JOHN M. OLIN FOUNDATION

John M. Olin Foundation



John M. Olin Foundation

Introduction

The John M. Olin Foundation, Inc. was established in 1953 by John Merrill Olin (1892-1982), inventor, industrialist, conservationist and philanthropist. Mr. Olin was committed to the preservation of the principles of political and economic liberty as they have been expressed in American thought, institutions and practice. (John 2002)

Accordingly, the general purpose of the John M. Olin Foundation was to provide support for projects that reflected or were intended to strengthen the economic, political and cultural institutions upon which the American heritage of constitutional government and private enterprise is based. The Foundation also sought to promote a general understanding of these institutions by encouraging the thoughtful study of the connections between economic and political freedoms, and the cultural heritage that sustains them. Over the years the foundation gave away approximately $370 million in pursuit of these goals.

1) What is the basis of the selected figure's power? Is it derived from wealth, influence over information distribution, immediate access to policymakers, or any combination of the above?

John Olin did not intend for his foundation to exist in perpetuity, but rather to close its doors by the time those trustees who best knew his philanthropic ideals had retired. Following the death in 2000 of William E. Simon, whom Mr. Olin had chosen in 1977 to be President of his Foundation, the Board of Trustees began to implement a plan to phase out the Foundation over the next few years. That process was completed in 2005.

The John M. Olin Foundation closed its doors in the fall of 2005. Accordingly, it no longer has the resources to fund new proposals nor the staff to respond to inquiries. (John 2002)

The basis of the John M. Olin Foundation was influence over information distribution. The New York-based John M. Olin Foundation, which grew out of a family manufacturing business (chemical and munitions), funds right-wing think tanks like the American Enterprise Institute, the Heritage Foundation, the Manhattan Institute for Public Policy Research, and the Hoover Institute of War, Revolution and Peace. It also gives large sums of money to promote conservative programs in the country's most prestigious colleges and universities. After Michael Joyce left to take charge of the Bradley Foundation, William Simon continued as president at Olin.

2) What strategies does the selected elite figure use to maintain status and influence? Networking with other elites, business practices, direct political participation?

There are various strategies John M. Olin Foundation use to maintain status and influence. The Olin Institute organizes conferences and seminars, such as the National Security Studies Group and the Future of War Seminar, to encourage intellectual interaction among scholars and experts. Each year the Olin Institute holds a Conference on Strategy and National Security, which brings together experts on national security from academia, the private sector, and government, many of them former Olin Fellows, to discuss research and critical policy issues concerning strategy and national security. (John 2002)

The central purposes of the Institute are: (1) to conduct basic policy-relevant ...