OPENSECRETS
Following the Money in Politics
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
OpenSecrets' mission is to produce and disseminate peerless data and analysis on money in politics-to inform and engage Americans, champion transparency, and expose disproportionate or undue influence on public policy. Challenges in money in politics and governance are urgent and the need for accurate, nonpartisan information on presidential and cabinet-level conflicts of interest is growing. Gaining a clearer understanding of money's influence throughout politics, such as in Congress or via dark money, remains vital to our democracy and for voters' participation in our nation's civic life.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
OpenSecrets.org
A four-time Webby winner for being the best politics resource online, our website OpenSecrets.org allows users to explore the connections between money and politics. Freely available, easy-to-use databases track state and federal campaign contributions, personal financial disclosures of government officials and both foreign and domestic lobbying in a variety of illuminating ways, such as by industry and interest group. The merger of CRP and NIMP brings together decades of expertise, massive data sets, and the kind of analysis that researchers, journalists, advocates and the public rely on to understand the influence of spending on politics. OpenSecrets is a “force multiplier” — empowering users to be informed and engaged in our democratic system and to, in turn, engage other audiences using our unassailable research. At a time when people with genuine concerns across the political spectrum search for answers and common ground, OpenSecrets’ expanded capacity is a force for democracy.
OpenSecrets News
OpenSecrets News puts OS' data in context, pointing out trends, adding a money-in-politics angle to ongoing news stories and policy debates. Our award-winning investigative reporting has exposed networks of secretive politically active nonprofits and local donor schemes.
OpenSecrets' Research Tools
Using OpenSecrets' vast and highly advanced databases, the research team provides custom data and research to academics, activists, journalists and public-interest groups.
Donor Lookup: A database search tool by name for political campaign contributions.
Get Local!: Profiles that show who's making large political contributions by state, and where the money's coming from (by city, by zip code, and graphically with our "money maps"). Includes links to a money profile of individual senators and representatives, with a detailed look at where their campaign war chest comes from.
Featured Data Sets: OpenSecrets routinely creates and provides free public access to custom data sets on a wide variety of topics, based on popular requests.
Bulk Data: OS bulk data allows downloads of compressed text files of the data created from raw data provided by various government agencies. Access and use is free for non-commercial purposes.
APIs: Provide access via web programming to OS site data.
Dark Money and Outside Spending
Outside spending and dark money groups spend millions influencing our elections and public policy. At OpenSecrets.org, we reveal the data reported by outside spending groups to the Federal Election Commission and state disclosure agencies. OpenSecrets.org has a section devoted to dark money groups – politically active nonprofits that aren't required to publicly disclose their donors, unlike virtually every other organization spending money to affect the outcomes of elections public policy debates. Through this dedicated project, we have dug up data on these donors of more than $3 billion – and counting – since 2008.
Foreign Lobby Watch
OpenSecrets' FARA search tool provides data and reveals the networks of lobbyists registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, the foreign interests they represent, and their meetings and other contacts with government officials.
Race and Gender Analysis
OpenSecrets examines gender, race and the intersection of money in politics: expanding the available data on the impact of these factors in primary races, where the real gatekeeping for candidates occurs; providing analyses that can inform winning strategies for candidates from underrepresented populations; and promoting awareness of this work. OS’ critical and unique multi-jurisdictional race and gender data sets are consumed by a diverse voting public through our gender and race tools that explore the challenges that money in politics presents for underrepresented groups of women seeking elected office.
State and Federal Lobbying
OpenSecrets is creating and will maintain the country’s first multi-jurisdictional database of lobbyist/client registrations and lobbying spending, and contextualize the data through tools and analyses, teasing out correlations or networks that may not immediately be apparent. Additionally, linking lobbyists in multiple jurisdictions will provide unique insights into how lobbyists leverage their own donations and those of their clients to influence public policy.
Online Political Advertising
OpenSecrets offers the most comprehensive database of online advertising spending by candidates and political groups on Google and Facebook. OS’ searchable portal provides an excellent view of who is paying for highly targeted online advertising. Renewed support will help to keep the data current and maintain and preserve these sometimes "disappearing" data points.
Where we work
Awards
Webby Award: Best Politics Site 2007
International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences
Webby Award: Best Politics Site 2006
International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences
Webby Award: Best Politics Site 2002
International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences
Webby Award: Best Politics Site 2001
International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences
Top 100 Useful & Interesting Sites 2008
PC World Magazine
Scripps Howard Awards Finalist 2011
Scripps Howard Foundation
Sigma Delta Chi Award/Public Service Journalism 2013
Society of Professional Journalists
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of list subscribers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
OpenSecrets has over 52,000 subscribers to our email newsletter. this helps us keep our audience informed and engaged.
