Non-profit

Center for American Progress (CAP)

Location:

WASHINGTON, DC

Tax ID:

30-0126510

Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2021):

Revenue: $50,471,917
Expenses: $50,323,994
Assets: $72,328,871

Formation:

2003

Formerly:

American Majority Institution

Type:

Left-of-Center Think Tank

Founder:

John Podesta

President:

Patrick Gaspard

Affiliates:

Center for American Progress Action (CAP Action)

Budget (2021):

Revenue: $50,471,917

Expenses: $50,323,994

Assets: $72,328,871

Latest 990 Form:

2021 990 Tax Form

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

The Center for American Progress (CAP) is a liberal Washington, D.C.-based think tank with strong ties to the Democratic Party establishment created in 2003 as the left-of-center alternative to the right-leaning Heritage Foundation. Since its founding, the organization has exerted significant influence within the American political left. The organization has grown to be among the largest think tanks in the United States, bringing in over $50 million in annual revenue and employing over 300 staff, according to its website. 1 The organization has enjoyed significant influence within the Obama and Biden administrations and was referred to by Time Magazine following Barack Obama’s election as “Obama’s Idea Factory in Washington.” 2 During the Biden administration, CAP played a “powerful role” in staffing and policymaking within the organization, with news outlets counting at least 70 former CAP staffers being hired by the Biden administration from 2021 to 2022. 3 4

Notable financial supporters of CAP include the Sandler Foundation, the JPB Foundation, the Open Society Foundations and Foundation to Promote Open Society associated with George Soros, and labor unions like the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Center for American Progress Action (CAP Action) is the 501(c)(4) advocacy affiliate of the Center for American Progress. 5

Overview

CAP and its affiliated Center for American Progress Action (CAP Action) were reportedly conceived in 2002 after Democrats lost the Presidency in 2000 to George W. Bush and lost control of both houses of Congress in 2002. CAP was founded by John Podesta, former White House Chief of Staff for President Bill Clinton, Counselor to the President in the Obama White House, and chair of former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Presidential campaign.6

Podesta’s goal, according to a New York Times article published when CAP was founded, was to “build an organization to rethink the very idea of liberalism, a reproduction in mirror image of the conservative think tanks that have dominated the country’s political dialogue for a generation.” 7 John Podesta worked with then-Democratic National Committee Chairman (later Governor of Virginia) Terry McAuliffe, former Bill Clinton political director Don Sosnik, and former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Harold Ickes to create CAP. They connected early with Mark Schmitt of the Open Society Institute, a philanthropic venture of liberal billionaire George Soros, to get CAP off the ground.8

Originally launched in July 2003 as the American Majority Institution, the organization changed its name to the Center for American Progress on September 1, 2003.9 According to The Nation’s Robert Dreyfuss, it was not “completely wrong to see [CAP] as a shadow government, a kind of Clinton White-House-in-exile—or a White House staff in readiness for President Hillary Clinton.” In its early days, CAP boasted an abundance of Clinton staff.10 In 2004, CAP helped Clinton-confidant David Brock to create Media Matters,11 a left-of-center response to conservative journalism and conservative criticism of news media.

Upon the election of President Barack Obama in 2008, CAP was described by TIME Magazine as “Obama’s Idea Factory in Washington” stating that “not since the Heritage Foundation helped guide Ronald Reagan’s transition in 1981 has a single outside group held so much sway. Just as candidate Obama depended on CAP during the campaign for opposition research and talking points, President-elect Obama has effectively contracted out the management of his own government’s formation to Podesta.” 12

CAP engages in rapid media response, long-term research projects, and policy creation on issues from criminal justice to race and ethnicity. 13

Biden Administration

The Center for American progress has exercised significant influence during the Biden administration in a similar manner to the influence the group had on the Obama administration. One CAP official emailed the Biden State Department: “you keep taking all our good people.” 14

Biden nominated former CAP president Neera Tanden to lead the White House Office of Management and Budget, but she withdrew her name following heavy criticism regarding a previous statement she had made. Biden then hired her as a senior White House advisor. 15

As of 2020, over 70 former or current CAP staff members were hired by the Biden administration including in some of the most senior roles within the White House. Other key administration hires and appointments that have held roles at CAP include “White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, top White House economic adviser Brian Deese, senior White House economic adviser Gene Sperling, Veteran Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough and Department of Defense Chief of Staff Kelly Magsamen. 16

Projects and Affiliated Organizations

Center for American Progress Action Fund

Also see Center for American Progress Action Fund (Nonprofit)

The Center for American Progress Action Fund is the 501(c)(4) affiliate to the Center for American Progress, sharing a mirror image mission to “produce bold, progressive ideas.”17 Originally founded in 2003, CAP Action had revenue of $6,44,380 and expenses of $7,678,925 in 2014.18 The first president and CEO of CAP Action was former U.S. Representative Tom Perriello (D-Virginia), who founded controversial left-of-center religious organizations like Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, Catholics United, Faith in Public Life, and Faithful America.19

