# think tank **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 28, 2000, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-tank/47511 "2000-12-28T15:30:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecd19e/32.png) [@dp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dp)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2000, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-tank/47511/1 "2000-12-28T15:30:11Z")
What is a think tank? Are they for-profit orginizations? ---
**Author:** ![weapons\_grade\_bullonium](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c68b51/32.png) [@weapons\_grade\_bullonium](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/weapons_grade_bullonium)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2000, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-tank/47511/2 "2000-12-28T16:57:20Z")
The main one (first?) was the Hoover Institute at Stanford. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2000, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-tank/47511/3 "2000-12-28T17:43:55Z")
From [http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary) > [@](#): > > Main Entry: think tank > Function: noun > Date: 1959 > : an institute, corporation, or group organized for interdisciplinary research (as in technological and social problems) – called also think factory Judging from the number of Google hits I got for “think tank”, it looks like anytime you put two or more thinkers together in a room, you can call it a think tank. As for whether they’re non-profit or not, it depends. Usually if they are, they’ll say so right up front. RAND Institute > **[RAND Corporation Provides Objective Research Services and Public Policy Analysis](https://www.rand.org/)** > > The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND focuses on the issues that matter most such as health, education, national security, international affairs, law and... Prominent think tank undertakes research in various fields, including economics. With an index of economic documents. I can’t tell whether RAND is non-profit or not. > [@](#): > > RAND was created at the urging of its original client, the Air Force (then the Army Air Forces). Today, its activities are supported by a wide range of sources. U.S. government agencies provide the largest share of support. Charitable foundations, private sector firms, individuals, and earnings from RAND’s endowment fund furnish a steadily growing proportion. Hudson Institute > **[Hudson Institute](https://www.hudson.org/)** > > Think tank and research center dedicated to nonpartisan analysis of US and international economic, security, and political issues. Public policy research organization forecasts trends in government, crime and the workforce. Access publications and events lists. > [@](#): > > Hudson Institute is an internationally recognized public policy research organization that forecasts trends and develops solutions for governments, businesses and the public. Founded in 1961 by the late Herman Kahn, the Indianapolis-based not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization has more than 70 researchers and employees at its eight offices worldwide. Nat’l Center for Policy Analysis > **[Home](https://ncpa.org/)** > > Founded in 1898, the National Community Pharmacists Association is the voice for independent pharmacy, representing 21,000 pharmacies and employing more than 250,000 individuals nationwide. Promotes private alternatives to government regulation and control. Focuses on taxes, healthcare, welfare, crime, and environmental policies. > [@](#): > > The NCPASM is a nonprofit public policy research institute. Our website offers a wealth of analysis, debate, and in-depth research from around the world. Lists of other think tanks. [http://www.nira.go.jp/ice/tt-info/nwdtt99/](http://www.nira.go.jp/ice/tt-info/nwdtt99/) [http://www.cascadepolicy.org/spn.htm](http://www.cascadepolicy.org/spn.htm) ---
**Author:** ![weapons\_grade\_bullonium](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c68b51/32.png) [@weapons\_grade\_bullonium](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/weapons_grade_bullonium)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2000, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-tank/47511/4 "2000-12-28T18:02:04Z")
The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace within Stanford University is a public policy research center devoted to advanced study of politics, economics, and political economy—both domestic and foreign—as well as international affairs. Founded in 1919 by Herbert Hoover, who later became the thirty-first president of the United States, the Institution originated as a specialized collection of documents on the causes and consequences of World War I. The collection grew rapidly and soon became one of the largest archives and most complete libraries in the world devoted to political, economic, and social change in the twentieth century. By the late 1940s, the richness of the collection had led to the recruitment of scholars to use the documents in their work. Expanding its agenda to include specific research endeavors led to a vast accumulation of knowledge, and the Hoover Institution became one of the first and most distinguished academic centers in the United States dedicated to public policy research. Today, with its world-renowned group of scholars and ongoing programs of policy-oriented research, the Hoover Institution puts its accumulated knowledge to work as a prominent contributor to the world marketplace of ideas defining a free society. [http://www-hoover.stanford.edu/](http://www-hoover.stanford.edu/) ---
**Author:** ![dp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecd19e/32.png) [@dp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dp)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2000, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-tank/47511/5 "2000-12-29T02:00:05Z")
thank you, everyone