RAND Corporation

RAND Corporation
PredecessorSpin-off of Project RAND, a former partnership between Douglas Aircraft Company and the United States Air Force until incorporation as a nonprofit and gaining independence from both.
FormationMay 14, 1948 (1948-05-14)
Founders
TypeGlobal policy think tank, research institute, and public sector consulting firm[1]
95-1958142
Legal statusNonprofit corporation
Purpose
HeadquartersSanta Monica, California, U.S.
Coordinates34°00′35″N 118°29′26″W / 34.009599°N 118.490670°W / 34.009599; -118.490670
Region
Worldwide
President and CEO
Jason Gaverick Matheny[2]
RAND Leadership
  • Jennifer Gould
  • Andrew R. Hoehn
  • Mike Januzik
  • Eric Peltz
  • Melissa Rowe
  • Robert M. Case[2]
President, RAND Europe
Hans Pung[2]
SubsidiariesRAND Europe
Frederick S. Pardee RAND Graduate School
AffiliationsIndependent
Revenue
Increase $351.7 million (2016)[4]
DisbursementsNumerous
ExpensesIncrease $340.4 million (2016)[4]
Endowment$267.7 million (2020)[5]
Staff (2015)
1,700[6]
Websitewww.rand.org

The RAND Corporation is an American nonprofit global policy think tank,[1] research institute, and public sector consulting firm. RAND Corporation engages in research and development (R&D) across multiple fields and industries. Since the 1950s, RAND research has helped inform United States policy decisions on a wide variety of issues, including the space race, the Vietnam War, the U.S.-Soviet nuclear arms confrontation, the creation of the Great Society social welfare programs, and national health care.

The RAND Corporation originated as "Project RAND" (from the phrase "research and development") in the postwar period immediately after World War II.[7][8] The United States Army Air Forces established Project RAND with the objective of investigating long-range planning of future weapons.[9] Douglas Aircraft Company was granted a contract to research intercontinental warfare.[9] Project RAND later evolved into the RAND Corporation, and expanded its research into civilian fields such as education and international affairs.[10] It was the first think tank to be regularly referred to as a "think tank".[1]

RAND receives both public and private funding. Its funding sources include the U.S. government, private endowments,[6] corporations,[11] universities,[11] charitable foundations, U.S. state and local governments, international organizations, and to a small extent, by foreign governments.[11][12] In 2023, Politico reported that the RAND Corporation was a driving force behind the White House’s sweeping new AI reporting requirements after it took more than $15 million in discretionary grants on AI and biosecurity from Open Philanthropy.[13][14] The effective-altruist group has personal and financial ties to AI firms Anthropic and OpenAI, and top RAND personnel have been closely linked to key corporate structures at those companies.[13][14]

  1. ^ a b c Medvetz, Thomas (2012). Think Tanks in America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-226-51729-2. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "RAND Leadership". RAND Corporation. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  3. ^ "RAND Corporation Board of Trustees". RAND Corporation. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Financial Statements, FY 2016". RAND Corporation. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  5. ^ As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  6. ^ a b "2013 RAND Annual Report". RAND Corporation. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2015. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ Abella, Alex (2009). Soldiers of Reason: The RAND Corporation and the Rise of the American Empire. Boston and New York: Mariner Books. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-15-603344-2. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  8. ^ RAND History and Mission. Accessed 13 April 2009.
  9. ^ a b Johnson, Stephen B. (2002). The United States Air Force and the culture of innovation 1945-1965. Diane Publishing Co. p. 32.
  10. ^ "RAND Corporation - GuideStar Profile". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  11. ^ a b c "How We're Funded". RAND Corp. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  12. ^ Monica, 1776 Main Street Santa; California 90401-3208. "How We Are Funded: Major Clients and Grantmakers of RAND Research". www.rand.org. Retrieved 10 March 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ a b "Think tank tied to tech billionaires played key role in Biden's AI order".
  14. ^ a b "The AI Doomers Have Infiltrated Washington".