ThinkProgress

Also see ThinkProgress (Nonprofit)

ThinkProgress was a left-of-center news site operated by the Center for American Progress Action Fund founded in 2005. Editor-in-chief and founder of Think Progress Judd Legum was formerly a research director on Hillary Clinton’s 2008 Presidential run and a research director at the Center for American Progress (CAP).20

Former editor-in-chief (and former senior advisor to U.S. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV)) Faiz Shakir said in 2011, “We report from a progressive perspective. We wear that ideology proudly. To the extent that there’s bias in this world, the bias is in the selection of the stories that we chose to report, but once we chose to report them, we want to present them as honestly, as candidly and as straightforwardly as we possibly can.”21

On July 12, 2018, Ian Millhiser, then-justice editor for ThinkProgress, published an article claiming that “The U.S. Senate is Facing a Legitimacy Crisis.” In this article, Millhiser criticized the structure of the United States Senate, claiming that “the Senate is one of the most anti-democratic bodies in any modern democracy” and “immoral.”22 At 5:43 AM, Millhiser tweeted, “Abolish the Senate,” with a link to the article. 23

In 2019, it was announced that ThinkProgress would shut down permanently, as the site has operated at a significant deficit for years and was unable to secure a buyer after CAP tried to sell it. The Daily Beast called ThinkProgress an “influential news site that rose to prominence in the shadow of the Bush administration and helped define progressivism during the Obama years.” 24

The site was converted from an editorially independent news site to a site where CAP scholars could post op-eds and other writings. The site has experienced a $3 million deficit in 2019 and the staff of the website has ballooned to over 40 employees. 25

A sister website to ThinkProgress called ClimateProgress was spun off and taken over by its founder Joe Romm upon the closure of ThinkProgress. 26

Generation Progress

CAP’s youth wing is Generation Progress, formerly known as Campus Progress. The group engages young people in an effort to get them to “embrace progressive values” and push left-wing policies. Generation Progress supports youth activism and journalism and provides event and networking opportunities to mentor future left-of-center leaders.27 Generation Progress refers to itself as the only youth advocacy organization based within a progressive think tank and engages on a variety of left-of-center policy issues including gun control, climate, LGBT issues, race and gender issues, student debt, and election policy. 28

Mayors for Smart on Crime

Also see Mayors for Smart on Crime (Nonprofit)

Mayors for Smart on Crime is an initiative of the Center for American Progress created by Democratic Party operative John Podesta.

Other Issues

CAP Action also produces the American Worker Project to promote labor issues, Pushback.org to provide election coverage, and the National Security Leadership Alliance to promote more restricted American military action.29

The Business Alliance

In 2007, after John Podesta stepped down as president of CAP, the organization established a “Business Alliance” to encourage corporations to donate in order to have special access to CAP’s research. According to a confidential donor pitch written by CAP, the Business Alliance is “a channel for engagement with the corporate community,” which includes three tiers of awards depending on the size of the donation ($25,000, $50,000, and $100,000 annually).30 Internal lists show that some of the donors include Comcast, Walmart, General Motors, Pacific Gas and Electric, General Electric, Boeing, and Lockheed; but other corporations are also included.31

While it is common for think tanks to disclose donations received from businesses with an interest in specific policy research, left-leaning magazine The Nation noted several circumstances in which CAP did not disclose certain members of its Business Alliance and did not cover controversial issues directly relating to them.32

First Solar

First Solar is a private green energy firm that received a $3.73 billion loan in 2012 from the Department of Energy to run the Antelope Valley project, despite allegations of corruption from congressional Republicans. During that time, CAP wrote extensively about the virtues of the Antelope Valley project, without disclosing that First Solar was part of the Business Alliance and that José Villarreal was on the board of both First Solar and CAP.33

Goldman Sachs

An email to Podesta reported that a ThinkProgress article was flagged because it included information critical of Goldman Sachs’ internal culture in the leadup to the great recession. The article was flagged because Goldman Sachs was just about to become a CAP donor.34

Taiwan

CAP has supported continued support for U.S.-Taiwan relations. In 2010, CAP issued a report which suggested that the United States needs to maintain its arms sales to Taiwan as well as increase its economic and diplomatic relations with the island government and its embassy-equivalent, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office; the report was called “Ties that Bind: U.S.-Taiwan Relations and Peace and Prosperity in East Asia.”35

In 2022, CAP called on the U.S. government to focus on helping Taiwan improve its energy security as the island continued to face a push from mainland China to absorb Taiwan. CAP stated that “gaps in Taiwan’s energy security pose a major liability to the island as it rebuffs Beijing’s push for reunification.” 36

Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists of Turkey (TUSKON)

Internal sources within CAP suggest that the think tank was “totally in the tank for [TUSKON],” and was able to get “amazing access” to anyone in the Turkish government because of that relationship. CAP openly and strongly advocated for a stronger U.S. relationship with the Turkish government, and Podesta gave a speech at a TUSKON conference called “The Unique Importance of the Turkish-American Relationship.”37

Michael Werz, a senior fellow at CAP, often focused his work on U.S. relations with Turkey and was later appointed to become the deputy assistant secretary of European affairs in the Obama administration.

