The Center for Individual Freedom (CFIF) is an Alexandria, Virginia based U.S. nonprofit conservative policy advocacy[1] organization.
The Center for Individual Freedom was founded in 1998 by former tobacco industry executives who sought to counter government restrictions on smoking.[2]
It has led efforts to defeat efforts to compel "dark money" groups like it from being forced to reveal their donors. It won a victory in September 2012 when a U.S. appeals court overturned a lower court decision that increased disclosure requirements. Despite this, Mother Jones reported in April 2012 that the Center for Individual Freedom had been given $2.75 million from Crossroads GPS, the conservative non-profit started by Karl Rove.[3] Paul Ryan, an attorney with the Campaign Legal Center (a group in favor of campaign finance regulation), says CFIF's anti-disclosure cases are without merit but adds that challenging disclosure laws is a new attempt to deregulate campaign finance.[3]
In the 2010 elections CFIF spent $2.5 million supporting Republican candidates, and in the 2012 elections it spent $1.9 million.[4]
In April 2016, it was reported that CFIF spent $200,000 on advertisements opposing the Puerto Rico debt relief bill.[5] The Center also launched a radio ad, criticizing Representative Sean Duffy for his inconsistent stance on the bill.[6]
The CFIF supported efforts to repeal net neutrality laws in 2017.
A story by Gizmodo found that CFIF was involved in the communications industry's campaign against net neutrality.[7] [8]
In 2024, CFIF launched a podcast called IP Protection Matters, which discusses intellectual property issues.