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:

• Allied Climate Partners (ACP) is an investment organization that uses capital from foundations and other nonprofits to fund climate projects and other environmental initiatives in developing countries. ACP was launched at the United Nations’ COP28 climate conference in Dubai in 2023, and its initial funders included Arnold Ventures, the Ballmer Group, the Bezos Earth Fund, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), the Sea Change Foundation International, and the Soros Economic Development Fund (SEDF).
• Media in the Public Interest (MPI) is a nonprofit media training organization that provides journalists and other nonprofits with programs aimed at creating “more influential progressive leaders” by improving communication and messaging. MPI is affiliated with the for-profit Public News Service. Its listed funders include the Ben and Jerry’s Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the George Gund Foundation, the Needmor Fund, and the Park Foundation.
• Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association is a business association that advocates on behalf of fisheries and fishermen in Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed region. It opposes large-scale industrial extraction activities in the area, and assists the local fishing industry through advocacy campaigns, social media, and apprenticeship programs. The group has previously made grants to recipients that include the New Venture Fund, the University of Washington, and the United Tribes of Bristol Bay.
• Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement (CIRA) is a Nebraska-based nonprofit that provides legal representation and resettlement services for migrants and refugees within the state. Services include pro bono legal services for unaccompanied children and survivors of domestic violence as well as administering federal refugee resettlement contracts. CIRA has received funding from the Sherwood Foundation and the Hawks Foundation.
• Business for Social Responsibility is a member-based nonprofit consultancy that helps corporations develop environmental, social, and governance (ESG) business strategies and solutions. Its members include the Coca-Cola Company, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Meta, Pfizer, Target, Uber, and the Walt Disney Company. It has received funding from DAFGiving360, the We Mean Business Coalition, the VF Foundation, and the Gates Foundation.