CFM Advocates
CFM Advocates is a Portland-based government affairs and lobbying firm founded in 1990 with 16 staff across offices in Portland, Salem, Vancouver WA, and Washington DC, providing federal, state, and public affairs services to corporate, nonprofit, and government clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CFM Advocates does
CFM Advocates is a privately held government affairs and lobbying firm founded in 1990 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon. The firm provides three core service lines — Federal Affairs, State Affairs, and Public Affairs — serving clients across corporate, nonprofit, and government sectors. With 16 staff distributed across four offices in Portland, Salem, Vancouver WA, and Washington DC, CFM operates as a multi-jurisdictional public affairs platform covering both Pacific Northwest state-level advocacy and federal-level lobbying and appropriations work. The firm's federal team has secured more than $2 billion in cumulative funding for clients, including $8 billion for The Bus Coalition and over $10 billion in infrastructure-related awards, evidencing a deep federal appropriations-channel franchise alongside its state-level practice.
The firm's business model is built on retainer-based engagements with clients seeking policy outcomes, regulatory access, and government funding capture. Service delivery is anchored by five equity partners — expanded in January 2024 — and a senior bench of policy professionals with prior government experience, including former elected officials, agency leaders, and legislative staff. This talent base functions as the primary competitive differentiator in a category where institutional access and personal relationships are the binding constraints on client outcomes. The firm has no disclosed technology platform or productized offering, and revenue is not publicly reported given its private, partnership-held structure.
CFM's revenue mechanics follow the standard professional services lobbying model: long-duration client retainers, project-based federal funding capture work, and episodic crisis or campaign-style engagements. Pricing is anchored by senior-staff bill rates consistent with mid-size Pacific Northwest lobbying firms. Growth in 2024–2025 has been driven by equity partnership expansion, buildout of the Washington State Affairs practice, and a net hiring wave of five or more new staff, indicating a deliberate scaling phase rather than steady-state operations.
CFM Advocates firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CFM Advocates
- Legal name
- CFM Advocates
- Website
- https://cfmadvocates.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CFM Advocates is a Portland-based government affairs and lobbying firm founded in 1990 with 16 staff across offices in Portland, Salem, Vancouver WA, and Washington DC, providing federal, state, and public affairs services to corporate, nonprofit, and government clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CFM Advocates industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Government Relations and Public Affairs Consulting
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161), Public Relations Agencies (54182)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Corporate & Financial Communications PR (MPAAADAA)
Keywords
Where CFM Advocates is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
CFM Advocates business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Federal Lobbying and Advocacy Services: CFM provides federal lobbying services from its Washington, D.C. office, representing clients before Congress and federal agencies. Services include legislative strategy, grant writing and advocacy, and appropriations support. Revenue is earned through professional consulting fees for advocacy, representation, and grant acquisition services.
- State Government Affairs (Oregon & Washington): The firm provides state-level lobbying and government affairs services in Salem, Oregon and Olympia, Washington. Services include legislative strategy, direct lobbying, regulatory affairs, and budget advocacy for corporate, nonprofit, and public clients.
- Public Affairs and Strategic Communications: CFM provides public affairs counsel, crisis communications, media relations, media training, strategic communications planning, and communications audits. Services address issue management, crisis planning and response, and public opinion shaping for Pacific Northwest corporate, nonprofit, and public clients.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
CFM Advocates product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CFM Advocates provides federal and state lobbying, public affairs, strategic communications, crisis management, and grant acquisition services to corporate, nonprofit, and public sector clients in the Pacific Northwest. The firm operates from offices in Portland, Salem, Vancouver (WA), and Washington, D.C., representing clients before Congress, federal agencies, the Oregon Legislature, and the Washington Legislature. Services are delivered on a per-engagement basis by a team of 16, most of whom are former government officials.
Product overview
CFM Advocates is a lobbying and public affairs consulting firm offering three integrated service lines: Federal Affairs (lobbying before Congress and federal agencies, securing competitive grants), State Affairs (legislative and regulatory advocacy in Oregon and Washington), and Public Affairs (strategic communications, crisis management, media relations, and media training). The firm serves corporate, nonprofit, and public sector clients in the Pacific Northwest region.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Federal Affairs DC-based lobbying services before Congress and federal agencies, securing competitive federal grants, congressionally directed spending, and regulatory relief for clients including ports, transit agencies, and municipalities in the Pacific Northwest.
- State Affairs Legislative strategy, direct lobbying, and regulatory affairs representation before the Oregon and Washington state legislatures and state agencies, including budget advocacy for corporate, nonprofit, and public clients.
- Public Affairs Strategic communications services including crisis communications, issue management, media relations, media training, and strategic communications planning for corporate, nonprofit, and public clients in the Pacific Northwest.
Quantifiable outcome
- CFM has helped clients secure over $2 billion in combined federal funding, state appropriations, and voter-approved bond measures over 30+ years.
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use CFM Advocates
Customer profileNamed customers20 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CFM Advocates technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
CFM Advocates partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- National League of CitiescoreCFM coordinates advocacy efforts with the National League of Cities as part of its federal affairs practice, leveraging this coalition to amplify client priorities before federal decision-makers.
