8)
Factual Reporting: MIXED (5.0)
Country: USA
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rating: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Organization/Foundation
Traffic/Popularity: Minimal Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: MEDIUM CREDIBILITY
History
The State Policy Network (SPN) was founded in 1992 to build and coordinate a nationwide coalition of conservative and libertarian state-level think tanks. Its stated mission is to support “durable freedom movements” in all 50 states through a federated network of affiliates dedicated to advancing limited government, free-market policies, and opposition to federal overreach. SPN refers to its work as empowering “entrepreneurial leaders” to restore federalism and reshape public policy from the state level upward.
Read our profile on the United States media and government.
Funded by / Ownership
SPN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. Although it does not publicly disclose its donors on its donation page, independent investigations have revealed substantial funding from fossil fuel-aligned and libertarian organizations. According to the Center for Media and Democracy, major contributors include DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund, which serve as pass-throughs for anonymous conservative donors; the Bradley Foundation; Searle Freedom Trust; Walton Family Foundation; and the Adolph Coors Foundation. InfluenceWatch notes that these funders have directed tens of millions to SPN and its affiliates, often in support of deregulatory, anti-union, and climate-skeptical agendas. SPN also operates its own grant-making programs and provides financial support to its member organizations.
The SPN Board of Directors includes representatives from DonorsTrust, the Coors Foundation, the Heritage Foundation, and the John William Pope Foundation, groups with longstanding influence in conservative U.S. policy networks.
Analysis / Bias
State Policy Network operates as a central hub for conservative state-level policy campaigns, coordinating strategies on tax cuts, deregulation, school privatization, and resistance to environmental regulations. Its policy solutions page promotes anti-tax, anti-regulation reforms under the guise of economic freedom. Its affiliated think tanks, such as Alaska Policy Forum, publish aligned narratives that cast public services as monopolistic and endorse privatization schemes for schools and other public functions.
For example, SPN’s co-authored paper “Align Incentives in ESA Programs” advocates for removing oversight and regulatory structures in Education Savings Account (ESA) programs, arguing that states should “trust” parents and shift toward post-use enforcement rather than preventative regulation. The paper reflects SPN’s broader ideological stance against what it views as “micromanagement” by the state and advocates for expanding publicly funded but privately administered school choice systems.
SPN is also ideologically aligned with climate change skepticism. As noted in the Desmog profile, SPN has supported messaging that minimizes or questions the scientific consensus on global warming. The network has promoted views from the Heartland Institute and Competitive Enterprise Institute—two organizations central to climate denial narratives.
While SPN’s training and communications infrastructure are robust, offering coaching, policy working groups, grants, and leadership programs, its outputs reflect a fixed ideological framework. The Network supports campaigns that routinely underplay climate science, oppose labor protections, deregulate business, and expand school privatization, often framing government oversight as “federal overreach.”
Failed Fact Checks
- There are no direct third-party fact checks of SPN itself. However, many affiliated groups have published misleading or ideologically slanted information, particularly in the areas of climate change and education policy. SPN’s coordination with climate-skeptical groups like the Heartland Institute raises significant concerns about the reliability and neutrality of its policy content.
The State Policy Network is a well-funded, highly coordinated coalition of conservative think tanks advocating for deregulation, privatization, and the decentralization of government authority. It plays a central role in promoting policies that align with the interests of large donors and corporate-aligned foundations. Though its operations are legal and its messaging polished, its consistent alignment with climate denial groups and efforts to undercut public education oversight justify a Right Bias and Mixed Factual rating. (D. Van Zandt 08/07/2025)
Source: https://spn.org/
Last Updated on August 7, 2025 by Media Bias Fact Check
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