AFL-CIO
Website: www.AFLCIO.org
American Bar Association (ABA)
Website: www.AmericanBar.org.
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
The U.S. Constitution guarantees certain civil liberties to all Americans. These include...
o Your right to practice your religion
o Your right to the same treatment by the law as every other citizen
o Your right to privacy
o Freedom of the press
The ACLU is a nonprofit organization that works to protect these individual rights. They work both by lobbying Congress and by challenging violations of civil liberties in the court system. The organization has been the center of controversy at times by defending those rights for groups whose views are generally considered to be objectionable, though not unlawful.
For more about about the ACLU, visit their website at www.ACLU.org.
American Enterprise Institute (AEI)
A conservative think tank.
Website: www.AEI.org.
American Federation for Children
A dark-money group that supports school voucher programs and charter schools nationwide.
AFC is a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), and has worked with the group to draft model legislation.
For more on the American Federation for Children, read the Sourcewatch report.
Website: www.FederationForChildren.org.
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) drafts model legislation that state legislators can quickly turn into legislation.
ALEC is funded by large corporations, and the laws it recommends typically support those corporations, often at the expense of the overwhelming majority of Americans.
Website: www.ALEC.org.
For learn about where ALEC comes from and what it does, read Who is ALEC? - our discussion.
To read about ALEC's close affiliations with the Trump administration, click here.
To follow ALEC's recent activities, visit AlecExposed.org.
Click here to read a comparison between ALEC and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
American Medical Association (AMA)
Website: www.ama-assn.org.
Anti-Defamation League
Website: www.ADL.org.
Associated Press (AP)
A nonprofit news cooperative whose syndicated reports appear in newspapers and news websites. Most local newspapers that report national and world news merely run stories from the AP, rather than providing coverage by their own reporting staff.
Association of American Physicians and Surgeons
An organization of physicians. The group claims to be non-partisan, yet much of its writing advocates for policies generally associated with those who label themselves conservative.
According to a 2009 Mother Jones magazine report...
o An article on the group's website "speculated that Barack Obama may have won the presidency by hypnotizing voters, especially cohorts known to be susceptible to 'neurolinguistic programming' - that is, according to the writer, young people, educated people, and possibly Jews."
In an article published in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons (Fall 2015), former AAPS President Richard Amerling suggests, "The abortion industry and Planned Parenthood originated in the population control and eugenics movements," and supports a view that a major reason for abortion is a desire to protect insects, fish, and animals.
One article on the group's website states "The Planned Parenthood doctors make Dr. Joseph Menegle, Hitler's 'Doctor of Death' look like an angel of mercy by comparison."
Website: www.AAPSonline.org.
Note: Lobby99 does not associate any value judgement with labels such as "liberal" or "conservative" - we merely use the term here to point out a leaning the group does not acknowledge. In fact, while Lobby99 considers itself to be nonpartisan and evidence-based, some would label the policies we advocate as being generally associated with those who label themselves liberal.
Bankrate.com
Bankrate.com is a website that reports on rates and consumer policies offered by about 5,000 banks in the United States.
You can visit their website at www.BankRate.com.
Black Lives Matter
(Coming)
Blackwater USA
(Coming)
Brennan Center for Justice
A nonpartisan public policy institute. For more visit www.BrennanCenter.org.
Brookings Institution
Website: www.brookings.edu/a>.
Center for American Progress (CAP)
Website: www.AmericanProgress.org
Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP)
Website: www.CBPP.org
Center for Economic and Policy Research
The Center for Economic and Policy Research analyzes and reports on economic issues that affect people's lives. To learn more, visit their website at www.CEPR.net.
Center for Media and Democracy
A nonprofit liberal watchdog and advocacy organization based in Wisconsin.
Website: PRWatch.org.
Center for Responsive Politics (CRP)
(Coming)
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
Website: www.citizensforethics.org.
Civil Rights Project
An organization that researches civil rights and equal opportunity for racial and ethnic groups in the United States.
Website: www.CivilRightsProject.ucla.edu.
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB)
A nonpartisan, non-profit organization that analyzes the fiscal impact of government policies.
