The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that was created to bring transparency and accountability to corporate political spending. It was formed to address the secrecy that cloaks much of the political activity engaged in by companies and the risks this poses to shareholder value. Since 2003, CPA has become a recognized national leader, spearheading a highly visible and effective campaign for corporate political disclosure.

Working with more than 30 shareholder advocates, CPA is the only group to directly engage companies to improve disclosure and oversight of their political spending. This has included soft money contributions and payments to trade associations and to other tax-exempt organizations, such as non-profit “social welfare” 501(c)(4) organizations, that are used for political purposes.

The Center’s goals are to encourage responsible corporate political activity, protect shareholders, and strengthen the integrity of the political process. Today, the Center’s mission has become even more critical in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010, which unleashed a surge in corporate political spending. As a result of Citizens United, companies face greater pressure to spend corporate dollars either directly or indirectly through conduits such as trade associations and (c)(4) groups.

Due to the efforts of the CPA and its partners, a growing number of leading public companies, including many in the trend-setting S&P 100, have adopted political disclosure and board oversight. As of March 2012, 100 large companies had embraced this corporate governance standard. For a list of these companies, click here.

Learn more about CPA at Work

Our IRS Form 990s are available here: 2008; 2009; 2010.

A list of our 2010 funders is available here.