MapLight
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| MapLight | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Berkeley, Calif. |
| Type: | 501(c)(3) |
| Top official: | Daniel G. Newman, President and co-founder |
| Founder(s): | Thomas Layton, Jaleh Bisharat and Daniel G. Newman |
| Year founded: | 2005 |
| Website: | Official website |
MapLight is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which is focused on transparency in campaign finance.[1] According to its website, MapLight "provides campaign finance, lobbying, and ethics disclosure solutions to state and local governments. We support transparency and believe that everyone deserves an equal voice in our democracy."[1] Additionally, Maplight's LinkedIn page said in May 2025 that the group "designs, builds, and operates software and data systems to improve democracy and advance policies in the public interest."[2]
Background
MapLight was founded in 2005 in Berkeley, California by Daniel Newman.[2][3] In a 2020 interview with The Fulcrum, Newman said he founded the organization "to expose money's influence and help other reform activists be successful."[4]
Initially named TakeBackCA.org, the organization focused on tracking donations to the California State Legislature. At the time, the website said its goal was to "educate citizens about how well-funded interests with specific agendas distort California government."[5] In May 2007, the organization launched a project analyzing donations for elections for Congress. At this time, they changed their name to MapLight to reflect their expanded coverage scope.[6]
Work and activities
Donation & legislative tracking
MapLight has tracked donations for various legislatures across the country. In 2005, they launched a database tracking donations in the California Legislature. This work expanded to the U.S. Congress in 2007. In 2010, they expanded their California database to track bills and votes, in addition to campaign finance information. In 2011, they launched a website tracking the Wisconsin State Legislature.[6]
In 2015, MapLight partnered with California Secretary of State Alex Padilla (D) to launch PowerSearch, a campaign finance tool designed to make data more accessible to the public.[7]
In 2021, MapLight partnered with Denver, Colorado to create a new campaign finance tool.[8] The tool was launched in February 2022 as Searchlight Denver. The database was meant to provide information about candidate finance records and to simplify the disclosure of funds for political candidates.[9][10]
Voter guides
In 2012, MapLight launched an online guide to inform voters about ballot measures they could vote on. According to a MapLight press release, the guides were described as tools to "empower voters to navigate competing campaign messages and cast votes that reflect their best interests."[11]
In 2014, MapLight expanded its voter guide coverage and partnered with the League of Women Voters to provide information on candidates and ballot measures nationwide.[12] As of 2025, the partnership between the two organizations has expired.[13]
Digital advertisement archive
In December 2024, MapLight launched the MapLight Digital Ad Archive, a database meant to support the disclosure of funding for digital, video, and other forms of political advertisements. The software was developed in partnership with the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan law organization.[14]
Affiliation & alliances
Their website states, "MapLight is funded primarily by earned revenue from cities, counties, and states who use our software. We also receive grants from philanthropic foundations and donations from individuals."[15] Their website also included a list of foundations that, as of May 2025, provided grants to the organization over the previous two fiscal years:[15]
- Evelyn & Walter Haas Jr. Fund
- FThree Foundation
- Gaia Fund
- Kaphan Foundation
- WhyNot Initiative
Past donors also include, but are not limited to, the Sunlight Foundation, the Rockefeller Family Fund, and the Open Society Foundations.[16]
In 2009 and 2010, foundations associated with George Soros provided funding to MapLight.[17]
Finances
The following is a breakdown of MapLight's revenues and expenses from 2010 to 2022. The 2010 to 2013 information comes from GuideStar, and the 2014 to 2022 information comes from the Internal Revenue Service:
| Year | Revenue | Expenses |
|---|---|---|
| 2010[18] | $0.8 million | $0.8 million |
| 2011[19] | $0.8 million | $0.9 million |
| 2012[20] | $2.1 million | $1.1 million |
| 2013[21] | $1.8 million | $1.7 million |
| 2014 | $2 million | $1.8 million |
| 2015 | $3 million | $2.4 million |
| 2016 | $1.7 million | $2.9 million |
| 2017 | $1.8 million | $2.3 million |
| 2018 | $1.8 million | $1.9 million |
| 2019 | $1.8 million | $1.7 million |
| 2020 | $1.6 million | $1.9 million |
| 2021 | $1.7 million | $1.8 million |
| 2022 | $1.8 million | $1.6 million |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms MapLight. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 MapLight, "About MapLight," accessed May 5, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 LinkedIn, "Maplight," accessed May 9, 2025
- ↑ Maplight, "MapLight Leadership," accessed May 9, 2025
- ↑ The Fulcrum, "Meet the Reformer: Dan Newman, campaign finance reformer turned graphic novelist," August 28, 2020
- ↑ TakebackCA.org, "Concept summary," accessed May 9, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 MapLight, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed May 9, 2025
- ↑ MapLight, "California Secretary of State Launches 'Power Search'," September 3, 2005
- ↑ MapLight, "MapLight Partners with the City and County of Denver to Build New Campaign Finance System," January 13, 2021
- ↑ MapLight, "Denver Launches New Campaign Finance System Built in Partnership with MapLight" February 24, 2022
- ↑ 303 Magazine, "SearchLight Denver Creates Easy Access to Campaign Finance Records," April 19, 2022
- ↑ Maplight, New MapLight Voter Guide helps voters tackle ballot measures," accessed May 9, 2025
- ↑ Knight Foundation, "How MapLight is expanding Voter’s Edge to empower Americans during the 2016 elections and beyond," March 1, 2016
- ↑ MapLight, "Voters Edge," accessed May 9, 2025
- ↑ MapLight, "MapLight launches Digital Ad Archive transparency software," December 1, 2024
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 MapLight, "How We’re Funded," accessed May 5, 2025
- ↑ MapLight, Foundation and Individual Funders," accessed May 9, 2025
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, "Liberal billionaire helping fund media groups in Wisconsin," April 14, 2011
- ↑ Guidestar, "MapLight IRS Form 990 (2010)," accessed January 4, 2016
- ↑ Guidestar, "MapLight IRS Form 990 (2011)," accessed January 4, 2016
- ↑ Guidestar, "MapLight IRS Form 990 (2012)," accessed January 4, 2016
- ↑ GuideStar, "MapLight IRS Form 990 (2013)," accessed January 4, 2016
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