Capital Research Center announced on Mar. 13 several significant updates to its InfluenceWatch project, a website that compiles research on advocacy groups, foundations, and donors involved in shaping public policy. The platform aims to provide transparency about the funding sources, motives, and connections of these organizations.
The updates are intended to offer news outlets and interested parties detailed research for reporting on topics that may not receive widespread attention from the American public. According to Capital Research Center, InfluenceWatch seeks to fill gaps left by other watchdog groups by providing insight into the activities of influential organizations.
Among the recent additions is On Being Project, a faith-based group known for producing podcasts on religion and human existence. Its founder Krista Tippett received the National Humanities Medal in 2014 from then-President Barack Obama. The organization has been funded by foundations such as the Henry Luce Foundation, Kalliopeia Foundation, and Ford Foundation.
Buddhist Global Relief was also added; it is a nonprofit focused on humanitarian aid and hunger relief. In 2021, it joined hundreds of organizations in urging President Joe Biden to end fossil fuel use and phase out nuclear energy. The group supports other humanitarian organizations including Feeding America and UNICEF USA.
Other featured groups include Communities Advancing Prosperity for Immigrants (CAPI), which aids immigrant communities in Minnesota; Greater Greater Washington (GGW), an activist group promoting transportation and housing policies in Washington D.C.; and Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, which researches compassion and happiness while consulting for major corporations like Facebook and Disney.
The latest updates reflect Capital Research Center’s ongoing effort to track developments among advocacy groups influencing public policy.
