The Citizens Research Council of Michigan claims to provide “independent, nonpartisan” research.
But a closer look at the organization’s staff, political contributions and financial backers tells a very different story.
According to federal campaign finance records reviewed by Michigan Searchlight, 100% of the identified political contributions from key CRC staff over the last few years went to Democratic candidates or progressive political committees.
CRC employees contributed to Democrats and left wing groups, including Kamala Harris, Barack Obama, Elizabeth Warren, Rashida Tlaib, Elissa Slotkin, Kristen McDonald Rivet, Justice Democrats and the No Dem Left Behind PAC.
Not one identified dollar went to a Republican.
The partisan pattern extends into CRC’s senior ranks. Their President appears to primarily participate in Democratic primaries. The Research Director voted in the Democratic Presidential primary held in 2024., while the Vice President of Development and Communications Director appear to have participated in Democratic primaries but do not appear to have ever voted in a Republican primary.
The President of CRC has also previously referred to President Donald Trump as “Mein Fuhrer Herr Trump,” while the Communications Director has a documented history of social media posts attacking Trump and Republicans.
So, is anyone surprised that CRC is always on the attack, criticizing every aspect of the state budget process and House Republicans work to rein in state spending and other conservative reforms?
The attacks come as House Republicans have fought to reduce wasteful spending, expose secret earmarks, protect taxpayers and prevent foreign adversaries like Communist China from buying Michigan farmland.
Following the money raises even more questions about the independent status of the CRC.
The Ford Foundation contributed $375,000 to CRC between 2021 and 2024, including $150,000 to establish CRC’s Detroit bureau. According to a Washington Examiner investigation, the Ford Foundation separately directed nearly $10 million since 2020 to Chinese government entities and organizations linked to the Chinese Communist Party.
Those grants reportedly supported state controlled universities, Chinese government agencies and projects connected to China’s international infrastructure and influence strategy.
There is no evidence that CRC received money directly from China. But the financial chain is still worth examining: CRC received hundreds of thousands of dollars from a foundation that was simultaneously funding entities tied to the Chinese government, and CRC is now attacking Republicans who moved to protect Michigan land from foreign adversaries. All told, the CRC has received millions in funding from progressive organizations over the last 10-12 years.
CRC has every right to criticize Republican policies. Its employees also have every right to vote in Democratic primaries and donate to Democratic candidates.
But Michigan reporters should be more curious about – and lawmakers and taxpayers have a right to know – who is standing behind the supposedly “nonpartisan” research being used to attack Legislative Republicans.
An organization funded by progressive foundations, staffed primarily by Democratic donors and led by individuals with a clear record of partisan and anti-Trump political activity should not automatically be treated as an impartial referee.
CRC calls itself nonpartisan, and the mainstream Press dutifully report it as such. The facts tell Michiganders otherwise.