The Economic Club of Washington

What The Economic Club of Washington does

The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership forum founded in 1986 and currently in its 40th season (July 2025 - June 2026). It operates as a closed peer community for top-tier executives, government officials, and academic leaders in the Washington D.C. metro area, with the stated mission of being the premier forum in the nation's capital for distinguished global leaders to share insights on major issues of the day. Programming is delivered through signature in-person events at premium Washington D.C. venues, including dinners, breakfast meetings, and luncheons featuring heads of state, Treasury Secretaries, Federal Reserve Chairs, governors, Fortune 100 CEOs, and university presidents; more than 300 thought leaders have spoken at the club over its history. The organization also operates a digital layer consisting of a website, an active YouTube archive, and social channels on X, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and has built out an Education Initiative spanning scholarships, fellowships, an internship program, the Capital Explorer Fund, and an alumni program.

The club is led by David M. Rubenstein, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Chairman of The Carlyle Group, who serves as President and the public-facing interviewer at events. Revenue is generated through three streams: recurring annual membership dues paid by senior executives, ticket and event revenue from signature events, and corporate sponsorships anchored by dual Title Partners Bank of America and Merrill Lynch and a roster of 30+ secondary corporate sponsors including AWS, Alibaba, Boeing, BP, Caterpillar, PepsiCo, Toyota, and UPS. The organization has also created the Arne M. Sorenson Excellence in Leadership Awards and an Executive Fellows Program as owned-IP extensions of the core events business. Operationally, the club runs on a small staff (11-50 employees) headquartered at 1601 K Street NW in Washington D.C., with no disclosed subsidiaries, funding rounds, acquisitions, or technology products beyond the digital event platform.

Name

The Economic Club of Washington

Legal name

The Economic Club of Washington, D.C.

Website

https://economicclub.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership forum founded in 1986 that hosts dinners, breakfasts, and luncheons featuring presidents, Cabinet officials, and Fortune 100 CEOs for top-tier executives in the Washington D.C. metro area, funded by membership dues and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Membership Forum

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty Membership Clubs (Category-Focused) (CRAEADAI)

Keywords

• Executive membership forum
• Signature speaker events
• Business networking services
• Policy discussion programs
• Leadership awards program

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees for executives and business leaders to access club events and networking opportunities
2. Event Revenue: Revenue from signature event attendance including dinners, breakfast meetings, and luncheons featuring distinguished speakers
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Title partner and sponsor relationships with major corporations including Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, and 30+ other corporate sponsors

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership forum that delivers exclusive access to signature speaker events — including dinners, breakfast meetings, and luncheons — featuring distinguished global leaders such as heads of state, Treasury Secretaries, Federal Reserve Chairs, Fortune 100 CEOs, and university presidents. Members pay annual dues to attend these events and access the club's digital archive of past speaker programming, and the club is funded additionally through corporate Title Partner and sponsorship relationships with Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, and 30+ other major corporations.

Product overview

The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. is a membership-based forum organization, not a technology product company. It does not offer software products, platforms, or technology services. The organization provides membership access to signature dinner events featuring distinguished global leaders, speaker programs, education initiatives (scholarships, fellowships, internship programs), and networking opportunities for business executives in the Washington, D.C. area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Membership Recurring annual membership granting senior executives access to the club's signature dinner, breakfast, and luncheon events, digital archives of past speaker programming, and the Washington D.C. peer executive community.
• Signature Speaker Events (Dinners, Breakfasts, Luncheons) In-person events at Washington D.C. venues such as the Mandarin Oriental and Grand Hyatt, featuring distinguished speakers including heads of state, Treasury Secretaries, Federal Reserve Chairs, Fortune 100 CEOs, and university presidents.
• Digital Video Archive and Streaming On-demand video archive of past speaker events available to members via economicclub.org and the club's YouTube channel, extending access to programming beyond live attendance.
• Corporate Title Partner and Sponsorship Program Sponsorship packages offering corporations prominent brand visibility and association with the club's premier business forum, with Bank of America and Merrill Lynch serving as Title Partners and 30+ additional corporations as sponsors.
• Arne M. Sorenson Excellence in Leadership Awards Annual award recognizing excellence in leadership, named after former Marriott International CEO Arne M. Sorenson.
• David M. Rubenstein Scholarship Program Education initiative providing scholarships for students, offered as part of the club's education programming in Washington D.C.
• Executive Fellows Program Fellowship program for executives offered as part of the club's membership and leadership programming.
• Vernon E. Jordan Jr. Scholars Leaders Fellowship Program Fellowship program supporting emerging leaders, listed under the club's Education Initiative.
• Capital Explorer Fund Education and engagement fund listed under the club's Education Initiative.
• Economic Club Summer Internship Program Summer internship program listed under the club's Education Initiative.

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Fortune Brainstorm: Fortune's invitation-only conferences convening CEOs, policymakers, and investors around business and economic issues. Comparable in serving senior executives with curated speaker programming, but operates as a for-profit media event series rather than a member-owned nonprofit.

Direct peers

• The Chicago Council on Global Affairs: A nonpartisan, nonprofit membership organization that convenes global leaders, policymakers, and business executives in Chicago. Comparable in mission (policy and economic dialogue) and member-driven business model.
• The Bretton Woods Committee: A nonprofit membership organization based in Washington D.C. that convenes senior public and private sector leaders on international monetary and financial issues. Comparable as a smaller D.C.-based membership forum with a similar speaker-and-policy model.
• The Economic Club of New York: Nearly identical model: a membership-based forum in a major U.S. metro that hosts prominent business and government leaders at signature dinner and luncheon events. Directly competes for the same executive member and corporate sponsor pool in a parallel geography.
• The Commonwealth Club of California: One of the oldest and largest public-affairs forums in the U.S., hosting distinguished leaders for in-person events in San Francisco. Directly comparable as a nonprofit membership forum featuring high-profile speakers and serving senior executives.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Manufacturers: A large industry trade association representing manufacturers, including many Fortune 500 sponsors of the Economic Club. Overlaps on member demographics and D.C.-based convening, but operates as a sectoral advocacy body rather than a general-purpose executive forum.
• Business Roundtable: An association of CEOs of major U.S. corporations that convenes leadership around economic and policy issues. Overlaps on member composition (Fortune 100 CEOs) and policy discussion focus, though structurally distinct from a single-metro forum.
• Council on Foreign Relations: A larger, established national organization that convenes senior government, business, and academic leaders around policy and economic issues. Overlaps with the Economic Club on speaker access and executive member base but operates at a broader national/international scale.
• World Economic Forum: The preeminent global invitation-only forum for heads of state, CEOs, and policymakers. Operates a far larger annual Davos meeting and year-round initiatives; comparable as a high-prestige speaker-driven forum serving the same executive constituency.

Regional players

• The Asia Society: A nonprofit educational and policy organization that convenes business, policy, and thought leaders on Asian affairs, often in D.C. and New York. Comparable as a high-profile membership-driven forum featuring distinguished speakers, though focused on a specific regional topic.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theeconomicclub
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheEconomicClubDC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-economic-club-of-washington-d-c-
• Instagraminstagram.com/econclubdc
• Facebookfacebook.com/theeconomicclub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Economic Club of Washington