Mission
The Fund for Constitutional Government (FCG) is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting democracy, government and corporate transparency, fair economies, and the fights against corruption and climate change. FCG serves as a fiscal sponsor for new and established advocacy projects with objectives aligned with our mission. FCG does not make unsolicited grants.
History
FCG was established in 1974 to expose governmental corruption. Its founder, Stewart R. Mott, described FCG in one of his newsletters as “a public-interest law group which takes on the White House, Congress, agencies, the Pentagon, and any department of government in which we think we can find a solid case of the corrupt use of power and politics… It’s tough and nasty stuff we deal with.”
Stewart Mott’s vision and guidance helped to shape the direction and early projects of FCG. Born in 1937 in Flint, Michigan, Stewart was the son of Charles Stewart Mott, an early executive of General Motors. As such, Stewart was heir to a large sum of General Motors wealth and made his life’s career out of giving much of that money away. In the 1960s and 1970s, Stewart became a well-known and somewhat controversial activist. Although he became known partly for his eccentricities, he was also highly devoted to his ideals. After the post-Watergate campaign reform laws of 1974 limited the amount that individuals could donate to candidates, Stewart began to devote much of his time and energy to FCG’s projects. FCG set up shop in Stewart’s mini-mansion on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Created with the help of attorney Edward Greensfelder, its first projects included the Honest Government Project, which was involved in the case to keep Richard Nixon’s presidential papers public; the Military Audit Project, which investigated sweetheart deals between the Department of Defense and military contractors; and The Almanac of American Politics, a detailed compendium of congressional districts and representatives.
Since 1974, FCG has fought corruption and abuse of power. FCG was led from 1984 until 2022 by Conrad Martin. In June 2022, Ian Gary took over as executive director of FCG. Achieving the goal of an open, transparent, and truly democratic American government remains an ongoing challenge. Although Stewart passed away in June of 2008, his legacy lives on with the work of FCG.