Isabella Carter
OpenSecrets is a non-profit organisation based in Washington, D.C. that tracks and publishes data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from the 2021 merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP). The organisation is funded by donations and offers insights into political finance data, including campaign contribution profiles of members of Congress, a lobbying database, and financial information related to Congressional committees. OpenSecrets also provides data on spending by interest groups, election data, and trends, as well as news and reports on the financial side of politics.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of Organization | Nonprofit |
| Funding | Donations |
| Largest Donors | The Carnegie Corporation of New York, Democracy Fund, the Gaia Fund, Google, the Hewlett Foundation, the Kaphan Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, the Omidyar Network, Open Society Foundations, the Popplestone Foundation, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund |
| Revenue and Expenses in 2023 | $2.5 million in revenue and $4.3 million in expenses |
| Website | OpenSecrets.org |
| Year Website was Launched | 1996 |
| Year of Merger of CRP and NIMP | 2021 |
| Executive Director | Sheila Krumholz |
| Director of Development | Victoria Sorg |
| Board Chair | Bert Brandenburg |
| Founder and CEO of Issue One | Nick Penniman |
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What You'll Learn
- OpenSecrets is a non-profit organisation that tracks and publishes data on campaign finance and lobbying
- It was created from the merger of the Center for Responsive Politics and the National Institute on Money in Politics
- OpenSecrets is funded by donations from organisations such as Google, the Hewlett Foundation and Open Society Foundations
- The website OpenSecrets.org was launched in 1996, making data on political funding more accessible
- OpenSecrets provides data on spending by interest groups, lobbyists and lobbying firms, and politicians' financial disclosures
OpenSecrets is a non-profit organisation that tracks and publishes data on campaign finance and lobbying
The organisation is based in Washington, D.C. and is funded entirely by donations from individuals and organisations. Since 2020, the largest donors have been the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Democracy Fund, the Gaia Fund, Google, the Hewlett Foundation, the Kaphan Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, the Omidyar Network, Open Society Foundations, the Popplestone Foundation, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. In 2023, OpenSecrets reported $2.5 million in revenue and $4.3 million in expenses.
OpenSecrets provides data on campaign contributions, expenditures, personal financial disclosures, candidate lists, and lobbying activities. They have a searchable database of officials' personal financial reports, allowing users to see which industries and organisations are supporting their elected representatives. The website also includes a lobbying database that aggregates data on top lobbyists and lobbying firms, as well as specific bills that lobbyists have lobbied for.
In addition to their data collections, OpenSecrets also maintains an independent news platform called OpenSecrets News, which provides breaking news and reports on the financial side of politics and policy. They also offer workshops and training on money-in-politics data, as well as resources for those looking to access specific data for their business or research needs. OpenSecrets has partnered with newsrooms to create investigative pieces and data-driven journalism.
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It was created from the merger of the Center for Responsive Politics and the National Institute on Money in Politics
OpenSecrets is a non-profit organisation based in Washington, D.C. that tracks and publishes data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created in 2021 from the merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP). Both predecessor organisations tracked data on campaign finance in the United States and advocated for stricter regulation and disclosure of political donations.
The Center for Responsive Politics was founded in 1983 by retired U.S. Senators Frank Church of Idaho, of the Democratic Party, and Hugh Scott of Pennsylvania, of the Republican Party. In the 1980s, Church and Scott launched a "money-in-politics" project, the outcome of which consisted of large, printed books. Their first book, "Spending in Congressional Elections: A Never-Ending Spiral", published in 1988, analysed spending patterns in congressional elections from 1974 to 1988. CRP first published data in 1990 and launched the website OpenSecrets.org in 1996, making the data more readily available. CRP was the sole non-profit, non-partisan research, reporting, and analysis group that comprehensively tracked national campaign finance data and its effects on U.S. elections and policy. It collected, analysed, and published millions of financial records related to campaign contributions and lobbying, and made its data available online to the public via its own website, OpenSecrets.org, and social media, including Facebook and Twitter.
The National Institute on Money in Politics traces its roots to the "Money in Western Politics" project launched in 1991 and funded by the MacArthur Foundation. Prior to 1991, data was not digitised and therefore was not easily available. In 1999, three regional teams merged to form NIMP, based in Helena, Montana. The organisation published the Follow The Money website, where it compiled political funding information from government disclosure agencies. The Institute was the only nonpartisan, nonprofit organisation collecting and analysing the full range of financial data related to state-level elections. Its campaign-finance databases and issue analyses were provided to the public and to organisations across the political spectrum free of charge, and its findings and data regularly informed national news reports, scholarly research, issue advocacy, court decisions, and legislative debates.