- Conference of MayorscoreCFM coordinates advocacy efforts with the Conference of Mayors to amplify municipal client priorities at the federal level.
- National Association of CountiescoreCFM coordinates advocacy efforts with the National Association of Counties to support county-level clients in federal policy discussions.
- Pacific Northwest Waterways AssociationcoreCFM coordinates advocacy efforts with the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association, a key coalition for port and waterway infrastructure clients.
- Oregon Association of Broadcasters (OAB)coreCFM and OAB worked together as legislative partners to develop and shepherd legislation preventing state taxation of broadcaster FCC licenses in Oregon. CFM and OAB identified a legislative champion, drafted legislation, and coordinated stakeholder engagement.
- The Bus CoalitionflagshipCFM represents The Bus Coalition, one of the leading national transit advocacy associations, in federal affairs. Joel Rubin's advocacy for the coalition has secured $8 billion in federal resources for bus transit nationwide since 2015.
Scale indicators19 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
CFM Advocates competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Stoel Rives: Major Pacific Northwest-based law firm where CFM was originally housed at founding; has a significant government affairs and public policy practice serving regional and federal clients. Larger incumbent offering lobbying alongside full legal services, competing for the same Pacific Northwest public sector clients.
- Forbes Tate Partners: Washington DC-based bipartisan public affairs and government relations firm combining federal lobbying with strategic communications, advocacy campaigns, and crisis management. Comparable to CFM's integrated lobbying + public affairs model but with larger federal-scale capacity and national footprint.
- K&L Gates: Global law firm headquartered in Pittsburgh with major Pacific Northwest presence and a substantial government affairs practice. Competes for state and federal lobbying mandates from regional clients and offers integrated legal, lobbying, and policy services at much greater scale than CFM.
- Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck: National bipartisan lobbying and law firm with one of the largest federal lobbying practices in DC and strong western U.S. presence. Competes with CFM for federal grant writing, appropriations, and policy advocacy work for municipalities and infrastructure clients, particularly in transportation and water.
- Davis Wright Tremaine: Large Pacific Northwest-headquartered law firm with a substantial government affairs and public policy practice serving Oregon, Washington, and federal clients. Broader incumbent that overlaps with CFM in state and federal lobbying but operates at much larger scale and as part of a full-service legal practice.
- Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Major international law and government relations firm with one of the largest federal lobbying practices in Washington, DC. Competes with CFM for federal appropriations, infrastructure advocacy, and public affairs engagements from Pacific Northwest clients that have grown into multi-jurisdictional needs.
Regional players
- Tonkon Torp LLP: Portland-based business law firm with a government affairs and public policy practice serving Oregon public and private sector clients. Adjacent competitor for Oregon-focused state lobbying and policy advocacy work, though CFM's deeper DC presence and dedicated public affairs practice differentiate the offerings.
Others
- Capitol Counsel LLC: Washington DC-based bipartisan government relations firm specializing in federal appropriations, budget, and tax advocacy. Comparable to CFM's federal affairs practice for clients seeking DC-based appropriations and budget expertise, though Capitol Counsel operates at a larger scale and lacks CFM's Pacific Northwest state affairs depth.
Direct peers
- Strategies 360: Seattle-based public affairs and lobbying firm serving Pacific Northwest clients with integrated government relations, public affairs, and strategic communications. Most direct regional competitor to CFM given shared geography, service mix (federal/state lobbying + communications), and Pacific Northwest client base.
- Gallatin Public Affairs: Pacific Northwest-focused lobbying and government affairs firm with offices in Oregon and Washington. Direct regional peer offering state-level legislative advocacy, budget and policy work, and government relations services to public and private sector clients in the same markets CFM serves.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CFM Advocates social profiles
Digital presenceCFM Advocates financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CFM Advocates leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles20 records
CFM Advocates funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CFM Advocates 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 CFM Advocates
What does CFM Advocates do?
CFM Advocates provides federal and state lobbying, public affairs, strategic communications, crisis management, and grant acquisition services to corporate, nonprofit, and public sector clients in the Pacific Northwest. The firm operates from offices in Portland, Salem, Vancouver (WA), and Washington, D.C., representing clients before Congress, federal agencies, the Oregon Legislature, and the Washington Legislature. Services are delivered on a per-engagement basis by a team of 16, most of whom are former government officials.
Is CFM Advocates a public or private company?
CFM Advocates is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was CFM Advocates founded?
CFM Advocates was founded in 1990. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CFM Advocates based?
CFM Advocates is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does CFM Advocates make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Federal Lobbying and Advocacy Services are the primary driver. The others are state Government Affairs (Oregon & Washington) and public Affairs and Strategic Communications.
Who are CFM Advocates's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Stoel Rives, Forbes Tate Partners, K&L Gates, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Davis Wright Tremaine and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. Tonkon Torp LLP is listed as a regional player. Capitol Counsel LLC is listed as an others. Direct peers are Strategies 360 and Gallatin Public Affairs.
Does CFM Advocates have an API?
No public API is recorded for CFM Advocates.
What industry is CFM Advocates in?
CFM Advocates's product category is Government Relations and Public Affairs Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHACAN, Public Sector & Policy Consulting, with a secondary code of MPAAADAA, Corporate & Financial Communications PR. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.