OpenSecrets is a
nonprofit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
based in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP).
History
The ''Center for Responsive Politics'' was founded in 1983 by retired U.S. Senators
Frank Church of
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...
, of the
Democratic Party, and
Hugh Scott
Hugh Doggett Scott Jr. (November 11, 1900 – July 21, 1994) was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1947 to 1959 and in the U.S. Senate, from 195 ...
of
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, of the
Republican Party.
[ It was officially incorporated on February 1, 1984. In the 1980s, Church and Scott launched a "money-in-politics" project, whose outcome consisted of large, printed books. Their first book, published in 1988, analyzed spending patterns in congressional elections from 1974 through 1986, including 1986 soft money contributions in five states. It was titled ''Spending in Congressional Elections: A Never-Ending Spiral.'']
In 2021, the CRP announced its merger with the National Institute on Money in Politics
OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP) ...
. The combined organization is known as OpenSecrets. The merger was funded by the Hewlett Foundation.
National Institute on Money in Politics
The ''National Institute on Money in Politics'' was an American nonprofit organization that tracked campaign finance data. The organization published the Follow The Money website, where it compiled political funding information from government disclosure agencies. The Institute advocated for stricter regulation of political donations, including increased disclosure of political spending. The Institute believed that states should require independent political spenders to disclose all information about election-related communications.
Activities
In 1996, CRP launched its online counterpart, OpenSecrets.org.[
CRP hosts a revolving door database which documents the individuals who have passed between the public sector and K Street.]
In 2015, ''The News & Observer
''The News & Observer'' is an American regional daily newspaper that serves the greater Triangle area based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The paper is the largest in circulation in the state (second is the ''Charlotte Observer''). The paper has bee ...
'' published an op-ed by Robert Maguire, the political nonprofits investigator at CRP, that was critical of Carolina Rising, a 501(c)(4)
A 501(c) organization is a nonprofit organization in the federal law of the United States according to Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)) and is one of over 29 types of nonprofit organizations exempt from some federal income taxes. ...
social welfare organization (i.e. an organization considered by the IRS to operate exclusively for the promotion of social welfare
Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...
) for spending $4.7 million in 2014 on political ads in support of Thom Tillis
Thomas Roland Tillis (born August 30, 1960) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from North Carolina since 2015. A Republican, he was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2006, and began ser ...
, Senate candidate from North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
.
CRP reported that President Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
's re-election campaign was financially related to the rally that occurred on January 6, 2021 preceding the 2021 United States Capitol attack.
Funding
Major donors to the Center for Responsive Politics include the Sunlight Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts
The Pew Charitable Trusts is an independent non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO), founded in 1948.
With over 6 billion in assets, its stated mission is to serve the public interest by "improving public policy, informing the public, a ...
, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Open Society Foundations, the Joyce Foundation
The Joyce Foundation is a non-operating private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. As of 2021, it had assets of approximately $1.1 billion and distributes $50 million in grants per year and primarily funds organizations in the Great Lakes re ...
, and the Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...
. At the end of 2017, the organization reported $1.44 million in annual revenue and $2.92 million in net assets.
Funders of the National Institute on Money in Politics included the Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...
, the MacArthur Foundation
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private foundation that makes grants and impact investments to support non-profit organizations in approximately 50 countries around the world. It has an endowment of $7.0 billion and p ...
, the Open Society Foundations, the Rockefeller Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, commonly known as the Hewlett Foundation, is a private foundation, established by Hewlett-Packard cofounder William Redington Hewlett and his wife Flora Lamson Hewlett in 1966. The Hewlett Foundation awa ...
, the Bauman Foundation, and the Sunlight Foundation.
Staff
Sheila Krumholz
Sheila Krumholz (born 20th century) is an American nonprofit executive.
She serves as the executive director of OpenSecrets, a research group based in Washington, D.C.
See also
* List of people from Washington, D.C.
* List of University of ...
has been the organization's executive director since December 2006, having previously served as the group's research director. She joined the organization in 1989.
References
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External links
*
Charity Navigator rating
GuideStar profile
FollowTheMoney.org
{{Authority control
Government watchdog groups in the United States
Lobbying in the United States
Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.
Open government in the United States