Connecting citizens to their lawmakers in the U.S. Congress has never been more important, and CNC journalists are excited about being able to ask YOUR questions. So first of all - thank you! Thank you for asking the questions to keep your elected representatives on their toes ... and our journalists in touch with what's important to you when they cover Congress every day!

Capitol News Connection is a nonprofit news service supported by its public radio station subscribers, donations from people like you, and grants from foundations.

Ask Your Lawmaker would not have been possible without the support of three foundations:

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Capitol News Connection launched in July 2003 with a major grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and is currently supported by two CPB grants - one supporting CNC journalism and daily operations, the other supporting the Ask Your Lawmaker widget as part of the Public Media Collaboration to support multi-platform system-wide public media coverage of the 2008 Elections. CNC's Ask Your Lawmaker is part of a collaborative effort between National Public Radio, American Public Media, PBS, PRI's Public Interactive, PRX, The Newshour and KQED.

The Sunlight Foundation

Founded in January 2006 with the goal of using the Internet and new information technology to enable citizens to learn more about what Congress and their elected representatives are doing, The Sunlight Foundation helps to reduce corruption, ensure greater transparency and accountability by government, and fosters public trust in the vital institutions of democracy. Sunlight funded the first development phase of Ask Your Lawmaker.

The Park Foundation

The Park Foundation values a diverse and transparent media landscape. Its goal is to fund non-commercial broadcasting, investigative journalism, and independent media that is substantive, unbiased, and accurate. It aims to heighten public awareness of critical environmental, political, and social issues to foster a more fully informed electorate.

The Ploughshares Fund

The Ploughshares Fund: Investing in Peace and Security Worldwide seeks to enable the smartest people with the best ideas for building a safer, more peaceful world to implement their ideas and achieve results. A public grantmaking foundation, Ploughshares Fund pools contributions from individuals, families and foundations and directs those funds to initiatives aimed at preventing the spread and use of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and other weapons of war, and preventing conflicts that could lead to the use of weapons of mass destruction.

Thank you!

Other Foundations Supporting CNC

CNC is also supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Ethics & Excellence in Journalism Foundation, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

A very special thanks to our web developers:

Chapter Three LLC

Founded in 2006 by Josh Koenig, Matt Cheney, and Zack Rosen, three friends with a shared interest in social change, mutual expertise in open-source technology and grassroots organizing, Chapter Three believes networks improve the quality of life for human beings all over the world.

Also a thanks to Forum One Communications, who began this adventure with us!

Public Radio International

CNC reports for public radio stations are distributed by PRI - Public Radio International. PRI produces, acquires and distributes innovative content that enables U.S. audiences to "hear a different voice," bringing new voices and global perspectives on-air and online. Through partnerships with BBC World Service and station-based and independent producers such as CNC, the Minneapolis-based network provides over 400 hours of programming each week, content that is broadcast and streamed online by hundreds of affiliates nationwide.

Helium.com

CNC is also proud to partner with Helium.com, a community of writers and quality content. Every article that comes to Helium is rated by other members, using proprietary peer review technology. Through a fair, trusted and democratic rating system, each article submitted to the site is ranked against competing articles, until it’s placed in its proper position based on its quality.