The Advance

What The Advance does

The Advance Group (TAG) is a privately-held political consulting and government relations firm founded in 1990 by Scott Levenson and headquartered in New York. The firm operates as a full-service professional services practice delivering eight integrated service lines: lobbying and government relations, political campaign management, communications, fundraising, grant writing, graphic design, digital advertising, and community organizing. TAG generates revenue through fee-based consulting engagements billed to clients on a contractual, project-specific basis; pricing is not publicly disclosed.

TAG's core value proposition is its 35-year accumulation of institutional relationships with elected officials, commissioners, agency heads, and staff across New York City, New York State, and federal government. The firm serves four primary verticals: labor unions, political campaigns, nonprofits, and corporations. Named clients span major institutional players (SEIU Local 1199, United Federation of Teachers, The Working Families Party, Hakeem Jeffries for Congress, Eliot Spitzer for Governor, Lefrak Corporation, Universal Studios, Two Trees Management), demonstrating a blue-chip, diverse client roster of 500+ organizations across the firm's history with 100+ campaigns and bills won.

The firm's go-to-market is exclusively direct, relationship-based sales with no resellers, marketplaces, or distribution partners. Delivery is grounded in a small core team of eight named professionals (including founder Scott Levenson and next-generation Levenson family members in VP roles) supplemented by exclusive partnerships with external contractors for specialized production. TAG maintains no proprietary technology platform; its digital advertising and voter outreach rely on standard social and programmatic channels. The company is wholly founder-owned with no disclosed institutional investment, funding rounds, M&A activity, or subsidiaries.

Name

The Advance

Legal name

The Advance

Website

https://www.theadvancegroup.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The advance is a national reputation the leading strategic consulting politics, communication, development, lobbying, government relations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Consulting

NAICS

Political Organizations (813940), Public Relations Agencies (541820), Media Representatives (54184)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Intergovernmental Affairs & Federal Grants Administration (BPAIAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Event PR & Communications Support (BPAFADAO)

Keywords

• Government relations consulting
• Political campaign management
• Lobbying services
• Political consulting firm
• Public affairs services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Consulting and Professional Services: TAG generates revenue through fee-based consulting engagements including lobbying, political campaign management, communications, fundraising, grant writing, graphic design, digital advertising, and community organizing services. Services are provided to corporations, political campaigns, nonprofits, and labor unions on a contractual basis.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Advance Group is a government relations and political consulting firm that delivers an integrated suite of professional services, including lobbying and government relations, political campaign management, strategic communications, fundraising, grant writing, graphic design, digital advertising, and community organizing. Services are sold directly to corporations, political campaigns, nonprofits, and labor unions seeking influence and results across New York City, New York State, and federal government.

Product overview

The Advance Group (TAG) is a government relations and political consulting firm offering an integrated suite of professional services. Rather than a software product or platform, TAG provides direct consulting across lobbying and government relations, political campaigns, communications, fundraising, grant writing, graphic design, digital advertising, and community organizing—all delivered through client engagement by seasoned professionals with deep New York government relationships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digital Advertising
• Organizing
• Lobbying & Government Relations
• Political Campaigns
• Communications
• Fundraising
• Grant Writing
• Graphic Design

Named customers29 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Mercury Public Affairs: A bipartisan public affairs and strategic communications firm with deep NYC and state-level lobbying and government relations practice, competing head-to-head with TAG for corporate, labor, and nonprofit clients in the same geography.
• SKDKnickerbocker (Stanton Public Relations): A major progressive-aligned political consulting and public affairs firm with strong NYC presence, offering integrated campaign, lobbying, communications, and digital services comparable to TAG's full-service model.
• BerlinRosen: A leading progressive public relations and political consulting firm with strong NYC roots, serving campaigns, labor unions, nonprofits, and corporations with integrated messaging, lobbying, and earned media services.
• The Parkside Group: A NYC-based government relations and strategic consulting firm that directly competes with TAG for corporate and nonprofit lobbying engagements at the city and state level.
• The Hatcher Group: A public affairs and communications firm providing strategic counsel, government relations, and advocacy services to nonprofits, foundations, and corporations, comparable to TAG's nonprofit and advocacy client work.
• MirRam Group: A NYC-area public affairs and political consulting firm providing government relations, political campaigns, and strategic communications services directly comparable to TAG's offerings in the same geography.

Broad incumbents

• Capstone National Partners: A national government affairs and strategic communications firm with offices across the U.S., including a NY presence, offering lobbying, public affairs, and campaign services that overlap with TAG's offerings.
• FGS Global (formerly The Glover Park Group): A global strategic communications and public affairs firm providing government relations, lobbying, and crisis communications services that overlap with TAG's higher-end corporate government relations work.

Regional players

• Rasky Partners: A Boston-based public affairs and lobbying firm with comparable integrated government relations, communications, and consulting services, providing a regional comparison outside TAG's primary NY geography.

Emerging players

• Bully Pulpit Interactive: A progressive digital-first political and public affairs agency that competes with TAG on digital advertising, campaign messaging, and organizing services for political and advocacy clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TAG_NYC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCHvD0YD_uGT7nJfsmIs7IMQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheAdvanceGroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/theadvancegroupnyc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 The Advance