The Lugar Center
The Lugar Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit policy research organization founded in 2013 in Washington, DC, that produces the Bipartisan Index with Georgetown, runs the Lugar Diplomacy Series and Lugar Academy, and publishes research on WMD nonproliferation, global food security, and foreign aid effectiveness for policymakers and the public.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Lugar Center does
The Lugar Center is a Washington, DC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit policy research organization founded in April 2013 by former six-term U.S. Senator Richard G. Lugar, with a current headcount of 1-10 employees and offices at 1455 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. It operates across four programmatic verticals: Bipartisan Governance & Oversight, Global Food Security, WMD Nonproliferation, and Foreign Aid Effectiveness. Its flagship quantitative product is the Bipartisan Index (BPI), produced jointly with Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy and ranking every member of Congress on bipartisan cosponsorship activity; secondary outputs include an Oversight Hearing Index, the Lugar Diplomacy Series event program, Oversight Boot Camps, the Lugar Academy internship partnership with the University of Indianapolis, and published research resources on agroforestry, genetic engineering, orphan crops, and aid transparency. The organization serves U.S. and international policymakers, congressional staff, diplomats, journalists, academic researchers, and university students, with its work referenced in Devex, E&E News, GMFUS, and POGO coverage.
The Lugar Center does not sell commercial products or services and has no pricing model. Revenue is generated through donations and charitable contributions to the 501(c)(3), with the founding announcement explicitly seeking seed-money supporters. Distribution is conducted via the public website (free publications, blog, BPI scores), email newsletter, social profiles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Flickr, the Lugar Diplomacy Series, Oversight Boot Camps, and earned media through TLC expert commentary. The organization is independently governed by a Board of Directors following Senator Lugar's death in 2019, with no parent company, subsidiaries, funding rounds, M&A activity, or external equity ownership identified.
Operationally, the organization functions as a convening and research platform rather than a technology company: there is no commercial software stack, no app, no API, no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, and no patents or trademarks. Its competitive position is anchored in the Lugar personal brand, the institutional credibility of its 8 Global Partners (Arms Control Association, CSIS, Indiana University, Levin Center at Wayne Law, McCourt School, MFAN, NTI, POGO), and the recurring annual release cadence of the Bipartisan Index since 2013.
The Lugar Center firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Lugar Center
- Legal name
- The Lugar Center
- Website
- https://thelugarcenter.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Lugar Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit policy research organization founded in 2013 in Washington, DC, that produces the Bipartisan Index with Georgetown, runs the Lugar Diplomacy Series and Lugar Academy, and publishes research on WMD nonproliferation, global food security, and foreign aid effectiveness for policymakers and the public.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Lugar Center industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Policy Research and Advocacy
- SIC
- Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA), Research, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Partnerships (EDADALAK)
Keywords
Where The Lugar Center is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Lugar Center business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Donations and charitable contributions: The Lugar Center operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization funded primarily through donations from supporters. The organization's founding announcement references seeking founding supporters to provide seed money, indicating reliance on charitable contributions as the core revenue stream.
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Lugar Center product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Lugar Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit policy research organization that produces research, indices, and educational programs on bipartisan governance, global food security, WMD nonproliferation, and foreign aid effectiveness. Its flagship deliverable is the Bipartisan Index (BPI), a quantitative measure of bipartisan cooperation in Congress developed jointly with Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy. The organization also runs training programs such as Oversight Boot Camps, the Lugar Diplomacy Series, and the Lugar Academy internship program with the University of Indianapolis.
Product overview
The Lugar Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit policy organization (not a technology product company) that focuses on bipartisan governance, global food security, WMD nonproliferation, and foreign aid effectiveness. Its offerings include research indices (Bipartisan Index, Oversight Hearing Index), educational programs (University Project for Bipartisan Collaboration, Oversight Boot Camps, Lugar Academy internship program), event series (Lugar Diplomacy Series), and published research resources covering topics such as genetic engineering, agroforestry, and foreign aid transparency.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Bipartisan Index (BPI): A ranking system measuring bipartisan cooperation among members of Congress, developed in partnership with Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy.
- Lugar Diplomacy Series
- UIndy Lugar Academy
Products and services
- Bipartisan Index (BPI) A quantitative methodology that measures the degree of bipartisan cooperation among members of Congress by tracking how frequently each member cosponsors bills with members of the opposing party. Annual rankings are released for every Congress from the 103rd onward, with methodology, FAQs, maps, state rankings, and lifetime scores made available.
- Oversight Hearing Index
Quantifiable outcome
- The Bipartisan Index was highly predictive of House votes on the bipartisan infrastructure bill (November 2021) — all top-ranked Republican BPI scorers voted for the bill, and the lowest-ranked Democratic BPI scorers voted against it.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Lugar Center
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Lugar Center technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Lugar Center partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Georgetown University McCourt School of Public PolicycoreThe Lugar Center and Georgetown University's McCourt School jointly produce the Bipartisan Index (BPI), a quantitative measure of bipartisan cooperation in Congress. This is the flagship product of The Lugar Center and one of the most widely cited measures of congressional bipartisanship, with annual rankings released for each Congress since 2013.
- Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS)majorListed as a Global Partner. TLC and CSIS have co-hosted events including a discussion on the future of food assistance with USAID Administrator Shah in 2013. CSIS also republished articles by TLC staff (e.g., Connie Veillette's 'Lessons for the Next QDDR').
- Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI)majorListed as a Global Partner. NTI works on WMD nonproliferation issues, aligning with The Lugar Center's WMD Security program area.
- Indiana UniversitymajorListed as a Global Partner. Senator Lugar and Indiana University collaborated on the Lugar Academy Semester in Washington Program for University of Indianapolis students, and Lugar's legacy is honored at Indiana institutions.
- Arms Control AssociationmajorListed as a Global Partner. The TLC co-sponsors the Bipartisan Nuclear and WMD Policy Dialogue Program with the Arms Control Association, with project coordinator Luke Feltz working on both organizations.
- Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN)majorListed as a Global Partner. Connie Veillette served as executive co-chair of MFAN, a coalition advocating for foreign assistance reform. The Lugar Center is a member organization of MFAN.
- Project on Government Oversight (POGO)minorListed as a Global Partner. POGO covers government oversight topics, aligning with TLC's Bipartisan Governance & Oversight program area.
- Levin Center at Wayne LawminorListed as a Global Partner. The Levin Center at Wayne State University Law School works on bipartisan oversight issues, aligning with The Lugar Center's Oversight Boot Camps and University Project for Bipartisan Collaboration.
- Meridian InstituteminorMeridian Institute served as the charter sponsor and venue host for the Lugar Diplomacy Series events, including the 10th event featuring former USTR Carla Hills in July 2018.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
The Lugar Center competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Council on Foreign Relations (CFR): An independent, nonpartisan foreign-policy think tank in New York and D.C. focused on U.S. global engagement. CFR's combination of research, convening, and fellowship programming mirrors The Lugar Center's foreign-policy pillar, including WMD nonproliferation and international development.
- Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI): A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to reduce global catastrophic threats from nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. NTI is a formal Global Partner of The Lugar Center and is one of the most direct comparables for its WMD Nonproliferation program area.
- Arms Control Association: A national nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to promoting public understanding of and support for effective arms-control policy. It co-sponsors the Bipartisan Nuclear and WMD Policy Dialogue with The Lugar Center and is the most directly comparable specialist peer on WMD policy work.
- Atlantic Council: A nonpartisan foreign-policy institution promoting U.S. global leadership and engagement. Its programming on global food security, nonproliferation, and democratic governance is highly comparable to The Lugar Center's three non-governance pillars.
- Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): A bipartisan foreign-policy and national-security think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. CSIS is also a formal Global Partner of The Lugar Center, but it operates the same model: applied policy research, convening events, and close engagement with U.S. policymakers on WMD, foreign aid, and global issues.
- Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN): A bipartisan coalition of foreign-assistance reform advocates. MFAN is a formal partner of The Lugar Center, with former staff executive co-chair roles, and shares an almost identical remit on aid-effectiveness advocacy.
- Brookings Institution: A large, established Washington, D.C. think tank conducting bipartisan policy research across governance, foreign policy, and economic development. Directly comparable to The Lugar Center in mission structure (independent, research-driven, engaged with policymakers), though far larger and with a broader policy portfolio.
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: A global network of policy research centers focused on international peace and security. Comparable to The Lugar Center in operating a nonpartisan research model with global policy themes including nonproliferation and governance reform.
- Center for Global Development (CGD): An independent think tank focused on how policies and actions of the world's wealthiest countries affect people in the developing world. Connie Veillette, founding member of The Lugar Center, previously led CGD's Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Program — a direct talent and mission linkage.
Broad incumbents
- Heritage Foundation: A large, established conservative-leaning think tank that publishes policy research on governance, foreign policy, and national security. While ideologically distinct from The Lugar Center's explicitly bipartisan positioning, Heritage is comparable in scale-of-ambition and use of indices/reports to influence policymakers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Lugar Center social profiles
Digital presenceThe Lugar Center compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
The Lugar Center financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Lugar Center leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
The Lugar Center funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Lugar Center M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Lugar Center
What does The Lugar Center do?
The Lugar Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit policy research organization that produces research, indices, and educational programs on bipartisan governance, global food security, WMD nonproliferation, and foreign aid effectiveness. Its flagship deliverable is the Bipartisan Index (BPI), a quantitative measure of bipartisan cooperation in Congress developed jointly with Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy. The organization also runs training programs such as Oversight Boot Camps, the Lugar Diplomacy Series, and the Lugar Academy internship program with the University of Indianapolis.
Is The Lugar Center a public or private company?
The Lugar Center is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Lugar Center founded?
The Lugar Center was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Lugar Center based?
The Lugar Center is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Lugar Center make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and charitable contributions.
Who are The Lugar Center's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), Arms Control Association, Atlantic Council, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN), Brookings Institution, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Center for Global Development (CGD). Heritage Foundation is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does The Lugar Center have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Lugar Center.
What industry is The Lugar Center in?
The Lugar Center's product category is Policy Research and Advocacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAO, Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes, with a secondary code of EDADADAA, Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks. Its SIC code is 8700.