Type of Activity: Project
Grantee: Public Citizen
Amount: $200,000 in 2020
What is Public Citizen?
Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that works to address the growing power gap between everyday people and concentrated power in the hands of corporate and government actors. They approach this issue through a combination of congressional advocacy, litigation, research, and grassroots advocacy.
Why do we think this project is important?
Public Citizen worked to co-convene a diverse coalition of organizations urging proper oversight over the trillions in taxpayer dollars spent in response to COVID-19. Public Citizen helped coordinate advocacy to ensure that aid and stimulus funds went to those in need and that funds were not misused for corrupt political purposes. It also worked with Congress and the companies receiving funds to ensure the funds were disbursed in a manner that was transparent and free from waste and mismanagement.
Public Citizen coordinated advocacy to: bolster existing oversight structures (such as congressional committees and independent bodies); strengthen guardrails in future legislation; identify and highlight potential conflicts of interest in government aid and stimulus spending; and, encourage companies to adopt stronger transparency measures, among other activities.
Together, these activities showed elected and appointed officials and aid recipients that advocates and the public were closely monitoring the distribution and use of taxpayer dollars.
How is Democracy Fund Voice supporting Public Citizen?
In 2020, Democracy Fund Voice approved a grant of $200,000 to Public Citizen.