 | |
 | |
| Founded | 1983; 42 years ago (1983)[1] |
|---|---|
| Founders | |
| Merger of | Center for Responsive Politics National Institute on Money in Politics |
| Type | Research |
| 52-1275227[2] | |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3)[2] |
| Focus | Campaign finance in the United States |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 38°54′13″N77°01′48″W / 38.9037°N 77.0300°W /38.9037; -77.0300 |
Area served | United States |
| Bert Brandenburg[3] | |
| Hilary Braseth (December 2023 – present)[4][5] | |
| Revenue | $2.5 million[2] (2023) |
| Expenses | $4.3 million[2] (2023) |
| Website | opensecrets.org |
OpenSecrets is anonprofit organization based inWashington, D.C., that tracks and publishes data on campaign finance and lobbying, including arevolving door database which documents the individuals who have worked in both the public sector andlobbying firms and may haveconflicts of interest.[6][7][8][9] It was created from the 2021 merger of theCenter for Responsive Politics (CRP) and theNational Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP), both of which were organizations that tracked data oncampaign finance in the United States and advocated for stricter regulation and disclosure of political donations.[10][11][12][13][14]
Examples of investigations conducted by the organization include uncovering that Carolina Rising, a501(c)(4)social welfare organization spent $4.7 million in 2014 on political ads in support ofThom Tillis, Senate candidate fromNorth Carolina,[15] and that theDonald Trump 2020 presidential campaign was financially related to the rally that preceded theJanuary 6 United States Capitol attack.[16]
The organization is funded by donations; since 2020, the largest donors have been: theCarnegie Corporation of New York,Democracy Fund, the Gaia Fund,Google, theHewlett Foundation, the Kaphan Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, theOmidyar Network,Open Society Foundations, the Popplestone Foundation, and theRockefeller Brothers Fund.[17] In 2023, the organization reported $2.5 million in revenue and $4.3 million in expenses.[2] In 2024, having serious financial difficulties, OpenSecrets laid off a third of its staff.[18]
TheCenter for Responsive Politics was founded in 1983 by retired U.S. SenatorsFrank Church ofIdaho, of theDemocratic Party, andHugh Scott ofPennsylvania, of theRepublican Party.[1] In the 1980s, Church and Scott launched a "money-in-politics" project, whose outcome consisted of large, printed books. Their first book,Spending in Congressional Elections: A Never-Ending Spiral, published in 1988, analyzed spending patterns in congressional elections from 1974 through 1986, including 1986soft money contributions in five states. The first data was published by CRP in 1990 and the website OpenSecrets.org was launched in 1996, making the data more readily available.[1][19][20]
TheNational Institute on Money in Politics traces its roots to the "Money in Western Politics" project launched in 1991 and funded by theMacArthur Foundation. Prior to 1991, data was not digitized and therefore was not easily available. In 1999, three regional teams merged to form NIMP, based inHelena, Montana. The organization published the Follow The Money website, where it compiled political funding information from government disclosure agencies.[21]
The organization did not receive any government funding and relied on philanthropic efforts;[21] among its donations received was $2.3 million in funding fromOpen Society Foundations.[22][better source needed]
Sheila Krumholz, who joined the organization in 1989, was the executive director of OpenSecrets and its predecessor from December 2006, having previously served as research director, until December 2023.[23][5]
