What Does Sunlight Foundation Do?

Total employees0
HeadquartersWashington
Founded2006

The Sunlight Foundation was a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-partisan non-profit organization founded in 2006 with the mission of increasing transparency and accountability in the United States Congress, state, and local governments. It advocated for open government, provided tools and data to journalists and citizens, and conducted investigative journalism. Key areas of work included tracking lobbying, campaign finance, government spending, and legislative data. While highly influential in the open government movement, the Sunlight Foundation significantly scaled down its operations and effectively ceased to be an active, independent organization around 2020-2021. Some of its projects and data were transitioned to other organizations, ensuring parts of its legacy continue. Its historical website, sunlightfoundation.com, serves as an archive of its work.

Where Is Sunlight Foundation's Headquarters?

Sunlight Foundation officeSunlight Foundation officeSunlight Foundation officeSunlight Foundation office
*Images sourced via web search. Rights belong to original owners

HQ Function

Served as the central hub for its operations, including research, data analysis, software development, journalism, advocacy, and administrative functions.

Notable Features:

Standard office space in a D.C. building, likely configured for collaborative work, meetings, and housing its technical and research staff. No specific widely publicized architectural highlights.

Work Culture:

Reportedly a mission-driven, passionate, and innovative environment, attracting individuals dedicated to open government and technology. It fostered a culture of collaboration between technologists, journalists, and policy advocates.

HQ Significance:

The D.C. location was critical for its advocacy efforts, proximity to federal government institutions, and engagement with policymakers, journalists, and other NGOs in the capital.

Values Reflected in HQ: The choice of a D.C. headquarters reflected its focus on federal government transparency. The internal setup likely promoted collaboration and innovation, aligning with its operational values of openness and civic engagement.

Location:

While primarily focused on U.S. government transparency, the Sunlight Foundation's work, tools, and principles had a significant global influence. It inspired and collaborated with open government advocates and organizations worldwide, sharing best practices, open-source technologies, and data standards for transparency. Its research and reporting sometimes covered international lobbying efforts or U.S. foreign influence, contributing to a broader understanding of global governance issues. Many of its open-source tools were adapted for use in other countries.

Street Address:

1818 N St NW, Suite 300

City:

Washington

State/Province:

D.C.

Country:

USA

Where Else Does Sunlight Foundation Operate Around the World?

N/A

Address: N/A

Operations were centralized to maximize impact on U.S. federal government transparency and to facilitate collaboration among its core team.

Buying Intent Signals for Sunlight Foundation

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Notable news
Hiring actively
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
*Example signal, not calculated in real time

Who's Leading Sunlight Foundation? Meet the Executive Team

As of April 2025, Sunlight Foundation' leadership includes:

Ellen S. Miller - Co-founder and Former Executive Director
Michael R. Klein - Co-founder and Former Chairman
John Wonderlich - Former Executive Director
Kat Duffy - Former Director, Sunlight Labs (Interim Executive Director)

Who's Investing in Sunlight Foundation?

Sunlight Foundation has been backed by several prominent investors over the years, including:

Open Society Foundations
The Ford Foundation
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The Pew Charitable Trusts
MacArthur Foundation
Omidyar Network
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Laura and John Arnold Foundation (now Arnold Ventures)
Hewlett Foundation

What Leadership Changes Has Sunlight Foundation Seen Recently?

Hire0
Exits0

The Sunlight Foundation ceased active operations around 2020-2021. Therefore, there have been no executive new hires or exits in the last 12 months. The information below reflects the historical context of its operational wind-down.

Departures

Various Leadership & Staff, As part of the winding down of active operations, all executive and staff roles were concluded or transitioned.

What Technology (Tech Stack) Is Used bySunlight Foundation?

Discover the tools Sunlight Foundation uses. Highperformr reveals the technologies powering your target accounts — helping your sales, marketing, and GTM teams prioritize smarter and close faster.

Sunlight Foundation Email Formats and Examples

The Sunlight Foundation is no longer an active organization, so its email systems are not operational and emails will not be delivered. Historically, non-profits like the Sunlight Foundation often used common email patterns based on employee names.

[first_initial][last]@sunlightfoundation.com or [first].[last]@sunlightfoundation.com

Format

jdoe@sunlightfoundation.com (historical example, not active)

Example

0%

Success rate

What's the Latest News About Sunlight Foundation?

Nieman Lab • September 16, 2020

Sunlight Foundation news title: The Sunlight Foundation, an open-government trailblazer, is shutting down most of its operations

The Sunlight Foundation, a pioneer in using technology to make government more transparent, is ceasing most of its active operations and transitioning its key projects and data to other organizations. The move marks the end of an era for an influential player in the open-government movement....more

Sunlight Foundation Blog (via Web Archive) • September 15, 2020

Sunlight Foundation news title: The Next Chapter for Sunlight Foundation’s Work

The Sunlight Foundation announced its transition, detailing how its tools, data, and mission-driven work would find new homes within other organizations. The post expressed gratitude for its community and partners over its 14 years of operation....more

Poynter • April 24, 2014

Sunlight Foundation news title: Sunlight Foundation launches tool to track 'dark money' in politics

The Sunlight Foundation unveiled 'Influence Explorer,' a new online tool aimed at increasing transparency in political campaign finance by tracking undisclosed sources of funding, often referred to as 'dark money,' and their influence on politics....more

TechCrunch • February 13, 2013

Sunlight Foundation news title: Omidyar Network, Knight Foundation And More Invest $4.5M In The Sunlight Foundation To Make Government Data More Open

The Sunlight Foundation received a $4.5 million grant from a collective of philanthropic organizations, including Omidyar Network and the Knight Foundation, to further its work in making government data accessible and usable for the public....more

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