Ties to the Podesta Group

The Podesta Group is a defunct lobbying firm started by longtime Clinton operative and CAP founder John Podesta and his brother, Tony Podesta. It was dissolved at the end of 2017. 38

Some of the Podesta Group’s clients overlapped with donors to CAP.39 Clients to the Podesta Group who also donated to CAP directly include organizations such as Blue Shield of California, Johnson & Johnson, Lockheed Martin, Google, Novo Nordisk, Quest Diagnostics, T-Mobile, Walmart, and Wells Fargo. Some of these organizations have supported left-of-center policies, including many which CAP also advocates for, such as Obamacare.40

The Podesta Group also represents NBC (which is owned by General Electric, a CAP donor), whose CEO was on the Obama Administration Economic Recovery Advisory Board along with Laura D’Andrea Tyson, a CAP senior fellow.4142

Judicial Confirmations

In February 2019, Neera Tanden signed a letter criticizing Neomi Rao, President Trump’s nominee for a vacant seat on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. The letter was written by “77 South Asian Women Civil and Human Rights Lawyers, Law Professors, and Survivor Advocates,” and claimed that Rao “has a long history of alarming viewpoints about sexual assault, multiculturalism, LGBTQ rights, affirmative action, and people with disabilities.” It also calls Rao President Trump’s “point person” when it comes to deregulation. 43

Racial Equity

The Center for American Progress has supported a variety of policies centered around critical race theory-inspired diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) ideology. In 2020, Roby Chatterji, a senior policy analyst for K-12 education at the center authored a piece calling for activists and allies of the Black Lives Matter movement to “implement systemic changes in the U.S. K-12 education system,” calling for increased funding to majority-minority schools and for the reduction of policing in schools and opposing increased school security measures following school shootings, stating that “While gun violence in schools must be prevented, there is evidence that increased policing and surveillance do not effectively address the threat of gun violence in schools. Black students in particular feel less safe in the presence of police and are more likely to be policed than they are to be protected.” 44

Following the 2020 election of President Joe Biden, the organization wrote about “Centering Racial Equity in a New Administration” which became an early and sustaining theme of the Biden adminstration communications and policy agenda, the group called on the incoming administration to adress the “racial wealth gap” by creating a White House office on racial equity and appointing a White House racial equity advisor. 45

CAP has also stated a goal of “Promoting a representative, responsive, and inclusive democracy” in its racial equity work, stating that “Online disinformation and hate; white supremacist violence and rhetoric; and voter subversion and suppression undermine democracy and entrench systemic inequities.” 46

Israel

The Center for American Progress has long been critical of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and following the Hamas attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023 that led to the Israel-Hamas war, the group called for a ceasefire that critics said would embolden the Hamas terrorist group. CAP president Patrick Gaspard published a CAP article that accused Biden of handing Israel “a blank check for collective punishment that brutalizes innocent civilians” and called on the president to “urge an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.” 47

Gaspard praised a four-day ceasefire that was agreed to while lamenting that it did not go far enough, while critics argued a prolonged ceasefire would allow for Hamas to regroup to launch more terror attacks. The far-left publication Mother Jones praised CAP for calling for a ceasefire, stating that “the Center for American Progress has now said the word that the Biden administration and most Democrats in Congress have been most unwilling to utter since Israel began to bomb Gaza: ceasefire.” 48

Gaspard was also criticized for praising Stokely Carmichael, an anti-Semitic Black nationalist. 49

Leadership

The Center for American Progress employs more than 300 people, from senior staff, editors, communications personnel, administrative workers, development staff, academic fellows, and more to policy experts on the following subjects: democracy and government, early childhood policy, economic policy, education-K-12, education (post-secondary), energy, faith, guns and crime, health, immigration, LGBT, legal progress, national security and international policy, poverty, public lands, technology, and women’s health.50

Patrick Gaspard

In June, 2021, Patrick Gaspard was named the new President of the Center for American Progress. 51 Gaspard is a Democratic political operative who worked for many years as president of the Open Society Foundations (OSF), the principal philanthropic entities of left-of-center billionaire George Soros, from 2017 until late 2020. Prior to joining OSF, Gaspard served as United States Ambassador to South Africa and White House Director of Political Affairs under President Barack Obama and in a number of positions with other Democratic politicians and the 1199SEIU labor union.

