About LittleSis

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.

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 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 researchers who believe in transparency and accountability where it matters most. We’re looking for researchers, programmers, artists and organizers to lend their skills…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. Our mission is to facilitate and produce investigative research that promotes transparent and accountable governance. PAI was founded in early 2008 by a group of activists, public interest lawyers, and academics associated with leading universities and major social change organizations.

Dataset

LittleSis features interlinked profiles of powerful individuals and organizations in the public and private sectors. Profiles detail a wealth of information vital to any investigation of the ways power and money guide the formulation of public policy, from board memberships to campaign contributions, old school ties to government contracts.

We provide a public api and bulk data. The software powering LittleSis is open source.

Data Summary

11,491,683 Citations
1,883,720 Relationships
306,616 People
137,072 Organizations
86,648 Business People
39,671 Businesses
23,118 Political Fundraising Committees
14,331 Academics
12,708 Lobbyists
12,593 Public Officials
12,482 Lawyers
11,704 Political Candidates
9,605 Private Companies
6,668 Elected Representatives
6,255 Other Not-for-Profits
5,921 Government Bodies
5,648 Media Personalities
4,544 Schools
3,680 Public Companies
3,607 Philanthropies
2,221 Membership Organizations
2,215 Individual Campaign Committees
1,904 Other Campaign Committees
1,847 Lobbying Firms
1,323 Law Firms
1,225 Industry/Trade Associations
1,017 PACs
935 Consulting Firms
856 Policy/Think Tanks
816 Government-Sponsored Enterprises
749 Public Intellectuals
657 Media Organizations
586 Government Advisory Bodies
515 Cultural/Arts
470 Political Parties
416 Academic Research Institutes
374 Labor Unions
340 Professional Associations
275 Social Clubs
244 Public Relations Firms
115 Elite Consensus Groups