Center for Individual Freedom

The Center for Individual Freedom (CFIF) is an Alexandria, Virginia based U.S. nonprofit conservative policy advocacy organization, founded on the principle of securing individual freedoms as embodied in the United States Constitution and state constitutions. It was founded in 1998 by former tobacco industry executives who sought to counter government restrictions on smoking, but is no longer associated with tobacco or smoking. The group focuses on three activities: legal (litigation support), legislative (lobbying), and educational (publications and seminars). On its website CFIF says it "relies on private financial support from individuals, associations, foundations and corporations." The Center for Individual Freedom is a member of the Townhall.com consortium. The Center is involved with "strict constructionist" activities regarding judicial and legislative issues. The organization maintains Freedom Line, a Blog.

The Center for Individual Freedom has led efforts to defeat efforts to compel "Dark Money" groups like it from being forced to reveal their donors. It won a big 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. 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.

In the United States elections, 2010 CFIF spent $2.5 million supporting Republican candidates, and in the United States elections, 2012 it spent $1.9 million.