Neera Tanden

Neera Tanden is the former president and CEO of CAP and CAP Action, having taken over for John Podesta when he became Counselor to the President in the Obama White House. Tanden previously served as a senior advisor for health reform at the Department of Health and Human Services in the Obama administration. She was the director of domestic policy for the Obama-Biden Presidential campaign in 2008 during the general election after serving as the policy director for Hillary Clinton’s Presidential campaign during the Democratic Party primaries that same year. She previously worked on Clinton’s U.S. Senate campaign in 2000. During Clinton’s time in the Senate, Tanden served as Clinton’s legislative director. Before this, Tanden was the associate director for domestic policy in the Clinton White House and acted as a senior advisor to the first lady. Tanden is a graduate of UCLA and Yale Law School.52 In emails released by Wikileaks stolen from John Podesta, Tanden called Hillary Clinton’s instincts “suboptimal,” worried about Mrs. Clinton “dodging another issue” when it came to the Keystone XL pipeline, and called New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) “a bit insufferable.”53

During Tanden’s confirmation hearing to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the former head of CAP was grilled by Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley over CAP’s donors, which include foreign nations and big business entities. The organization received $665,000 from the Chan Zuckerberg Institute, $1 million from the managing partner of Bain Capital, and $2.5 million dollars from the United Arab Emirates. Tanden denied any potential conflict of interest, saying that she was “proud of the record of the Center for American Progress and policies that would limit the power of Wall Street and limit the power of tech companies.” 54

Carmel Martin

Carmel Martin is the executive vice president for policy at CAP. She previously worked as the assistant secretary for planning, evaluation, and policy development at the Department of Education during the Obama administration and served as a senior advisor to the former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Before joining the Obama administration, Martin was a general counsel and deputy staff director for the late Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Massachusetts), the chief counsel and senior policy advisor for former U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), and the special counsel to former U.S. Senator Tom Daschle (D-S.D.). After graduating from the University of Texas School of Law, Martin worked as a trial attorney for the Civil Rights Division of the Educational Opportunities Section at the Department of Justice and in the private sector at Hogan & Hartson’s.55

Winnie Stachelberg

Winnie Stachelberg is the executive vice president of external affairs at CAP. Stachelberg joined CAP in 2006 after spending 11 years at the powerful LGBT interest group Human Rights Campaign (HRC). She first joined HRC as a senior health policy advocate, then became the political director, and finally became the first president of the HRC Foundation, HRC’s 501(c)3 arm. At CAP, Stachelberg helped launched the immigration policy program, the LGBT Research and Communications Project, the gun-violence prevention network, and the Half in Ten antipoverty program. She is a graduate of Georgetown and received a master’s degree in public administration from George Washington University.56

Funding

The Center for American Progress receives funding from dozens of major left-of-center foundations including some of the largest foundations in the United States. According to its 2022 list of supporters, foundations that provided over $1 million to the group in 2022 included Bloomberg Philanthropies, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Sandler Foundation, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and the Wellspring Philanthropic Fund. 57

According to a 2015 Politico report, CAP received significant donations from coastal power centers. CAP receives large donations from Wall Street, including at least $50,000 from both Bank of America and Goldman Sachs as well as at least $100,000 from Citigroup and Blackstone. It also receives donations from Silicon Valley, including at least $100,000 each from Apple, Google, and Microsoft and $5,000 from Facebook. Donors also include those is the Clinton and Obama inner circle, including Obama supporters Joan and Irwin Jacobs who gave at least $200,000, and Quinn Delaney and Wayne Jordan, who gave at least $100,0000. President Bill Clinton’s Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin and Obama fundraiser Orin Kramer have given at least $50,000.58

The organization has received $665,000 from the Chan Zuckerberg Institute, $1 million from the managing partner of Bain Capital, and $2.5 million dollars from the United Arab Emirates. 59

CAP also receives significant support from unions, including at least $100,000 from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), at least $100,000 from the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and $50,000 from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).60

Democracy Alliance

Democracy Alliance is a collective of wealthy left-progressive donors that meet at semi-annual conferences for the purpose of providing a list of recommended recipients to major donors. Center for American Progress is on Democracy Alliance’s list; it is described as a group that uses “nonpartisan policy” advocacy for “improving the lives of all Americans.” 61

Left-of-Center Donors

Many left-of-center donors gave millions to get CAP started, including donations from the following:

Center for American Progress Donors62
$22,274,000 Sandler Foundation
$3,000,000 George Soros
$1,849,991 Open Society Foundations (formerly Open Society Institute)
$3,000,000 Marisla Foundation
$2,192,450 New York Community Trust
$1,900,000 Stephen M. Silberstein Foundation
$797,983 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
$765,000 Tides Foundation

CAP also receives donations from the Rockefeller Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, Sea Change Foundation, Wyss Foundation, Glaser Progress Foundation, and Schwab Charitable Fund.63

Corporate Supporters

Other notable donors to the Center for American Progress include companies like CVS, Walmart, Samsung, and Ernst & Young, as well as defense contractors DRS Technologies and Northrop Grumman.64 Below is a full list of 2013 CAP corporate supporters:

