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Foundation for Defense of Democracies

U.S. right (hawkish, neoconservative-leaning national security think tank)

Owned byIndependent nonprofit (501(c)(3)) think tank in Washington, D.C. It has no owner. It is run by a board and a leadership team that includes founder and president Clifford May and CEO Mark Dubowitz.
FundingPrivate donations from individuals, family foundations and donor-advised funds. Its filings show large pass-through funders such as National Philanthropic Trust, Fidelity Charitable, Jewish Communal Fund and Vanguard Charitable. One search source reported about $32.5 million in revenue for 2024 and $43 million in grants from 47 funders in 2019–2024. FDD says it accepts no foreign-government money. It does not run ads or sell subscriptions. Donor-advised funds hide the original donors, so who ultimately pays for it is only partly visible.
On the administrationmixed

Background

FDD began in April 2001 as EMET, a group of pro-Israel donors. After the September 11 attacks it broadened its mission and took its current name. Clifford May is its founder and president, and Mark Dubowitz is its CEO. It has become one of Washington's best-known voices for aggressive policy toward Iran, including sanctions and economic pressure. During the first Trump administration it advised officials on Iran, and former FDD staffer Richard Goldberg served on the National Security Council. It publishes research, runs programs on sanctions, terrorism financing and cyber issues, and hosts experts who are widely quoted in the media. Critics on the left describe it as neoconservative and argue that it overstates threats and has close ties to pro-Israel and Republican donor networks. Supporters see it as a source of expert, data-driven national security analysis. Because FDD is a think tank and not a news outlet, its output is mainly policy analysis and advocacy, and it generally starts from a hawkish view of U.S. interests.

Sources

  1. Foundation for Defense of Democracies - Wikipedia
  2. Foundation for Defense of Democracies - Media Bias/Fact Check
  3. Foundation for Defense of Democracies - InfluenceWatch
  4. Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) - Militarist Monitor
  5. Who funds Foundation for the Defense of Democracies INC?
  6. Will This Billionaire-Funded Think Tank Get Its War With Iran? - The Nation

Profile compiled 2026-10-09; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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