*�🇸 New Crypto Advocacy Group AIP Chooses Education Over Lobbying in D.C.

In a town flooded with crypto lobbyists, the American Innovation Project takes a softer, smarter path: teach, don’t preach.

⚡ Quick Hits

• 🏛️ Type: 501(c)(3) nonprofit (not a lobbying group)
• 📍 Launch: Aug. 21, 2025 — Jackson Hole, WY (Blockchain Symposium)
• 🤝 Backers: DCG, Coinbase, Kraken, a16z, Paradigm, Solana Policy Institute, Stand With Crypto, Uniswap Labs
• 👥 Leadership: Kristin Smith (ex-Blockchain Association, now Solana Policy Institute)
• 🎯 Focus: Policy roundtables, innovation summits, workshops, trainings

🎓 Education, Not Lobbying

Washington is crawling with crypto policy groups — Blockchain Association, DeFi Education Fund, Ripple-backed NCA, Crypto Council — all fighting for influence.

But the American Innovation Project (AIP) is breaking ranks:

• Not lobbying.
• Not partisan.
• Purely educational — a forum for lawmakers to learn, not just be lobbied.

Workshops. Summits. Roundtables. Trainings. Think crypto crash-course for Capitol Hill.

💰 Why 501(c)(3) Status Matters

Unlike most industry groups, AIP is structured as a nonprofit charity. That means:

• ✅ Tax-deductible donations (including crypto)
• ✅ Lawmakers can join events more easily (no lobbying label baggage)
• ✅ Easier to cast itself as neutral + credible

In D.C.’s crowded crypto space, that’s a major flex.

🧑‍💼 Backing + Leadership

AIP’s rolodex is stacked:

• Digital Currency Group (DCG) + Cedar Innovation Foundation (early funders)
• Coinbase, Kraken, a16z, Paradigm, Solana Policy Institute, Stand With Crypto, Uniswap Labs

At the helm:

• Kristin Smith → ex-Blockchain Association, now Solana Policy Institute → AIP Board Chair
• Board includes reps from DCG, Coinbase, Paradigm

Smith sets the tone:

“We must equip America’s leaders with knowledge, context, and tools for timely crypto regulation.”

DCG’s Mark Murphy calls it a “nonpartisan forum” where policymakers + innovators can meet without lobbying pressure.

🗳️ Why Now?

Timing is 🔑:

• 2025 = new U.S. election cycle → crypto is on the political agenda
• Regulators are drafting comprehensive frameworks
• The big Q: will America lead or lag in the digital asset race?

AIP’s strategy: education as soft power. Less partisan fire, more policymaker buy-in.

And with tax-advantaged donations, AIP may outlast other orgs in D.C.’s crowded policy arena.

🧠 Bigger Picture

• Washington is shaping crypto’s future right now
• Most orgs = lobby hard, spend heavy
• AIP = play the long game → educate lawmakers instead of pushing agendas
• Could become the “Crypto Brookings” of U.S. policy

If it works, it might rewrite the playbook for how crypto shapes regulation.

TL;DR

• 🇺🇸 AIP launched as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit → no lobbying, all education
• 🤝 Backed by Coinbase, Kraken, a16z, Paradigm, DCG, Solana Policy Institute, others
• 👥 Chaired by Kristin Smith (ex-Blockchain Association)
• 🎯 Focus: workshops, summits, roundtables for policymakers
• 🗳️ Launch timing: as 2025 election cycle heats up + crypto rules get drafted