Website: www.CRFB.org
Common Cause
Website: www.CommonCause.org.
Commonwealth Fund
The Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation that works to improve access to health care - especially for those who are the most likely to be unable to obtain it. It does this by funding independent research and improved health care practices.
Website: www.CommonwealthFund.org
Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI)
A libertarian think tank.
CEI advocates restricting government oversight in public policy areas such as finance, consumer protections, and the environment. It coordinated and funded the Supreme Court case King v. Burwell - an attempt to eliminate most government subsidies that help people pay for health care insurance under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
Major CEI funders include Koch Family Foundations, as well as oil, pharmaceutical, and tobacco companies.
Website: CEI.org
Consumer Federation of America (CFA)
Consumer Federation of America is an association of non-profit consumer organizations that researches and reports on consumer issues. CFA also advocates for policies that would benefit consumers.
You can visit their website at ConsumerFed.org.
Democracy 21
Website: www.Democracy21.org.
Deutsche Bank
A German bank (the name Deutsche Bank is literally german for German Bank). It is one of the largest banks in the world.
Deutsche Bank has been linked to money laundering schemes involving Russian oligarchs. It also was the only bank willing to lend money to Donald Trump at a time when nobody else would - and while Trump still owed the bank hundreds of millions of dollars and was suing the back to relieve that debt.
Website: www.DB.com.
Economic Policy Institute (EPI)
The Economic Policy Institute is a non-partisan, non-profit think tank that studies public policies which affect low- and middle-income workers. They also propose public policies that would improve the economic conditions of American workers.
For more, visit www.EPI.org.
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
The Electronic Frontier Foundation advocates on free speech and privacy concerns related to the Internet. You can learn more at www.EFF.org.
End Rape on Campus (EROC)
An organization that works to end sexual violence on school campuses.
Website: www.EndRapeOnCampus.org.
Environmental Working Group
A nonprofit, non-partisan organization that researches and reports on issues related to the environment.
Website: www.ewg.org.
Family Research Council
(Coming)
For more on the American Federation for Children, read the Sourcewatch report.
Website: www.FRC.org.
Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac
Government Sponsored Enterprises that encourage home ownership by buying mortgages from banks.
Fannie Mae is short for the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA). Freddie Mac is short for Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC). The main difference between the two is that Fannie Mae typically buys mortgages from larger banks, while Freddie Mac buys mortgages mostly from smaller banks.
This is how it works...
When you take out a mortgage to buy a house, the bank has to pay that money to the house's seller. But a bank can only lend as much money as it has. To increase the amount of money available for loans, the bank sells the mortgage. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac buy mortgages, most of which they bundle to resell as mortgage backed securities.
Websites:
Fannie Mae: FannieMae.com
Freddie Mac: FreddieMac.com
Federal Reserve (The Fed)
(Coming)
Freedom Partners
A nonprofit organization that raises money for conservative candidates.
Website: FreedomPartners.org.
Fusion GPS
A company that performs opposition research for political candidates.
Website: www.FusionGPS.com
FWA Consultants
FWA Consultants books retired military officers to speak at events.
Website: www.flagofficers.us.
Girls Inc
An organization that provides education and other programs to girls to help them overcome gender, economic, and social barriers.
Website: www.GirlsInc.org.
GLSEN
Organization that educates on and advocates for equal treatment for all students in kindergarten through 12th grade - especially LGBT students.
Website: www.GLSEN.org.
GRACE Communications Foundation
The GRACE Communications Foundation is an organization that works to increase public awareness of issues related to food, water, and energy systems.
You can visit their website at www.GRACElinks.org.
Guttmacher Institute
A nonprofit organization which works to advance reproductive health.
It was founded in 1968 as the Center for Family Planning Program Development, a division of Planned Parenthood. It became an independent nonprofit in 1977 and was renamed the Guttmacher Institute after the death of former Planned Parenthood president Alan Guttmacher.
Website: www.Guttmacher.org.
Heritage Foundation
A think tank with the stated mission of "formulating and promoting conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense."
Website: www.Heritage.org.
