Sunlight Foundation

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Gabriela
Schneider
Communications Director (202) 742-1520 ext 236 G. Schneider headshot

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Liz
Bartolomeo
Communications Manager (202) 742-1520 ext 226 L. Bartolomeo headshot

Recent Sunlight Foundation Press Releases

Monitoring Groups Agree to Work Together to Advance Parliamentary Transparency

May 3, 2012 — Additional media contacts Latin American Network on Legislative Transparency: Pablo Secchi, psecchi@directoriolegislativo.org, +54 (11) 5218 4647 National Democratic Institute: Kathy Gest, kgest@ndi.org, 202-728-5535 Washington, DC — For the first time, a broad and diverse gathering of civil society representatives from 37 countries convened in Washington this week and established a shared commitment to advocate for strong, open parliaments that embody citizens' voices. The conference, which ran from April 30 to May 2, provided an opportunity for parliamentary monitoring organizations (PMOs) from all regions of the world to share their experiences and good practices on a host of topics, from monitoring political finance to advocating for greater transparency of parliamentary information. The conference was co-hosted by the Latin American Network for Legislative Transparency, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the Sunlight Foundation.

TransparencyCamp 'Unconference' Planned for April 28-29

April 20, 2012 — WASHINGTON, DC – Next weekend, nearly 400 open government supporters will participate in the Sunlight Foundation’s TransparencyCamp on April 28 and 29 at George Mason University in Arlington, VA. This “unconference” brings together government officials, technologists, journalists and grassroots advocates to share best practices on the ways new technologies and effective policies can make our government really work for the people.

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Recent Sunlight Foundation Press Articles

Most independent ads for 2012 election are from groups that don’t disclose donors

Washington Post — The pattern underscores the growing influence of corporations and wealthy individuals in the wake of a Supreme Court decision that made it easier to spend unlimited money on elections. The numbers also suggest that many well-off donors are increasingly opting for the confidentiality of nonprofits rather than allowing the public scrutiny that comes from giving to super PACs or candidates. “I think there is a potential to see a tremendous amount of money flowing through these nonprofit groups,” said Bill Allison, editorial director at the Sunlight Foundation, which advocates greater disclosure for political organizations and candidates. “For an awful lot of donors, it’s a very attractive way to give without leaving any kind of footprint.”

Pennsylvania primaries oust two House Blue Dog Democrats

USA Today — Holden outspent his rival 2-to-1, but the contest was targeted by several special-interest groups, most of which aimed to defeat him. According to the Sunlight Foundation, a government watchdog group, the race was the top recipient of outside money for a House race so far this cycle. More than $572,000 was spent mostly in anti-Holden attacks. He was targeted by the League of Conservation Voters as well the Campaign for Primary Accountability, an anti-incumbent super PAC that targets long-serving Republicans and Democrats.

Walmart Scrambles Lobbyists in Response to Mexico Bribery Report

Roll Call — Despite its market size, Walmart has ranked only 50th so far in this election cycle on a Sunlight Foundation ranking of top campaign donors. The company has given out $1.5 million, 67 percent of which went to Republicans, according to the Sunlight Foundation. Walmart spent $5.4 million on lobbying since the beginning of last year, down from $13.5 million spent on lobbying in the 2010 cycle.

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