| Founder | Paul Marx |
|---|---|
| Type | Think tank |
| Headquarters | Front Royal, Virginia |
President | Steven W. Mosher |
Chair | John Delmare [1] |
| Revenue | $1,462,224 [1] (2018) |
| Expenses | $1,405,812 [1] (2018) |
| Website | pop.org |
The Population Research Institute (PRI) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Front Royal, Virginia, US. [1] The organization opposes abortion and believes that overpopulation is a myth.
The Population Research Institute was founded in 1989 by Paul Marx (1920–2010), a family sociologist, Catholic priest and Benedictine monk who had established the anti-abortion [2] group Human Life International as well. It became an independent institute in 1996. [3] The same year, the think tank got headed by Steven W. Mosher, [3] [4] a social researcher and author who had witnessed forced abortions in China during the implementation of the one-child policy in 1980. [3]
PRI opposes government attempts to control the population. [5] According to the Los Angeles Times , PRI's Mosher successfully helped lobby the administration of US president George W. Bush to withhold US$34 to $40 million per year for seven years from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the largest international donor to family planning programs. [6] The research institute opined that UNPFA was using American money to fund Chinese compulsory sterilization and abortions, a claim denied by the population fund, noting that it does not work in areas where the one-child policy is still in force. [2] Mosher also advocated against the Chinese two-child policy, claiming that it was "being pushed to the masses through the Communist Party mechanism". [7]
PRI obtains the vast majority of its funding from charitable contributions, gifts, and grants, with a total revenue of 1.46 million dollars in financial year 2018. Of this, 75.6% was spent on program expenses, 4.9% on administration, and 19.3% on fundraising. [1]
The institute has received funding from The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Inc., claimed to be in support of conferences on human rights in China. [8]
PRI's stance on overpopulation and the arguments for "Overpopulation is a Myth" have been described as deceptive. [9] [10]
Charity Navigator classifies charities with respect to "Accountability & Transparency" and "Financial Performance". In 2020 it awarded two out of four stars to PRI for "Accountability & Transparency", and one for "Financial", which combined for an overall score of 70.46, rated as two stars. [1]