Citizens Against Government Waste

What Citizens Against Government Waste does

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) is a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., that works to eliminate waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the federal government through research and public education. The organization produces a portfolio of recurring publications and tracking products: the annual Congressional Pig Book (33rd edition released in 2026, tracking pork-barrel earmarks since 1991), Prime Cuts (a recommendations report proposing $5.4 trillion in waste cuts over five years in its 2025 edition), This Week in Waste (weekly series), Porker of the Month (monthly recognition program), an Earmark Database covering 141,029 earmarks totaling $484.3 billion since fiscal year 1991, and topical Issue Briefs spanning defense, healthcare, telecommunications, taxes, postal service, and an Innovation & Technology Policy Center covering AI, antitrust, and biopharmaceuticals.

The organization is funded primarily through donations from its base of more than one million members and supporters nationwide. CAGW distributes its research freely via its website, email newsletters, social media, and direct outreach to congressional offices and journalists. Its primary constituents are American taxpayers and concerned citizens, with secondary audiences including policymakers/government officials and media covering fiscal policy. The organization operates a community-led go-to-market motion built around content production, earned media, and grassroots advocacy rather than any technology platform or product commercialization. A state-level affiliate, the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW), conducts congressional ratings and runs the 1-800-USA-DEBT hotline service.

Name

Citizens Against Government Waste

Legal name

Citizens Against Government Waste

Website

https://cagw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Citizens Against Government Waste is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit advocacy organization that produces research and publications exposing federal government waste, fraud, and mismanagement for more than one million members, policymakers, and the media.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (924110), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Residential Curbside MSW Collection (BPALAAAA)

Keywords

• Government accountability advocacy
• Fiscal policy research
• Pork-barrel earmark tracking
• Taxpayer advocacy publications
• Nonprofit policy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Donations and Support: CAGW generates revenue primarily through donations from its more than one million members and supporters. The organization operates a donation platform on its website and encourages public support for its mission to eliminate government waste.
2. Publications and Reports: CAGW produces and distributes publications including the Congressional Pig Book, Prime Cuts report, and issue briefs. While these are primarily educational/advocacy materials, proceeds from sales may contribute to revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organization that produces research publications and tracking tools exposing waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the federal government. Its flagship offerings include the annual Congressional Pig Book, the Prime Cuts waste-reduction report, the weekly This Week in Waste series, the Porker of the Month recognition program, and a searchable Earmark Database.

Product overview

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organization that operates as a content and research publication rather than a technology platform. The organization produces a portfolio of research publications and tracking tools centered on government accountability: the Congressional Pig Book (annual earmark tracking report), Prime Cuts (waste-cutting recommendations), This Week in Waste (weekly news series), Porker of the Month (recognition program), an Earmark Database, and various Issue Briefs & Special Reports. These products work together to educate the public about government waste and advocate for fiscal reform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Tracked 141,029 earmarks costing $484.3 billion since 1991
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• 52-Organization CoalitionminorOthers · 12 February 2025CAGW participates in coalitions with other free-market and conservative advocacy organizations on specific policy issues. In February 2026, CAGW signed a coalition letter with 52 organizations opposing the codification of Most Favored Nation (MFN) drug pricing policies by Congress.
• 63-Organization CoalitionminorOthers · 11 August 2020CAGW joined a coalition of 63 organizations in August 2020 that opposed the Most Favored Nation drug pricing proposal, sending a letter to President Trump outlining concerns about price controls.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• The Heritage Foundation: Large, established conservative think tank with a much broader policy portfolio (defense, foreign policy, social policy) that includes fiscal responsibility as one of many issue areas — far larger and more resource-rich than CAGW.
• Cato Institute: Large libertarian think tank that publishes analyses on federal spending, regulation, and entitlements — overlaps with CAGW on fiscal restraint research but with a much broader academic and policy mandate.

Direct peers

• Taxpayers for Common Sense: Nonpartisan budget watchdog that produces independent analyses of federal spending and earmarks — the closest functional peer to CAGW, competing for media citations, donor dollars, and congressional attention on the same pork-barrel beats.
• Project on Government Oversight (POGO): Independent nonprofit that investigates government waste, fraud, and abuse with a broader scope (national security, contracting, ethics) but an identical advocacy mission and similar donor-supported funding model.
• Americans for Tax Reform: Advocacy organization founded in 1985 that, like CAGW, leads free-market coalition letters on drug pricing and tax policy; shares donor demographics, coalition partners, and ideological positioning.
• National Taxpayers Union: Nonpartisan taxpayer advocacy group that rates members of Congress on fiscal votes and produces spending analyses — a near-direct analog to CAGW’s CCAGW ratings and Pig Book.
• Club for Growth: Fiscal-conservative advocacy organization that scores congressional votes and engages in primary elections on fiscal issues, conceptually parallel to CCAGW’s ratings franchise within a parallel ideological coalition.
• FreedomWorks: Grassroots advocacy organization with a million+ supporter base focused on limited government and fiscal responsibility — comparable scale, GTM model, and ideological lane to CAGW.
• Government Accountability Project: Nonprofit that promotes government accountability and whistleblower protection — shares CAGW’s anti-waste mission but concentrates on whistleblower disclosures rather than earmark tracking.

Others

• State Policy Network: Umbrella network of free-market state-level think tanks — a partner-and-parallel ecosystem through which CAGW’s state-level recommendations (e.g., broadband, utility takeovers) can be distributed and amplified.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GovWaste
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCGv3J9m6dJj-Zkzuu6zL8Tw
• Facebookfacebook.com/CAGW
• Instagraminstagram.com/govwaste

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Citizens Against Government Waste