Number of media citations of advocate research or products
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Academics, Activists
Related Program
OpenSecrets.org
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
OpenSecrets is an essential resource for reporters; millions more learn of money's influence from the media's and advocate's increased reliance on our data; We employ Cision to track use.
Number of press articles published
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Academics, Activists
Related Program
OpenSecrets.org
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
OpenSecrets News
Number of unique website visitors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Academics, Activists
Related Program
OpenSecrets.org
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
OpenSecrets aims to enhance its nonpartisan leadership in producing and disseminating money-in-politics information at the federal level to inform and empower voters. Our short term aspirations are the media's increased reliance on our information, as evidenced by the quantity of appearances as well as their quality (e.g., prominence of the article or editorial appearances). We aim to increase legal or other civic action associated with the use of our information. Additionally, we are always working to increase the number of partnerships and the prominence/reach of organizations acting on or with our information. For the long term, our goals would include attaining sufficient public attention to and engagement on the influence that elite interests have on politics and policy, such that: the calls for change grow louder and people and organizations across the ideological spectrum use OpenSecrets' data to provide an opportunity for a new, less polarized conversation about money's influence.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We have several strategies by which to accomplish these goals. We will continue to collaborate with a widening range of partners in the media to extend our audience and impact and work with project-based partners to strengthen our work's quality and reach new audiences. We also plan to strengthen our site's Action center to highlight “rapid-response" opportunities for citizens to engage on issues. In terms of data, we will continue to produce the most comprehensive and highest quality information available, by adding critical and timely data sets (e.g., foreign lobbying and FCC political ad buys) and by curating and integrating the resulting data and strengthening the delivery and usefulness of the data, through improved access, and through more impactful reporting and media partnerships.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
With 38+ years of knowledge and skill, we have the most comprehensive and reliable data on political fundraising and spending on national elections. No other organization has our repository of data or the expertise to be able to parse through the data. We have some of the most capable researchers and reporters working to reveal these underlying influences. We have begun great work at exposing the influence of Dark Money, Super PACs, and Single-Candidate organizations, and have been cited by prominent news outlets, with over 34,860 unique media citations in 2020, and have a good electronic reach, with 132,153 Facebook followers and 104,000 twitter followers. OpenSecrets has established ourselves as experts in campaign finance data and analysis. Additionally, we are supported by an executive board made up of academics, industry professions, and staff of similar organizations that bring unique knowledge and skills to OpenSecrets, allowing for dynamic and diverse guidance.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
OpenSecrets.org allows users to explore the connections between money and politics. We recently redesigned the entire website to make our data more quickly and informatively available,and more user friendly (e.g., with the use of infographics and other visualizations), and more easily viewed on mobile devices. OpenSecrets produced the go-to analysis for the total cost of the 2020 federal elections ($14 billion), of which reported outside spending by organizations funded by secret donors and super PACs reached record highs. We are documenting this continuing trend and are also working on the problem of tracking and exposing the powerful interests. OpenSecrets continually improves its data in order to provide an accurate, consistent and comprehensive resource for the press and public. OS frequently works with other organizations to combine its unique data with other data sets, and to create features illuminating the role money plays in politics.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
OPENSECRETS
Board of directorsas of 09/06/2023
Mr. Bert Brandenburg
Senior advisor, Ward Circle Strategies
Term: 2021 - 2023
Sonia Jarvis
Visiting Professor of "Equality and Justice in America" in the School of Public Affairs, Baruch College, The City University of New York
John Purcell
Media and public advocacy consultant
John Jenkins
Law Street Media
Charles Lewis
School of Communication, American University
Nick Penniman
Issue One
Jennifer N. Victor
School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs, George Mason University
Daniel Doktori
Chief of Staff and General Counsel at Credly
Jeff Malachowsky
Consultant
Maurice BP-Weeks
Co-Executive Director, Action Center on Race & the Economy (ACRE)
Keri Dogan
Senior Vice President, Fidelity Investments
Christopher T. Gates
Philanthropic and nonprofit advisor on philanthropic practice, political reform and civic engagement
Rosalind Gold
Chief Public Policy Officer, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund
Caroline Fredrickson
Distinguished visitor from practice, Georgetown Law Center, and senior fellow, Brennan Center for Justice
Mark Hansen
Director, Brown Institute for Media Innovation. Professor, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism
Charles E.M. Kolb
Executive Director, Quality of Life Plus
Michael J. Malbin
Professor (Emeritus) of Political Science, University at Albany, State University of New York
Jodeen Olguín-Tayler
Senior philanthropic advisor, Movement Voter Project and an organizational change management consultant
Geri D. Palast
Consultant, Palast Strategic Consulting and Coaching
Ann M. Ravel
Digital deception project director, MapLight, and Of Counsel, Renne Public Law Group and McManis Faulkner
Nick Brandis
Lead IT Project Manager, S&P Global Market Intelligence
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data