InfluenceWatch Friday

InfluenceWatch, a project of Capital Research Center, is a comprehensive and ever-evolving compilation of our research into the numerous advocacy groups, foundations, and donors working to influence the public policy process. The website offers transparency into these influencers’ funding, motives, and connections while providing insight often neglected by other watchdog groups.

The information compiled in InfluenceWatch gives news outlets and other interested parties research to use in reporting on significant topics that are often overlooked by the American public.

CRC is pleased to present some of the most significant additions to InfluenceWatch in the past week:

• The Center for Political Innovation (CPI) is a radical-left advocacy group that organizes protests and community actions in major cities across the United States. CPI was founded by radical activist Caleb Maupin, who was previously associated with the Marxist-Leninist Workers World Party and has defended extremist regimes on social media, including North Korea and Iran, while encouraging U.S cooperation with China and Russia. CPI previously participated in a “Rage Against the War Machine” protest in Washington D.C that advocated for a pro-China and anti-Ukraine policy.
• Johannah King-Slutzky is a left-wing political activist who took part in anti-Israel protests at Columbia University in April 2024, and who acted as a spokesperson for protesters who had occupied a building on campus. King-Slutzky has previously worked for several left-of-center organizations associated with the Democratic Party, including BerlinRosen and The Arena. According to Fox News, King-Slutzky had previously claimed on her personal blog that “terrorism is the dream of politics.” She also reportedly described herself as a “full-service digital comms expert for progressive and leftist causes” on her LinkedIn page.
• Black Harvest, LLC is a philanthropic consultancy located in New York City that works with left-of-center organizations. The company was founded by Tynesha McHarris, who previously worked with several left-of-center groups including the Movement for Black Lives, Grantmakers for Girls of Color and the NoVo Foundation. In 2021, Black Harvest, LLC co-signed a letter by the Groundswell Fund calling for the transfer of more philanthropic resources to institutions controlled by racial minorities.
• Foley Hoag LLP is a Washington D.C-based law firm. It has supported environmentalist practices such as reducing in carbon emissions and has promoted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. such initiatives include reporting on the racial and gender composition of its workforce, incorporating employee training on DEI beliefs, and offering workshops on how to prevent “unconscious bias” in the workplace. The firm’s attorneys have provided pro bono legal services on left-of-center policy issues including race, sexual orientation, and abortion access.
• The Far Star Action Fund is a grantmaking organization initially founded to help fund media products promoting left-of-center causes. Founded in 2018 by former Microsoft executives David and Linda Cornfield, the Fund has worked on content related to anti-Critical Race Theory (CRT) legislation and homeschooling. It is a “funding partner” for online environmentalist magazine Grist. The Far Star Action Fund has previously donated to left-of-center organizations including American Bridge 21st Century Foundation, League of Conservation Voters, House Majority PAC, Senate Majority PAC, and the Democratic Governors Association.