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Non-profit

Fund for Constitutional Government

Website:

www.fcgonline.org/
Location:

WASHINGTON, DC
Tax ID:

23-7391766
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2019):

Revenue: $3,342,165
Expenses: $2,753,429
Assets: $4,585,065
Type:

Alliance and Advocacy Organization
President:

Ann B. Zill

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Fund for Constitutional Government (FCG) is an advocacy organization focused on exposing and addressing government corruption in the United States. It conducts research, public education, and litigation and funds organizations through a series of projects dedicated to increasing government transparency and addressing corruption.

Many large left-of-center foundations and charitable organizations are FCG donors including the Ford Foundation, the Democracy Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the MacArthur Foundation, and the Bauman Foundation. 1

Background

Fund for Constitutional Government was founded in 1974 to create more transparency and to watchdog government actions. It conducts research, public education, and litigation. 2 FCG also funds organizations that work to advance a more transparent and accountable government and works to expose and address government corruption. 3

Projects

The Peace and Security Funders Group (PSFG) founded in 2000 4 is a left-of-center donors collaborative of private and public foundations, charitable trusts, and individual philanthropists that make grants that contribute to peace and security, including reducing the risk of nuclear weapons. 5

Its Open the Government (OTG) project was launched in 2003 in response to the increase in government secrecy that followed the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. 6 OTG is focused on right-to-know and anti-secrecy issues at the federal and state levels. 7

The Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition was founded in 2011 to address tax avoidance that exists on a global basis through practices such as shell companies, offshore accounts, and money laundering. 8 It is an alliance of state, national, and international organizations focusing on corporate and financial transparency reforms and a reformed global tax system. 9

Covering Climate Now is a project to increase news coverage on climate change. It was founded in 2019 to create journalistic collaboration on climate stories, increasing the information availability and the urgency of the message. Members include newsrooms, public radio stations, newspapers, television networks, magazines, and journals. 10

FCG sponsors the Investigative Journalism Project which provides grants to reporters working on stories that relate to government corruption. 11

Financials

The Fund for Constitutional Government (FCG) received $3,184,120 in contributions and grants in 2019 and paid out $1,506,900 in employee compensation and benefits. 12

FCG provided grants to 12 organizations in 2019 totaling $326,500. The largest of these include $50,000 to Taxpayers for Common Sense, $45,000 to National Taxpayers Union, $43,500 to Project On Government Oversight, and $30,000 to Center for International Policy. 13

Donors

Many large left-of-center foundations and charitable organizations have donated to the FCG.

In 2019, the Ford Foundation contributed $209,000 toward core support for the FACT Coalition project and $75,000 plus a future payment of an additional $150,000 toward the Peace and Security Funders Group project. 14

The Democracy Fund donated $200,000 in 2019. 15

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation donated $150,000 in 2019 for the FACT Coalition project and $127,500 for the Peace and Security Funders Group project. 16 This foundation supports efforts associated with education, environment, gender equity and governance. 17

In 2020 the Rockefeller Brothers Fund awarded FCG $120,000 for its project, the Peace and Security Funders Group (PSFG). 18 The Rockefeller Brothers Fund is a private family foundation with peacebuilding as one of their program areas. 19

In 2020 the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awarded FCG $100,000 for the Peace and Security Funders Group project. The MacArthur Foundation is a private foundation that focuses on global climate, nuclear risk, and justice reform in the U.S. 20

In 2020 the Bauman Foundation contributed $70,000 toward the Open the Government project. This foundation supports progressive political and social change. 21

Founder

Founder Stewart R. Mott was one of the heirs to the General Motors fortune and a contributor to liberal causes. 22 His two main philanthropic goals were population control and arms control. 23 In his words, the Fund for Constitutional Government is “a public-interest law group which takes on the White House, Congress, agencies, the Pentagon and any department of government in which we think we can find a solid case of the corrupt use of power and politics.” 24

Leadership

Officers

Ann B. Zill is president. 25 She is also president of the Center for Ethics in Action and a board member of the Stewart R. Mott Foundation 26 which focuses on program areas such as peace, arms control, abortion access, government reform, and civil rights. 27

John Cavanaugh is chair of the Fund for Constitutional Government 28 and is also director of the Institute for Policy Studies, a left-progressive think tank based in Washington, D.C. 29

Conrad Martin is executive director. 30 He is also executive director of the Stewart R. Mott Foundation, and sits on the boards of the Center for International Policy, the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center, and the American Progressive Caucus Foundation. 31

Project Leaders

Alexandra Toma is the executive director of the Peace and Security Funders Group. She has over 15 years’ experience at senior levels of politics, government, advocacy and philanthropic organizations. 32 She is also a board member of Foreign Policy for America, Compton Foundation, and Exponent Philanthropy. 33

Lisa Rosenberg is executive director of the Open the Government project. 34 She has experience advocating on a wide variety of domestic and global issues, previously as a chief lobbyist consultant for the Sunlight Foundation. 35

Gary Kalman was the founding member of the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition and worked as its executive director from 2016 to 2020. He is a member of the Executive Committee. He directs the U.S. office of Transparency International, an international anti-corruption coalition. 36