Center for American Progress Corporate Supporters65
Akins Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP Blue Engine Message & Media
America’s Health Insurance Plans, or AHIP Blue Shield of California
American Beverage Association BMW of North America
American Iron and Steel Institute CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
Anglo American Citigroup
Apple Inc. Comcast NBC Universal
AT&T Covanta Energy
Bank of America CVS Caremark Inc.
Blackstone Daimler
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association DeVry Education Group
Dewey Square Group Goldman Sachs
Discovery Google
DISH Network Health Care Service Corporation
Downey McGrath Group, Inc. Japan Bank for International Cooperation
DRS Technologies Kohlberg Kravis Roberts
Eli Lilly and Company McLarty Associates
Facebook Microsoft Corporation
Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas Monitor Deloitte
General Electric Motion Picture Association of America
Genworth Financial MyWireless.Org
Northrop Grumman The Coca-Cola Company
Pearson The Glover Park Group LLC
PepsiCo The Ickes and Enright Group
PG&E Corporation Time Warner Inc.
Quest Diagnostics T-Mobile
Samsung Electronics America Toyota Motor North America
Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States Visa Inc.
Tata Group of Companies Walmart
The Albright Stonebridge Group Wells Fargo

CAP Action

Also see Center for American Progress Action (Nonprofit)

CAP Action lists its major donors publicly under the following categories:

CAP Action Supporters66
$1,000,000 or more
Center for American Progress
$5,000 to $999,999
[Anonymous Donor]
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
$100,000 to $499,999
[Three Anonymous Donors]
AFSCME
Nick and Leslie Hanauer
$50,000 to $99,999
American Federation of Teachers
Joan and Irwin Jacobs
Motion Picture Association of America
National Public Education Foundation
$5,000 to $49,999
[Anonymous Donor]
Naomi Aberly
AFL-CIO
Blue Shield of California
Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees
Douglas H. Phelps
Ploughshares Fund
SKDKnickerbocker
Tides Foundation

Past donors to CAP Action include the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Wendy and Jim Abrams, Ben Barnes, Google, Harold Ickes, Jack Marco, and Will Robinson.67

