The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) is a left-of-center government watchdog organization. ¹ Initially created to target Defense Department spending, POGO criticizes national-security and homeland-security agencies.  ² Its leadership has extensive ties to left-of-center institutions. ³

Activities

The Project on Government Oversight was created 1981 as a watchdog group focused on wasteful Defense Department spending. POGO has since expanded its scope since its founding to cover the entire federal government, though it continues to focus on national-security agencies. ²

POGO states that its primary issues of concern are government accountability, checks and balances, civil and human rights, corruption and abuse of power, and national security. POGO conducts investigations, produces reports and analyses, and participates in civic engagement and advocacy concerning these areas. POGO also provides resources for whistleblowers, Congressional oversight staff, and the public. Its resources include fact sheets, policy letters, testimonies, and public comments intended to provide nonpartisan analysis and actionable policy solutions. ⁴

POGO produces several podcasts addressing issues like corruption, injustice, and abuse of power in our democratic system: Bad Watchdog, focused on the evolution of the Department of Homeland Security; the Continuous Action, featuring discussions related to the health of America’s democracy; and Pentagon Labyrinth, focused on Pentagon policies and military challenges. ⁵

Projects and Partnerships

The Project on Government Oversight operates many institutional programs. Its Center for Defense Information aims to build the most pragmatic national security strategy possible, advocating for what it believes to be a sensible defense budget that best serves the needs of the nation and armed services members.  ⁶

The Congressional Oversight Initiative offers trainings for congressional oversight staff to support and enhance Congress’s ability to conduct effective oversight.  ⁶

In 2017, the Constitution Project was acquired by POGO and became a project of the latter group. It primarily exists as a research collective within POGO, whose researchers aim to safeguard constitutional rights especially in situations concerning the government exercising power in the name of national security and domestic policing.  ^{6 7}

Left-of-center coalition Open the Government joined with POGO in 2022 to advocate for transparency and accountability in the federal government through a nationwide coalition of organizations.  ⁶

POGO’s database projects have included the COVID Relief Spending Tracker (no longer updated), the Federal Contractor Misconduct Database (retired in 2022), the Pentagon Revolving Door Database (retired in 2023), and the Inspector General Vacancy Tracker. ⁶

Funding

The Project on Government Oversight is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses. While POGO does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm that some of its largest donations were from the Frederick E. and Julia G. Nonneman Foundation ($2.058 million in 2020), ⁸ Pierre Omidyar’s Democracy Fund ($1.95 million in 2024),  ⁹ and the Foundation for the Carolinas ($700,000 in 2024).  ¹⁰

People

As of 2026, Danielle Brian was the executive director and president of the Project on Government Oversight. ¹¹

As of 2026, POGO’s board members included Lisa Baumgartner Bonds, Debra S. Katz, Virginia Kase Solomon, Jeanine Abrams McLean, Ryan Alexander, Lia Epperson, Armando Gomez, Wallace B. Jefferson, Joe Johns, Norman Ornstein, John Roth, Hina Shamsi, Virginia Sloan, and Nithi Vivatrat. ³

As of 2026, Lisa Baumgartner Bonds was the chair of the board of POGO and the vice president of advancement and communications at First Peoples Fund. Bonds is a former CAO at the Animal Humane Society and formerly held positions at the World Wildlife Fund, the National Breast Cancer Coalition, and the Alaska Wilderness League. Bonds sits on the boards of Pro-Choice Resources and CornerHouse MN. ¹²

As of 2026, Debra S. Katz was the vice chair of the board of POGO and a partner with the civil rights law firm Katz, Marshall & Banks, LLC. ¹³

As of 2026, Virginia Kase Solomon was the treasurer of the board of POGO and the CEO of the League of Women Voters. Solomon formerly worked as the COO of CASA. At that time, Solomon was sitting on the boards of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the Democracy Initiative, and was a member of the steering committees for Open the Government and the National Election Task Force on Election Crises. ¹⁴

As of 2026, Jeanine Abrams McLean was the president of Fair Count. ¹⁵

As of 2026, Ryan Alexander was the president of Taxpayers for Common Sense and a co-founder of the Appalachian Center for the Economy and the Environment. Alexander is a former executive director of the Common Cause Education Fund, a former program officer at the Rockefeller Family Fund, and former litigating attorney for the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund. ¹⁶

