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Center for American Progress

U.S. center-left / progressive

Owned byIndependent 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank; no corporate parent. Founded by John Podesta in 2003, currently led by President Neera Tanden.
FundingDonations from individuals, foundations, labor unions, and some corporations (roughly 96% from individuals/foundations, ~2% unions, ~2% corporations in 2025); also receives some foreign funding (e.g., from the UAE). It stopped publishing a public donor honor roll starting in 2025, reducing transparency.
On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

CAP was founded in October 2003 by John Podesta, a former Clinton White House chief of staff, with early financial backing pledged by George Soros, positioning it as a progressive counterweight to conservative think tanks like the Heritage Foundation. It has since become one of the most influential Democratic-aligned policy shops in Washington, producing research and advocacy on health care, climate, immigration, and economic policy, and supplying policy staff and ideas to Democratic administrations, including under Presidents Obama and Biden. Its donor base includes major foundations (such as Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Gates Foundation, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative), labor unions, corporations, and some foreign governments, which critics have said creates potential conflicts of interest given its policy advocacy. In early 2025 CAP stopped publishing its donor honor roll, a move that reduced public transparency about its funders. In 2026 it has published sharply critical reports on Trump administration actions, including analyses of National Guard deployments, election-related policy, and economic effects of tariffs, and in one case Trump's lawyers threatened CAP with a $5 billion lawsuit over one such report. CAP is widely regarded by researchers and media watchdogs as a mainstream progressive/center-left institution rather than a fringe outlet, though its self-description as nonpartisan is not accepted uncritically by outside observers given its consistent alignment with Democratic policy priorities.

Sources

  1. Our Supporters - Center for American Progress
  2. Center for American Progress Profile: Summary • OpenSecrets
  3. Center for American Progress (CAP) - Influence Watch
  4. Center for American Progress - Wikipedia
  5. Baseless Threats From the Trump Administration Won't Stop CAP's Independent Research
  6. The Trump Administration Is Interfering in the 2026 Midterm Elections To Entrench the Imperial Presidency

Profile compiled 2026-09-25; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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