Innocence Project
A nonprofit organization that works to exonerate wrongfully convicted people through DNA testing.
Website: www.InnocenceProject.org.
International Court of Justice
(Coming)
International Franchise Association (IFA)
A trade association that advocates favorable laws and policies for large franchises.
The organization has...
o Fought to delay the employer mandate of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), and repeal the provision requiring businesses to provide health insurance for employees who work 30 hours a week. Read the introductory letter of their 2014 Annual Report.
o Sued Seattle in 2014 to try to block the city from treating franchises as large businesses under its new $15-an-hour minimum-wage law.
The IFA also is a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
Website: Franchise.org.
Justice in Aging
A nonprofit organization that fights poverty of senior citizens through legal advocacy.
Website: www.JusticeInAging.org.
Kaiser Family Foundation
A non-partisan nonprofit organization that researches issues focusing on U.S. health care policy. It is not associated with health care provider Kaiser Permanente.
Website: KFF.org
Kantar Media
An company that analyzes advertising in the media. Their Campaign Media Analysis Group analyzes advertising for political campaigns.
Know Your IX
An organization that works with students and sexual-abuse survivors to eliminate sexual and dating violence in schools.
Its name comes from Title IX - the 1972 law guaranteeing equal protections in public education from all genders.
Website: www.KnowYourIX.org.
Ku Klux Klan (KKK)
(Coming)
League of Conservation Voters
A 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that advocates for sound environmental laws and policies.
Among the ways it does this are working with the federal and local governments and supporting candidates who will support policies that protect the environment.
Website: www.LCV.org.
Libertarian Party
A U.S. political party that advocates to minimize government involvement in public policy areas such as consumer protections and social programs.
Website: www.LP.org
NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a nonprofit organization whose stated mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination."
Website: www.NAACP.org.
National Association of Realtors (NAR)
Website: www.nar.realtor.
National Center for Transgender Equality
Organization that works to end discrimination and violence against transgender people.
Website: www.TransEquality.org.
National Coalition for Men (NCFM)
Organization stating it is "dedicated to the removal of harmful gender based stereotypes, especially as they impact boys, men, their families and those who love them."
According to its website, the organization addresses issues such as pay inequality between genders, domestic violence against males, and false accusations of rape.
Website: www.NCFM.org.
National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
A non-partisan organization that provides information to state legislators to help them evaluate policy options.
All state legislators and their staff members are members.
Website: www.ncsl.org.
Click here to read a comparison between the NCSL and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)
National Constitution Center
A nonprofit organization established by Congress to "disseminate information about the United States Constitution on a non-partisan basis in order to increase the awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people.".
The Constitution Center Museum is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania near Independence Hall.
Website: ConstitutionCenter.org.
National Economic Council
(Coming)
National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA)
A nonprofit whose mission is to protect U.S. national parks.
Website: www.npca.org.
National Registry of Exonerations
A project of the University of Michigan Law School that provides details of every known exoneration (a case in which a person was wrongly convicted of a crime and later cleared of all the charges based on new evidence) in the United States since 1989.
Website: www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/about.aspx.
National Rifle Association (NRA)
Website: home.NRA.org
Referenced by...Trump loosens restrictions on elephant hunting (2018-Mar-05)
National Women's Law Center (NWLC)
Organization that advocates for women's rights
Website: www.NWLC.org.
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
Website: www.NRDC.org
Orb Media
A news organization that reports on global issues such as the environment, education, health, and governance.
Website: OrbMedia.org.
Pew Charitable Trusts
Website: www.PewTrusts.org.
Planned Parenthood
A nonprofit organization that provides information and services relating to reproductive issues and children's health.
Website: www.PlannedParenthood.org
Public Citizen
Website: www.citizen.org.
Rand Corporation
Website: www.rand.org.
Restore Our Water International
An alliance of American and Canadian environmental groups that addresses water issues on the Great Lakes.
Website: www.RestoreOurWater.com.
Rhodium Group
A consulting company that analyzes "disruptive global trends".
Website: www.rhg.com.
Safari Club International
Organization that advocates for the freedom to hunt.
Website: www.SafariClub.org.
