Capital Research Center

History

CRC was founded in 1984 by Willa Johnson, former senior vice president of The Heritage Foundation, deputy director of the Office of Presidential Personnel in the first term of the Reagan administration, and a legislative aide in both the United States Senate and House of Representatives. Journalist and author Marvin Olasky previously served as a senior fellow at CRC.

In 2011, Politico reported that CRC had received millions of dollars from conservative philanthropists over the years, with a total budget in 2009 of $1.4 million. CRC reported contributions and grants totaling $7.46 million in 2023.

In March 2025, CRC president Scott Walter briefed senior White House officials on a range of liberal and Democratic donors, nonprofits, and fundraising techniques, including ActBlue and Arabella Advisors. Walter is the author of a book about Arabella Advisors, Arabella: The Dark Money Network of Leftist Billionaires Secretly Transforming America, published in 2023. Of the White House briefing, Kenneth Vogel of The New York Times wrote that "A small group of White House officials has been working to identify targets and vulnerabilities inside the Democratic ecosystem, taking stock of previous efforts to investigate them" and that "The president and his allies in Congress are targeting the financial, digital and legal machinery that powers the Democratic Party and much of the progressive political world."

InfluenceWatch

In 2017, the CRC launched the website InfluenceWatch, which is an online encyclopedia of donors, nonprofits, and political influencers. InfluenceWatch documented "the extent to which dark money from Democratically aligned groups was used during the 2020 election."

Film production

CRC has a film production arm called Dangerous Documentaries, which partially funded No Safe Spaces by Adam Carolla and radio host Dennis Prager, about political correctness on college campuses.

References

References

1. (9 May 2013). "Capital Research Center". [[ProPublica]].
2. (19 March 2025). "With Orders, Investigations and Innuendo, Trump and G.O.P. Aim to Cripple the Left". The New York Times.
3. (January 18, 2017). "Dems jockey for big money control". Politico.
4. (November 1, 2016). "Podesta paid $7,000 a month by top donor". Politico.
5. Crane, Michael. (2004). "The Political Junkie Handbook". SP Books.
6. Barr, Stephen. (July 2, 1997). "12 Foundations Push Conservative Agenda; $210 Million Given Over 3 Years". The Washington Post.
7. Eig, Jonathan. (3 July 1994). "Strains of compassion; Frustration over rising homelessness leads some cities to limit panhandling, reduce aid". The Dallas Morning News.
8. Vogel, Kenneth. (3 April 2011). "Right seeks edge in 'oppo' wars". Politico.
9. (March 21, 2025). "From ‘Woke’ Colleges to Hunter Biden and Big Law: Trump’s Week of Settling Scores". WSJ.
10. "Capital Research Center".
11. (14 April 2023). "A type of political dark money arms race is heating up ahead of next year's POTUS election". WCYB.
12. (May 24, 2017). "Adam Carolla Launches Crowdfunding Campaign for 'No Safe Spaces' Movie". The Hollywood Reporter.
13. (May 25, 2017). "Adam Carolla Crowdfunding for Anti–Safe Spaces Documentary — Watch". Indie Wire.