Data Summary

1,043,501 Citations
351,740 Relationships
66,404 Persons
25,370 Business Persons
22,187 Organizations
11,120 Lobbyists
8,087 Businesses
5,421 Political Fundraising Committees
5,289 Political Candidates
2,309 Elected Representatives
1,942 Individual Campaign Committees
1,613 Other Campaign Committees
1,418 Public Officials
1,397 Government Bodies
1,345 Schools
1,325 Lobbying Firms
1,301 Other Not-for-Profits
1,110 Public Companies
930 Philanthropies
681 Lawyers
622 Private Companies
504 Academics
431 Membership Organizations
275 Media Personalities
215 Industry/Trade Associations
168 Political Parties
162 Policy/Think Tanks
135 Law Firms
95 Cultural/Artses
82 Public Intellectuals
81 PACs
61 Media Organizations
54 Consulting Firms
41 Professional Associations
31 Labor Unions
25 Public Relations Firms
15 Social Clubs
14 Government-Sponsored Enterprises

LittleSis is a free database detailing the connections between powerful people and organizations.

We bring transparency to influential social networks by tracking the key relationships of politicians, business leaders, lobbyists, financiers, and their affiliated institutions. We help answer questions such as:
  • Who do the wealthiest Americans donate their money to?
  • Where did White House officials work before they were appointed?
  • Which lobbyists are married to politicians, and who do they lobby for?
All of this information is public, but scattered. We bring it together in one place. Our data derives from government filings, news articles, and other reputable sources. Some data sets are updated automatically; the rest is filled in by our user community. More Features »

LittleSis lets you see past the news headlines and tired debates.

Who are the movers and shakers behind the bailouts, government contracts, and new policies? We’re working around the clock to stock LittleSis with information about bigwigs who make the news, and their connections to those who don’t. For updates and analysis visit our blog, Eyes on the Ties »

LittleSis is meant to support the work of journalists, watchdogs, and grassroots activists.

We're bringing together a community of citizens who believe in transparency and accountability where it matters most. We're looking for researchers, programmers, artists and organizers to lend a hand. Get Involved »

LittleSis is built and maintained by a nonprofit think-and-do tank.

LittleSis is a project of Public Accountability Initiative, a 501(c)3 organization focused on corporate and government accountability. We receive financial support from the Sunlight Foundation, Harnisch Foundation, and Elbaz Family Foundation, and benefit from free software written by the open source community. Our Team »

This website is a "beta" version launched in January 2009.

There are still plenty of bugs and missing data. We make improvements every day. We plan to develop our blog, Eyes on the Ties, into a source of in-depth investigations into influential names and networks that receive little scrutiny in the media. The LittleSis API lets programmers access and reuse LittleSis data in its raw form. Press Coverage »