Referenced by...Trump loosens restrictions on elephant hunting (2018-Mar-05)
Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)
A nonprofit organization that investigates and educates the public about people and organizations that advocate violence against others based on bigotry.
They sue organizations on the behalf of victims of hate crime. In several cases, the organizations found liable for the hate crimes were required to turn over all of their assets (including property) to the victim.
The SPLC also runs Teaching Tolerance - a program that provides free materials to teachers who want to educate their students on ways to reduce prejudice and improve relations between various ethnic groups.
Website: www.SPLcenter.org.
Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE)
Organization whose website states its mission as "Working for policy reform to protect all victims and stop false allegations."
SAVE states as its position that a definition of rape that includes alcohol- or drug-facilitated rape, as well as attempted rape, is "overly broad".
Website: www.SaveServices.org.
SurvJustice
Nonprofit organization that supports survivors of sexual violence through legal assistance, policy advocacy, and education.
Website: www.SurvJustice.org.
Tax Policy Center
The Tax Policy Center is a nonpartisan organization that analyzes the effects of tax policies. It is a joint project of the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute.
For more, read this New York Times article.
Website: www.TaxPolicyCenter.org.
Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI)
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute studies problems associated with all aspects of transportation.
You can learn more about them at tti.tamu.edu.
The Wireless Association (CTIA)
An organization that lobbies for the wireless industry. You can visit their website at www.CTIA.org.
ThinkProgress
A news website that provides reporting and analysis from a self-described "progressive perspective". It is a project of the Center for American Progress (CAP)
Website: ThinkProgress.org.
A social media organization that allows users to broadcast messages of up to 140 characters.
Twitter messages are referred to as tweets.
President Donald Trump was famous for using Twitter as a medium to vent personal anger and to make policy declarations (not all of which he acted on).
Website: www.twitter.com.
U.N. General Assembly
(Coming)
U.N. Security Council
The UN Security Council is one of the six main organs of the United Nations.
Its primary function is to maintain international peace and stability.
The Security Council is comprised of 15 members - 5 permanent and 10 elected to 2-year terms. The permanent members are...
o Russian Federation (previously the Soviet Union)
o China
o United Kingdom
o France
Security Council resolutions are binding, and can be enforced by sanctions or a peacekeeping force. Passing a resolution requires a YES vote from at least 9 members. However, a NO vote by any of the permanent members is considered a veto and will cause the resolution to fail.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Website: www.USChamber.com.
United Nations (UN)
An organization of approximately 200 of the Earth's nations. It was created in 1945 - after the Second World War - to promote international cooperation.
The UN consists of 6 main organs...
o Security Council
o Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
o Trusteeship Council
o International Court of Justice
o Secretariat
The leader (Secretary-General) of the U.N. is Ban Ki-moon of Korea, who has served since 2007.
Previous Secretary-Generals have been:
o 1992-1996 Boutros Boutros-Ghali (Egypt)
o 1982-1991 Javier Perez de Cuellar (Peru)
o 1972-1981 Kurt Waldheim (Austria)
o 1961-1971 U Thant (Myanmar)
o 1953-1961 Dag Hammarskjold (Sweden)
o 1946-1952 Trgve Lie (Norway)
Website: www.UN.org
Urban Institute
A non-partisan think tank that studies, reports on, and advocates for social programs and policies.
The Urban Institute was created in 1968 under President Lyndon Johnson.
For more, visit their website at www.Urban.org.
Veterans of Foreign Wars
A nonprofit organization that provides services for veterans who have served in overseas conflicts and advocates for policies that serve their interests.
Website: www.VFW.org.
Washington Examiner
An explicitely conservative newspaper. It is owned by Phil Anschutz, who also owns the conservative magazine The Weekly Standard.
For more, read this Politico.com story.
Washington Free Beacon
A conservative website. It was founded by Paul Singer - a major Republican donor.
Website: www.FreeBeacon.com.
World Bank
Website: www.WorldBank.org.
World Health Organization (WHO)
Website: www.who.int.
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
An agency of the United Nations (UN) created in 1967 to protect intellectual property across nations.
For more, visit www.wipo.int.