References

  1. “Staff.” Center for American Progress. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.americanprogress.org/about-us/staff/
  2. Scherer. Michael. “Inside Obama’s Idea Factory in Washington.” Time. November 21, 2008. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20081128174055/http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1861305,00.html
  3. Scherer. Michael. “Inside Obama’s Idea Factory in Washington.” Time. November 21, 2008. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20081128174055/http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1861305,00.html
  4. Catenacci, Thomas and Schoffstall, Joe. “Far-left Center for American Progress plays powerful role in Biden admin staffing, policymaking.” Fox News. September 15, 2022. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/far-left-center-american-progress-plays-powerful-role-biden-admin-staffing-policymaking
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  6. Center for Organizational Research and Education. “Center for American Progress.” Activist Facts. Accessed October 17, 2017. https://www.activistfacts.com/organizations/528-center-for-american-progress/
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  12. Scherer. Michael. “Inside Obama’s Idea Factory in Washington.” Time. November 21, 2008. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20081128174055/http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1861305,00.html
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  15. Catenacci, Thomas and Schoffstall, Joe. “Far-left Center for American Progress plays powerful role in Biden admin staffing, policymaking.” Fox News. September 15, 2022. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/far-left-center-american-progress-plays-powerful-role-biden-admin-staffing-policymaking
  16. Catenacci, Thomas and Schoffstall, Joe. “Far-left Center for American Progress plays powerful role in Biden admin staffing, policymaking.” Fox News. September 15, 2022. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/far-left-center-american-progress-plays-powerful-role-biden-admin-staffing-policymaking
  17. “Mission.” Center for American Progress. Accessed November 26, 2016. https://www.americanprogress.org/about/mission/
  18. Revenue and expenditure as of TY end 12/31/14 “Center for American Progress Action Fund.” Guidestar. 2015. Accessed November 26, 2016. http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2014/300/192/2014-300192708-0bd39862-9O.pdf
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  32. Silverstein, Ken. “The Secret Donors Behind the Center for American Progress and Other Think Tanks [Updated on 5/24].” The Nation. May 24, 2013. Accessed January 09, 2019. https://www.thenation.com/article/secret-donors-behind-center-american-progress-and-other-think-tanks-updated-524/.
  33. Silverstein, Ken. “The Secret Donors Behind the Center for American Progress and Other Think Tanks [Updated on 5/24].” The Nation. May 24, 2013. Accessed January 09, 2019. https://www.thenation.com/article/secret-donors-behind-center-american-progress-and-other-think-tanks-updated-524/.
  34. Silverstein, Ken. “The Secret Donors Behind the Center for American Progress and Other Think Tanks [Updated on 5/24].” The Nation. May 24, 2013. Accessed January 09, 2019. https://www.thenation.com/article/secret-donors-behind-center-american-progress-and-other-think-tanks-updated-524/.
  35. Silverstein, Ken. “The Secret Donors Behind the Center for American Progress and Other Think Tanks [Updated on 5/24].” The Nation. May 24, 2013. Accessed January 09, 2019. https://www.thenation.com/article/secret-donors-behind-center-american-progress-and-other-think-tanks-updated-524/.
  36. “RELEASE: CAP Report Urges U.S. To Focus on Energy Cooperation With Taiwan.” Center for American Progress. January 19, 2022. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.americanprogress.org/press/release-cap-report-urges-u-s-to-focus-on-energy-cooperation-with-taiwan/
  37. Silverstein, Ken. “The Secret Donors Behind the Center for American Progress and Other Think Tanks [Updated on 5/24].” The Nation. May 24, 2013. Accessed January 09, 2019. https://www.thenation.com/article/secret-donors-behind-center-american-progress-and-other-think-tanks-updated-524/.
  38. Meyer, Theodoric. “Inside the Podesta Group’s last days.” Politico. November 10, 2017. Accessed January 17, 2024. https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/10/podesta-group-last-days-244799
  39. Markay, Lachlan. “Podesta Group Clients Donated to Podesta’s Center for American Progress.” Washington Free Beacon. December 17, 2013. Accessed June 13, 2018. http://freebeacon.com/politics/podesta-group-clients-donated-to-podestas-center-for-american-progress/.
  40. “Our Supporters 2016.” Center for American Progress. Accessed June 13, 2018. https://www.americanprogress.org/our-supporters-2016/.
  41. Carney, Timothy P. “Obama’s Revolving Door Always Open to Podestas.” Washington Examiner. November 4, 2009. Accessed June 13, 2018. washingtonexaminer.com/obamas-revolving-door-always-open-to-podestas.
  42. “Laura D’Andrea Tyson.” National Archives and Records Administration. Accessed June 20, 2018. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/administration/advisory-boards/jobs-council/members/tyson.
  43. “Letter from 77 South Asian Women Civil and Human Rights Lawyers, Law Professors, and Survivor Advocates.” Gdoc.pub. February 4, 2019. Accessed March 11, 2019. https://gdoc.pub/doc/e/2PACX-1vTdmgSmpsLzkgr7SlAx6k0Soh9-1qgPa2aPFqNhAhFug0NSnUFnzrt_hUMOTu2KuFDgjBFTqjFRCuIo.
  44. “Fighting Systemic Racism in K-12 Education: Helping Allies Move From the Keyboard to the School Board.” Center for American Progress. July 8, 2020. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/fighting-systemic-racism-k-12-education-helping-allies-move-keyboard-school-board/
  45. “Centering Racial Equity in a New Administration.” Center for American Progress. November 13, 2020. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/time-now-create-white-house-office-racial-equity/
  46. “Advancing Racial Equity and Justice.” Center for American Progress, Accessed January 26, 2024. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/advancing-racial-equity-and-justice/
  47. Anderson, Colin. “Soros-Funded Center for American Progress: Leave Hamas Alone.” Washington Free Beacon. November 22, 2022. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://freebeacon.com/israel/cap-to-biden-ceasefire-now/
  48. Lanard, Noah. “A Leading Think Tank for the Democratic Establishment Calls for a Ceasefire ‘Now.’” Mother Jones. November 17, 2023. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/11/center-for-american-progress-ceasefire-biden-patrick-gaspard/
  49. Anderson, Colin. “Soros-Funded Center for American Progress: Leave Hamas Alone.” Washington Free Beacon. November 22, 2022. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://freebeacon.com/israel/cap-to-biden-ceasefire-now/
  50. “Staff.” Center for American Progress.” Accessed November 23, 2016. https://www.americanprogress.org/about/staff/
  51. “Patrick Gaspard Named President and CEO of the Center for American Progress, CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund.” Center for American Progress, June 30, 2021. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/general/news/2021/06/30/501239/patrick-gaspard-named-president-ceo-center-american-progress-ceo-center-american-progress-action-fund/.
  52. “Neera Tanden.” Center for American Progress. Accessed November 23, 2016. https://www.americanprogress.org/about/staff/tanden-neera/bio/ 11/23
  53. “Eder, Steve and Nicholas Confessore. “WikiLeaks Lays Bare a Clinton Insider’s Emphatic Cheers and Jeers.” New York Times. October 29, 2016. Accessed November 23, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/30/us/politics/neera-tanden-wikileaks.html
  54. Evans, Zachary. “Hawley Grills Neera Tanden over Corporate, Foreign Donations to Think Tank.” National Review. National Review, February 9, 2021. https://www.nationalreview.com/news/hawley-grills-neera-tanden-over-corporate-foreign-donations-to-think-tank/.
  55. “Carmel Martin.” Center for American Progress. Accessed November 24, 2016. https://www.americanprogress.org/about/staff/martin-carmel/bio/
  56. “Winnie Stachelberg.” Center for American Progress. Accessed November 24, 2016. https://www.americanprogress.org/about/staff/stachelberg-winnie/bio/
  57. “Our Supporters.” Center for American Progress. Accessed December 11, 2023.  https://www.americanprogress.org/c3-our-supporters/
  58. Topaz, Jonathan. “CAP Donor Lists Show Many With Clinton Ties.” Politico. January 21, 2015. Accessed November 25, 2016. http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/hillary-clinton-donors-center-american-progress-114458
  59. Evans, Zachary. “Hawley Grills Neera Tanden over Corporate, Foreign Donations to Think Tank.” National Review. National Review, February 9, 2021. https://www.nationalreview.com/news/hawley-grills-neera-tanden-over-corporate-foreign-donations-to-think-tank/.
  60. Topaz, Jonathan. “CAP Donor Lists Show Many With Clinton Ties.” Politico. January 21, 2015. Accessed November 25, 2016. http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/hillary-clinton-donors-center-american-progress-114458
  61. “Organizations Archive.” Democracy Alliance. Accessed January 25, 2021. http://democracyalliance.org/investments/.
  62. “Center for American Progress.” Discover the Networks. Accessed November 25, 2016. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/printgroupProfile.asp?grpid=6709
  63. “Center for American Progress.” Left Exposed. Accessed November 25, 2016. http://leftexposed.org/2015/07/center-for-american-progress/
  64. Topaz, Jonathan. “CAP Donor Lists Show Many With Clinton Ties.” Politico. January 21, 2015. Accessed November 25, 2016. http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/hillary-clinton-donors-center-american-progress-114458
  65. “Our Supporters 2013.” Center for American Progress Action Fund. Accessed November 25, 2016. https://www.americanprogressaction.org/about/c4-our-supporters-2013/
  66. “Our Supporters.” Center for American Progress Action Fund. Accessed November 25, 2016. https://www.americanprogressaction.org/c4-our-supporters/
  67. “Our Supporters.” Center for American Progress Action Fund. Accessed November 25, 2016. https://www.americanprogressaction.org/c4-our-supporters/

