# Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

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The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWICS) or Wilson Center is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank dedicated to research and policy discussions on global issues. Established by an act of Congress in 1968, it serves as both a presidential memorial to Woodrow Wilson and a part of the Smithsonian Institution. The Wilson Center describes itself as nonpartisan and provides a forum for scholars and policymakers to address critical international and domestic challenges.
The Wilson Center has been recognized as a leading global think tank. In 2020, the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program ranked it as the 10th most influential think tank worldwide. It conducts research on international relations, security, economics, and governance, producing reports and hosting discussions that shape policy debates.
On March 15, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for the elimination of several federal entities, including the Wilson Center. The order directed the reduction of functions and personnel across affected institutions to the minimum required by law.

## Organization

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars was established within the Smithsonian Institution, but it has its own board of trustees, composed both of government officials and of people from private life appointed by the president of the United States. It publishes a digital magazine, the Wilson Quarterly.
The center is a public–private partnership with approximately one-third of the center's operating funds coming annually from an appropriation of the U.S. government. The center is housed in a wing of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, a federal office building where the center has a 30-year rent-free lease. The remainder of the center's funding comes from foundations, grants, contracts, corporations, individuals, endowment income, and subscriptions.
The center has faced challenges in recent years. In March 2017, President Trump proposed a budget that called for eliminating federal funding for the center, reflecting a recommendation issued by the Heritage Foundation earlier that year. In November 2022, the Russian government labeled the center an "undesirable organization" under Russian law, barring its activities in the country. The Heritage Foundation again called for eliminating federal appropriations to the center in its "Budget Blueprint for FY2023", estimating savings of between $16 million and $21 million per year.

## Administration

The board of trustees, currently chaired by Bill Haslam, is appointed to six-year terms by the U.S. president.
The board of directors include Haslam, vice chair Drew Maloney, private citizen members Nick Adams, Thelma Duggin, Brian Hook, David Jacobson, Timothy Pataki, Alan N. Rechtschaffen, Louis Susman. Public members include Antony Blinken, Lonnie Bunch, Miguel Cardona, David Ferriero, Carla Hayden, Shelly Lowe, Xavier Becerra.
On January 28, 2021, Mark Andrew Green was announced as the Wilson Center's new president, director, and CEO, and he began his term on March 15, 2021.
On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that Brian Hook was fired.

## Programs

Most of the center's staff form specialized programs and projects covering broad areas of study. Key programs include the Cold War International History Project, Environmental Change and Security Program, History and Public Policy Program, Kennan Institute, the Kissinger Institute, and the North Korea International Documentation Project.