OpenSecrets, the merged organisation, is the nation's premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy. Its mission is to track the flow of money in American politics and provide the data and analysis to strengthen democracy. It is funded by donations, with donors including the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Democracy Fund, the Gaia Fund, Google, the Hewlett Foundation, the Kaphan Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, the Omidyar Network, Open Society Foundations, the Popplestone Foundation, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
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OpenSecrets is funded by donations from organisations such as Google, the Hewlett Foundation and Open Society Foundations
OpenSecrets is a non-profit organisation based in Washington, D.C. that tracks and publishes data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from the 2021 merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP), both of which tracked data on campaign finance in the United States and advocated for stricter regulation and disclosure of political donations.
OpenSecrets is 100% funded through donations from individuals and institutions. Since 2020, the largest donors have been the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Democracy Fund, the Gaia Fund, Google, the Hewlett Foundation, the Kaphan Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, the Omidyar Network, Open Society Foundations, the Popplestone Foundation, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Open Society Foundations, for instance, donated $2.3 million. Google, the Hewlett Foundation, and Open Society Foundations are thus among the many organisations and individuals who support OpenSecrets' mission to strengthen democracy by tracking the flow of money in American politics and providing data and analysis.
OpenSecrets also receives donations through AmazonSmiles, Ayco Charitable Foundation, Benevity, the Combined Federal Campaign, Donation Xchange/Global Charitable Fund, Facebook, Fidelity Charitable, Johnson Charitable Gift Fund, JP Morgan Charitable Giving Fund, JustGive - Great Nonprofits, Morgan Stanley Gift Fund, Network for Good, Panorama Global Impact Fund, Paypal, Schwab Charitable, TisBest Philanthropy, Vanguard Charitable, Your Cause, and other community foundations and donor-advised funds.
OpenSecrets does not list donors anonymously and makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of its funding acknowledgements. The organisation also encourages donors to contact their employers about matching gift opportunities or to explore estate or planned giving options.
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The website OpenSecrets.org was launched in 1996, making data on political funding more accessible
OpenSecrets is a non-profit organisation based in Washington, D.C., that tracks and publishes data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from the 2021 merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP), both of which tracked data on campaign finance and advocated for stricter regulation and disclosure of political donations.
OpenSecrets offers access to state and federal datasets on political contributions, expenditures, personal financial disclosures, candidate lists, and lobbying activities. It is unique in that it categorises campaign contributions by industry, including individuals' contributions, not just those from political action committees. This is significant because, while corporations are prohibited from making political contributions directly, they can exert influence through individuals associated with the institution.
The organisation is funded by donations, with its largest donors including the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Democracy Fund, the Gaia Fund, Google, and the Hewlett Foundation. OpenSecrets provides non-partisan, free-to-use information, tracking money in politics and its influence on elections and public policy. It has been described as an "invaluable" resource for journalists and those seeking transparency in politics.
With over 40 years of research, OpenSecrets has established a strong methodology for understanding the correlation between individuals' contributions and their employers' political interests. It is an essential resource for anyone seeking to understand the financial forces behind political decisions and the impact of money in politics.
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OpenSecrets provides data on spending by interest groups, lobbyists and lobbying firms, and politicians' financial disclosures
OpenSecrets is a non-profit organisation based in Washington, D.C. that tracks and publishes data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from the 2021 merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP), both of which tracked data on campaign finance and advocated for stricter regulation and disclosure of political donations.
OpenSecrets provides data on spending by interest groups, lobbyists, and lobbying firms, as well as politicians' financial disclosures. This includes searchable databases of officials' personal financial reports and donors to governors and state legislators in all 50 states. The data allows users to see which industries and special interest groups are supporting state leaders and judicial officeholders, as well as which public relations firms have signed up former White House and Congressional staffers to lobby on their behalf.
OpenSecrets also offers insights into the influence of "dark money" groups, which spend millions of dollars on elections without revealing the source of their funding. The organisation provides profiles of influential organisations spending billions of dollars annually to lobby Congress and federal agencies, including companies, labour unions, trade associations, and other groups.
In addition to its data on spending by interest groups and lobbyists, OpenSecrets also provides information on politicians' financial disclosures at all levels of government, from state to federal. This includes data on campaign contributions, expenditures, and lobbying activities. OpenSecrets' data spans over 30 years and is available in various formats, including summary data, raw data, and specialised research.
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Frequently asked questions
OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organisation based in Washington, D.C. that tracks and publishes data on campaign finance and lobbying.
OpenSecrets provides data on campaign contributions, expenditures, personal financial disclosures, lobbying activities, and more. The site provides data by sector and issue type for all elections since 1990.
OpenSecrets is 100% funded by donors. Since 2020, the largest donors have been the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Democracy Fund, the Gaia Fund, Google, the Hewlett Foundation, and the Kaphan Foundation, among others.
OpenSecrets was created from the 2021 merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP). Victoria Sorg is the Director of Development of both CRP and Open Secrets, and Bert Brandenburg is the board chair.