As of 2026, Lia Epperson was a professor of law at American University Washington College of Law. Epperson is a former director of the education law and policy group at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. ¹⁷

As of 2026, Armando Gomez was a partner with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Gomez was formerly chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Taxation and a former president of the American College of Tax Counsel. ¹⁸

As of 2026, Wallace B. Jefferson was a partner at Alexander Dubose & Jefferson, the treasurer of American Law Institute, chair of the Texas Commission to Expand Civil Legal Services, a fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, and a member of the Texas Commission on Judicial Selection. Jefferson is a former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, having served as a Republican. ¹⁹

As of 2026, Joe Johns was working as a journalist and attorney who formerly worked as CNN’s senior Washington correspondent. ²⁰

As of 2026, Norman Ornstein was co-host of the Words Matter podcast and the chair emeritus of the Campaign Legal Center. Ornstein was formerly a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. ²¹

John Roth is a former inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security during the Obama administration. ²²

As of 2026, Hina Shamsi was the director of the ACLU National Security Project. ²³

Virginia “Ginny” Sloan is the founder of the Constitution Project. Sloan formerly sat on the boards of the Southern Center for Human Rights, the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, the Washington Council of Lawyers, and the Washington D.C. affiliate of the ACLU. ²⁴

Nithi Vivatrat is the founder and as of 2026 was CEO of Intellei. ²⁵

Donation Recipients

Community Initiatives (nonprofit)

Good Jobs First (nonprofit)

Home Front Communications DBA Subject Matter LLC (for profit)

Issue One (nonprofit)

Levin Center (nonprofit)

Lugar Center (nonprofit)

National Institute on Money in State Politics (nonprofit)

POGO Action (nonprofit)

Program for Integrity Alliance (nonprofit)

Donor Organizations

911 Health Watch (nonprofit)

Adam Smith Educational Productions (nonprofit)

Aetna Foundation (nonprofit)

Albert & Pamela Bendich Charitable Trust (nonprofit)

AmazonSmile Foundation (nonprofit)

American Endowment Foundation (nonprofit)

Andrew and Corey Morris Singer Foundation (nonprofit)

Arts and Letters Foundation (nonprofit)

Avy L. and Roberta L. Miller Foundation (nonprofit)

Baird Foundation (nonprofit)

Barbetta Family Foundation (nonprofit)

Bay and Paul Foundations (nonprofit)

Ben Cohen Charitable Trust (nonprofit)

Bernard and Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust (nonprofit)

Carnegie Corporation of New York (nonprofit)

Charles Koch Foundation (nonprofit)

Cloud Mountain Foundation (nonprofit)

Colombe Peace Foundation (nonprofit)

Community Foundation of Tampa Bay (nonprofit)

CrossCurrents Foundation (nonprofit)

CS Fund (nonprofit)

David and Lucile Packard Foundation (nonprofit)

David Rockefeller Fund (nonprofit)

Democracy Fund (nonprofit)

Donna and Marvin Schwartz Foundation (nonprofit)

Donor Advised Charitable Giving (nonprofit)

Einhorn Family Charitable Trust (nonprofit)

England Family Foundation (nonprofit)

Evolve Foundation (nonprofit)

Farview Foundation (nonprofit)

Fertel Foundation (nonprofit)

Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund (nonprofit)

Ford Foundation (nonprofit)

Foundation for the Carolinas (nonprofit)

Francis Beidler Foundation (nonprofit)

Frederick E. and Julia G. Nonneman Foundation (nonprofit)

Fund for Constitutional Government (nonprofit)

Gardner Grout Foundation (nonprofit)

George Washington University (nonprofit)

Gray Family Foundation (nonprofit)

Hayden Foundation (nonprofit)

Helenka and Guido Pantaleoni Foundation (nonprofit)

Heyday Foundation (nonprofit)

Human & Civil Rights Organizations of America (nonprofit)

James G. Hart Foundation (nonprofit)

Janelia Foundation (nonprofit)

Jennifer Woods Tierney Foundation (nonprofit)

Jesse H. and Susan Oppenheimer Foundation (nonprofit)

Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties (nonprofit)

JPMorgan Chase Foundation (nonprofit)

Joyce Foundation (nonprofit)

Klarman Family Foundation (nonprofit)

Laura and John Arnold Foundation (nonprofit)

Leonard Merrill Kurz Foundation (nonprofit)