Directors, Employees & Supporters

  1. Donald Sussman
    Board Member
  2. Judd Legum
    Editor-in-Chief, ThinkProgress
  3. Heather Boushey
    Former Chief Economist
  4. Tom Steyer
    Board Member
  5. Tom Daschle
    Board Chair
  6. Stacey Abrams
    Board Member
  7. Glenn Hutchins
    Board Member
  8. Kristin Mugford
    Board Member
  9. Hansjorg Wyss
    Board Member
  10. Nick Rathod
    Senior Manager for State and Regional Affairs
  11. Tom Perriello
    Former President (Action Fund)
  12. John Podesta
    Founder; Board Member
  13. Susan Sandler
    Former Board Member
  14. Neera Tanden
    Former President
  15. Sarah Miller
    Former Advisor
  16. Van Jones
    Former Senior Fellow
  17. William J. Roberts
    Managing Director, Democracy and Government Reform
  18. Arkadi Gerney
    Former Senior Fellow, former Vice President
  19. Steven Phillips
    Senior Fellow
  20. Michael Linden
    Former Associate Director for Tax and Budget Policy
  21. Brian Deese
    Former Senior Economic Policy Analyst
  22. Anisha Singh
    Former Senior Organizing Director
  23. Indivar Dutta-Gupta
    Former Consultant, Researcher
  24. Matthew Miller
    Senior Fellow
  25. Scott Nathan
    Senior Fellow
  26. Andy Green
    Managing Director of Economics
  27. Mike Lux
    Launch Supporter
  28. Maya Harris
    Former Senior Fellow
  29. Faiz Shakir
    Former Vice President for Communications
  30. Lori Lodes
    Former Senior Vice President
  31. Anne Shoup
    Former Contributor
  32. David Sirota
    Former Staffer

