A new class of billionaire mega-donors has transformed the funding landscape for D.C. Now, as the vast fortunes of a second Gilded Age are channeled into philanthropy, Washington is more awash in nonprofit cash than ever before. Among the earliest mega-donors on the scene was Robert Brookings, who established the Institute for Government Research (later to be the Brookings Institution) in 1916 to become "the first private organization devoted to analyzing public policy issues at the national level." Many would follow his example, including a wave of conservative philanthropists later in the century intent on rolling back FDR’s New Deal and Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society by establishing organizations like the Heritage Foundation and Cato Institute. Philanthropists have a long history of chasing influence in Washington. They’re putting their fortunes to work to affect legislation, influence regulatory and budget processes, shape the judiciary, and - for the most ambitious - shift the broad narratives that frame American life. Tapping the skills of Beltway insiders and, in some cases, setting up offices in the city, top philanthropists have become ever more adept at working the levers of power. Some are laser-focused on specific challenges, like climate change, while others work across multiple issues - including the most contested of the day: immigration, criminal justice, voting rights and more. These donors come from across the ideological spectrum and have a range of agendas. And today, a growing array of philanthropists are tapping into deep reservoirs of both to influence national policy. The currency that counts most in Washington, D.C., isn't money.
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