Capital Research Center
| Capital Research Center | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Washington, D.C. |
| Type: | 501(c)(3) |
| Top official: | Scott Walter, President |
| Founder(s): | Willa Johnson |
| Year founded: | 1984 |
| Website: | Official website |
The Capital Research Center (CRC) is a 501(c)(3) investigative think tank. Willa Johnson founded the group in 1984 "because she saw that nonprofit political advocacy groups were a growing menace to a free society" as they "used tax-deductible contributions to fund political activism and...lobbied for taxpayer-funded government grants to undermine American freedoms."[1]
Background
Willa Johnson founded the CRC in 1984. Johnson earlier worked as associate director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel under President Ronald Reagan (R) and at the Heritage Foundation.[1] As of September 2025, the organization described its work as follows:[2]
| “ |
Today, we study unions, environmentalist groups, and a wide variety of nonprofit and activist organizations. We also keep an eye on crony capitalists who seek to profit by taking advantage of government regulations and by getting their hands on taxpayers’ money. We’re not afraid to take on the Washington Establishment—Republican, Democrat, or anyone else. CRC reports take the form of articles on this website, newspaper and magazine articles, and books. We’re also a source of information for commentators and people in the news media. We do have a specific point of view. We believe in free markets, constitutional government, and individual liberty. But facts are facts, and our journalists and researchers go where the facts lead them.[3] |
” |
Leadership
As of September 2025, the following individuals held leadership positions at the Capital Research Center:[4]
- Scott Walter, president
- Ken Braun, managing editor and director of content
- Kristen Eastlick, senior vice president
- Laura Elliott, chief of staff
- Michael E. Hartmann, senior fellow and director of the Center for Strategic Giving
- Christopher Krukewitt, chief financial & operations officer
- Sarah Lee, director of communications and external relations
- Tracey Miller, vice president of strategic partnerships
- Dan Thompson, vice president of philanthropy & development
- Michael Watson, research director
As of September 2025, the following individuals sat on the Capital Research Center's board of trustees:[5]
- Sarah Humphreys Atkins, president
- Robert E. Challey, chairman of the board
- Gordon Cummings
- Edwin Meese, III
- William Meyersohn
- Eric O'Keefe
- Thomas S. Winter
Work and activities
InfluenceWatch
CRC publishes InfluenceWatch, an online encyclopedia of donors, nonprofits, and political influencers. InfluenceWatch was developed after CRC identified "a need for more fact-based, accurate descriptions of all of the various influencers of public policy issues." According to the organization, "CRC has a perspective on the public policy process as well, but this resource is more important than that. We're seeking the information to speak for itself—information that frequently is not cited in reports about these individuals and organizations."[6] InfluenceWatch has an accompanying podcast.[7]
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope. Know of one we missed? Click here to let us know.
Finances
The following is a breakdown of the Capital Research Center's revenues and expenses from 2001 to 2023. The information comes from ProPublica.
| Year | Revenue | Expenses |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | $2.1 million | $1.3 million |
| 2002 | $1.5 million | $1.4 million |
| 2003 | $1.8 million | $1.3 million |
| 2004 | $2.0 million | $1.2 million |
| 2005 | $2.3 million | $1.2 million |
| 2007 | $2.6 million | $1.3 million |
| 2008 | $1.4 million | $1.5 million |
| 2009 | $1.3 million | $1.5 million |
| 2010 | $1.7 million | $1.6 million |
| 2011 | $1.7 million | $1.6 million |
| 2012 | $2.0 million | $1.7 million |
| 2013 | $2.4 million | $1.8 million |
| 2014 | $2.3 million | $1.8 million |
| 2015 | $2.6 million | $2.0 million |
| 2016 | $3.0 million | $2.8 million |
| 2017 | $2.5 million | $4.4 million |
| 2018 | $2.9 million | $4.8 million |
| 2019 | $4.6 million | $5.6 million |
| 2020 | $4.9 million | $5.5 million |
| 2021 | $6.1 million | $6.8 million |
| 2022 | $7.2 million | $7.3 million |
| 2023 | $7.5 million | $7.2 million |
*No 2006 tax filing was available for the Capital Research Center.
See also
External links
- Capital Research Center official website
- Capital Research Center on X
- Capital Research Center on Facebook
- Capital Research Center on YouTube
- Capital Research Center on Instagram
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Capital Research Center, "Willa Ann Johnson, RIP," February 29, 2024
- ↑ Capital Research Center, "About," accessed September 9, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Capital Research Center, "Staff," accessed September 9, 2025
- ↑ Capital Research Center, "Board of Trustees," accessed September 9, 2025
- ↑ Capital Research Center, "InfluenceWatch," accessed July 18, 2018
- ↑ Capital Research Center, "InfluenceWatch Podcast," accessed July 18, 2018
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