Lodestar Philanthropic Foundation (nonprofit)

Luminate Foundation (nonprofit)

Malkin Fund (nonprofit)

Mandel Family Foundation (nonprofit)

McCance Foundation Trust (nonprofit)

McKesson Foundation (nonprofit)

Mertz Gilmore Foundation (nonprofit)

Messinger Family Foundation (nonprofit)

Meyer and Raena Hammerman Foundation (nonprofit)

Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust (nonprofit)

Mostyn Foundation (nonprofit)

Mutual of America Foundation (nonprofit)

Natural Resource Governance Institute (nonprofit)

NEO Philanthropy (nonprofit)

Network for Good (nonprofit)

New-Land Foundation (nonprofit)

New Venture Fund (nonprofit)

New World Foundation (nonprofit)

Open Society Institute (nonprofit)

Park Foundation (nonprofit)

Ploughshares Fund (nonprofit)

Posel Foundation (nonprofit)

Proteus Action League (nonprofit)

Proteus Fund (nonprofit)

Public Welfare Foundation (nonprofit)

Richard R. Howe Foundation (nonprofit)

Rockefeller Brothers Fund (nonprofit)

Rockefeller Family Fund (nonprofit)

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (nonprofit)

Rogovy Foundation (nonprofit)

Samuel J. Gorlitz Foundation (nonprofit)

Schaffner Family Foundation (nonprofit)

Scherman Foundation (nonprofit)

Schumann Media Center (nonprofit)

Scott Family Fund (nonprofit)

Season of Change Foundation (nonprofit)

Seattle Foundation (nonprofit)

Seymour and Sylvia Rothchild Family 2004 Charitable Foundation (nonprofit)

Spectemur Agendo (nonprofit)

Stand Together Fellowship (nonprofit)

State Voices (nonprofit)

Strauss Foundation (nonprofit)

Stuart Family Foundation (nonprofit)

Sunlight Foundation (nonprofit)

Sustainable Grant Making Partners Fund (nonprofit)

TIAA Charitable (nonprofit)

United States Energy Foundation (nonprofit)

Usdin Weil Foundation (nonprofit)

Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program (nonprofit)

Ventus Charitable Foundation (nonprofit)

Wallace Global Fund (nonprofit)

Warsh Mott Legacy (nonprofit)

Wellspring Philanthropic Fund (nonprofit)

Western Conservation Foundation (nonprofit)

William and Flora Hewlett Foundation (nonprofit)

William B. Wiener Jr. Foundation (nonprofit)

Zitrin Foundation (nonprofit)

Related Organization

POGO Action (nonprofit)

1. “About.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/about.
2. “History.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/about/history.
3. “Our Team.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/about/our-team.
4. “Issues.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/issues.
5. “Podcasts.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/podcasts.
6. “Projects and Partnerships.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/about/projects-and-partnerships.
7. “Search – The Constitutional Project.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/search?tag%5B0%5D=The%20Constitution%20Project.
8. The Frederick E. and Julia G. Nonneman Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2020, Part XV, Line 3.
9. Democracy Fund Inc, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2024, Part XV, Line 3.
10. Foundation for the Carolinas, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2024, Schedule I, Part II.
11. “Danielle Brian.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/about/people/danielle-brian.
12. “Lisa Baumgartner Bonds.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/about/people/lisa-baumgartner-bonds.
13. “Debra S. Katz.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/about/people/debra-s-katz.
14. “Virginia Kase Solomon.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/about/people/virginia-kase-solomon.
15. “Dr. Jeanine Abrams McLean.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/about/people/jeanine-abrams-mclean.
16. “Ryan Alexander.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/about/people/ryan-alexander.
17. “Lia Epperson.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/about/people/lia-epperson.
18. “Armando Gomez.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/about/people/armando-gomez.
19. “Wallace B. Jefferson.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/about/people/wallace-b-jefferson.
20. “Joe Johns.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/about/people/joe-johns.
21. “Norman Ornstein.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/about/people/norman-ornstein.
22. “John Roth.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/about/people/john-roth.
23. “Hina Shamsi.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/about/people/hina-shamsi.
24. “Virginia ‘Ginny’ Sloan.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/about/people/virginia-ginny-sloan.
25. “Nithi Vivatrat.” Project on Government Oversight. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.pogo.org/about/people/nithi-vivatrat.