References

  1. “Fund for Constitutional Government.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed March 26, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text_search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=fund+for+constitutional+government
  2. “Our Mission.” Fund for Constitutional Government. Accessed March 25, 2022. http://www.fcgonline.org/our-mission/
  3. “Projects.” Fund for Constitutional Government. Accessed March 26, 2022. http://www.fcgonline.org/projects/
  4. “History.” Peace and Security Funders Group. Accessed March 27, 2022. https://peaceandsecurity.org/history
  5. “Fund for Constitutional Government.” MacArthur Foundation – About Us – Grant Search. Accessed March 26, 2022. https://www.macfound.org/about/
  6. “What We Do.” Open the Government. Accessed March 27, 2022. https://www.openthegovernment.org/what-we-do/
  7. “Projects.” Fund for Constitutional Government. Accessed March 26, 2022. http://www.fcgonline.org/projects/
  8. “About Us.” FACT Coalition. Accessed March 27, 2022. https://thefactcoalition.org/about-us/
  9. “Projects.” Fund for Constitutional Government. Accessed March 26, 2022. http://www.fcgonline.org/projects/
  10. “About.” Covering Climate Now. Accessed March 25, 2022. https://coveringclimatenow.org/about/
  11. “The Investigative Journalism Project.” Fund for Constitutional Government. Accessed March 26, 2022. http://www.fcgonline.org/the-investigative-journalism-project/
  12. Fund for Constitutional Government, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990, 2019, Part I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/237391766/202033149349302893/full
  13. Fund for Constitutional Government, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990), 2019, Schedule I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/237391766/202033149349302893/full
  14.  Ford Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF-Part XV), 2019.
  15.  Democracy Fund Inc., Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF-Part XV). 2019.
  16. William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF-Part XV). 2019.
  17. “About Us.” William & Flora Hewlett Foundation. Accessed March 26, 2022. https://hewlett.org/about-us/
  18. “Grants – Fund for Constitutional Government.” Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Accessed March 26, 2022. https://www.rbf.org/grantees/fund-constitutional-government
  19. “Programs.” Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Accessed March 26, 2022. https://www.rbf.org/grantees/fund-constitutional-government
  20. “About Us.” MacArthur Foundation. Accessed March 26, 2022. https://www.macfound.org/about/
  21. “About the Bauman Foundation.” The Bauman Foundation – About Us”. Accessed March 26, 2022. https://www.baumanfoundation.org/index.php/about-us/foundation
  22. Douglas Martin. “Stewart R. Mott, Longtime Patron of Liberal and Offbeat Causes, Dies at 70.” The New York Times. June 14, 2008. Accessed March 26, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/14/nyregion/14mott.html
  23. “About Us.” Stewart R. Mott Foundation. Accessed March 25, 2022. https://www.srmfoundation.org/about/
  24. “GM Produces a Maverick.”
  25. Fund for Constitutional Government, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990-Part VII), 2019.
  26. “Ann Zill.” LinkedIn. Accessed March 25, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-zill-5b41088/
  27. “About Us.” Stewart R. Mott Foundation. Accessed March 25, 2022. https://www.srmfoundation.org/about/
  28. Fund for Constitutional Government, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990-Part VII), 2019.
  29. “What We Do.” Institute for Policy Studies. Accessed March 25, 2022. https://ips-dc.org/
  30. Fund for Constitutional Government, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990-Part VIII), 2019.
  31. “Officers.” Fund for Constitutional Government – Our Story. Accessed March 25, 2022. http://www.fcgonline.org/officers/
  32. “Board of Directors.” Foreign Policy for America. Accessed March 26, 2022. https://www.fp4america.org/alexandra-toma
  33. “Alexandra Toma.” LinkedIn. Accessed March 26, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-toma-7aa6593/
  34. [1] “Who We Are.” Open the Government. Accessed March 26, 2022. https://www.openthegovernment.org/who-we-are/
  35. “Lisa Rosenberg.” LinkedIn. Accessed March 26, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-rosenberg-01793b6/
  36. “Leadership.” FACT Coalition. Accessed March 26, 2022. https://thefactcoalition.org/about-us/leadership/

Directors, Employees & Supporters

  1. John Cavanagh
    Board Chair
  2. Ryan Alexander
    Board Member
  3. Hamilton Fish
    Board Member
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: July 1, 1974

    • 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
    2019 Dec Form 990 $3,342,165 $2,753,429 $4,585,065 $75,350 N $3,184,120 $58,905 $63,422 $0 PDF
    2018 Dec Form 990 $3,098,141 $2,212,726 $3,980,704 $49,768 N $2,218,423 $24,760 $53,386 $0 PDF
    2017 Dec Form 990 $2,594,715 $1,830,849 $3,989,873 $47,700 N $2,501,178 $27,233 $39,946 $0 PDF
    2016 Dec Form 990 $1,608,256 $1,470,822 $2,935,122 $52,115 N $1,514,640 $34,940 $35,461 $0 PDF
    2015 Dec Form 990 $1,153,603 $1,674,072 $2,653,438 $33,532 N $917,823 $198,626 $33,475 $0 PDF
    2014 Dec Form 990 $1,804,857 $1,271,104 $3,258,200 $40,416 N $1,626,998 $141,508 $35,193 $0 PDF
    2013 Dec Form 990 $1,431,780 $1,217,668 $2,788,811 $188,738 N $1,287,352 $109,258 $35,170 $0 PDF
    2012 Dec Form 990 $654,961 $661,506 $1,967,778 $62,472 N $599,838 $12,562 $31,024 $0 PDF
    2011 Dec Form 990 $624,558 $578,822 $1,793,669 $53,555 N $601,861 $0 $31,490 $0 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Fund for Constitutional Government

    122 MARYLAND AVE NE
    WASHINGTON, DC 20002-5610