Donor Organizations

  1. Linden Trust for Conservation (Non-profit)
  2. Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (Non-profit)
  3. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) (Labor Union)
  4. American Federation of Teachers (AFT) (Labor Union)
  5. Annie E. Casey Foundation (Non-profit)
  6. Bauman Family Foundation (Non-profit)
  7. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Non-profit)
  8. Blue Moon Fund (Cassiopeia Foundation) (Non-profit)
  9. Broad Foundation (Non-profit)
  10. Carnegie Corporation of New York (Non-profit)
  11. Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation (Non-profit)
  12. David and Lucile Packard Foundation (Non-profit)
  13. Democracy Alliance (DA) (Other Group)
  14. Douglas H. Phelps Foundation (Non-profit)
  15. Embrey Family Foundation (Non-profit)
  16. Energy Foundation (Non-profit)
  17. Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund (Non-profit)
  18. Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund (Non-profit)
  19. Facebook (For-profit)
  20. Ford Foundation (Non-profit)
  21. Fund for a Safer Future (Non-profit)
  22. Funders for Housing and Opportunity (Non-profit)
  23. FWD.us Education Fund (Non-profit)
  24. Glaser Progress Foundation (RealNetworks) (Non-profit)
  25. H. Van Ameringen Foundation (Non-profit)
  26. Hagedorn Foundation (Non-profit)
  27. Heising-Simons Foundation (Non-profit)
  28. High Tide Foundation (Non-profit)
  29. Hutchins Family Foundation (Non-profit)
  30. Issue One (Non-profit)
  31. Joyce Foundation (Non-profit)
  32. JPB Foundation (Non-profit)
  33. Kendeda Fund (Non-profit)
  34. Kresge Foundation (Non-profit)
  35. La Salle Adams Fund (Non-profit)
  36. Lebowitz-Aberly Family Foundation (Non-profit)
  37. Leland Fikes Foundation (Non-profit)
  38. Leonard & Sophie Davis Fund (Non-profit)
  39. Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund (Non-profit)
  40. Lumina Foundation for Education (Non-profit)
  41. Mai Family Foundation (Non-profit)
  42. Marisla Foundation (Non-profit)
  43. National Education Association (NEA) (Labor Union)
  44. NEO Philanthropy (Non-profit)
  45. New Venture Fund (NVF) (Non-profit)
  46. New York Community Trust (Community Funds) (Non-profit)
  47. NextGen Climate Action (Non-profit)
  48. Nick and Leslie Hanauer Foundation (Non-profit)
  49. Open Society Foundations (Open Society Institute) (Non-profit)
  50. Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) (Non-profit)
  51. Ploughshares Fund (Non-profit)
  52. Pritzker Family Foundation (Non-profit)
  53. Proteus Fund (Non-profit)
  54. Public Welfare Foundation (Non-profit)
  55. Rockefeller Brothers Fund (Non-profit)
  56. Rockefeller Foundation (Non-profit)
  57. Sandler Foundation (Non-profit)
  58. Sea Change Foundation (Non-profit)
  59. Service Employees International Union (SEIU) (Labor Union)
  60. Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) (Non-profit)
  61. Sixteen Thirty Fund (1630 Fund) (Non-profit)
  62. Stephen M. Silberstein Foundation (Non-profit)
  63. Tides Foundation (Non-profit)
  64. TomKat Charitable Trust (Non-profit)
  65. Trust for Energy Innovation (Non-profit)
  66. W. K. Kellogg Foundation (Non-profit)
  67. Walmart (For-profit)
  68. Wellspring Philanthropic Fund (Non-profit)
  69. Wilburforce Foundation (Non-profit)
  70. William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation (Non-profit)
  71. Wyss Foundation (Non-profit)
  See an error? Let us know!

Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: February 1, 2003

  • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2021 Dec Form 990 $50,471,917 $50,323,994 $72,328,871 $16,847,075 N $49,152,070 $222,093 $13,681 $952,851
    2020 Dec Form 990 $50,710,695 $48,695,709 $60,558,796 $5,224,923 N $49,970,182 $233,012 $168,221 $1,142,937
    2019 Dec Form 990 $47,739,933 $49,435,417 $59,246,466 $5,927,579 Y $46,527,777 $311,684 $829,303 $1,090,368 PDF
    2018 Dec Form 990 $44,365,126 $43,779,143 $60,527,826 $5,527,332 Y $43,221,801 $162,500 $674,627 $1,328,785 PDF
    2017 Dec Form 990 $51,794,792 $46,765,901 $60,316,120 $5,867,109 N $51,162,013 $405,313 $76,994 $776,526 PDF
    2016 Dec Form 990 $40,966,653 $40,435,643 $56,129,436 $6,709,316 N $40,506,676 $90,570 $67,177 $981,246 PDF
    2015 Dec Form 990 $50,174,276 $47,352,861 $55,668,101 $6,778,991 Y $49,778,104 $41,334 $57,105 $1,129,565 PDF
    2014 Dec Form 990 $45,156,090 $42,425,026 $55,526,919 $7,606,945 Y $44,515,120 $88,544 $53,292 $1,312,714 PDF
    2013 Dec Form 990 $40,870,394 $38,013,551 $53,153,182 $7,847,535 Y $40,013,311 $143,130 $22,431 $1,028,232 PDF
    2012 Dec Form 990 $39,201,517 $34,156,778 $50,042,142 $7,838,769 Y $38,215,459 $305,126 $29,535 $952,820 PDF
    2011 Dec Form 990 $34,647,763 $34,115,219 $44,146,250 $6,987,616 Y $33,795,845 $243,185 $42,394 $617,277 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Center for American Progress (CAP)

    1333 H ST NW
    WASHINGTON, DC 20005-4707