What Lewis-Burke Associates LLC does

Lewis-Burke Associates LLC is a Washington, D.C.-based, full-service government relations and advocacy firm founded in 1992 by April L. Burke, J.D. The firm provides strategic counsel, federal funding advocacy, positioning, facilitation, partnership-building, strategic communications, tailored training, and international advisory services to clients seeking to influence U.S. federal policy and appropriations. Core clients are higher education institutions (including UVA, Caltech, Duke, NYU, Georgia Tech, Purdue, Berkeley, Rutgers, and others), scientific societies and associations, federal research laboratories (notably Fermilab), research networks (Internet2, MxD, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center), and a growing base of technology companies and venture capital firms.

The firm is organized around sector practices (Education & Workforce, Health, Science & Technology, Energy, National Security, Infrastructure, Innovation & Industry, Environment & Agriculture, Arts & Humanities) and specialized practices (Tier 1 University, Tech & Venture, TBED, Energy, Health Bioscience Innovations, Talent & Workforce Development). Its sphere of influence explicitly covers the White House (OSTP, OMB, DPC), federal research and regulatory agencies, congressional appropriations, authorization, and tax committees, member offices and delegations, the National Academies, think tanks, and international bodies including the State Department and WHO.

The business model is professional services fees for retained government relations counsel, with no publicly disclosed pricing tiers or fee structures. The firm is a privately held LLC with 11-50 employees headquartered at 440 1st Street NW, Suite 700, Washington D.C. 20001, currently led by President Michael L. Ledford, J.D. Differentiating operating metrics cited by the firm include 138 years of combined policy experience across senior principals (averaging 15 years each), 33% client retention of 10+ years, active representation of original clients after 20+ years, 300+ federal opportunities delivered to clients in 2020, coverage of all 50 U.S. states, and 10+ Nobel Prizes held by researchers at client institutions. The firm reports no external parent company, no private equity or venture capital backing, and no disclosed M&A activity.

Name

Lewis-Burke Associates LLC

Legal name

Lewis-Burke Associates LLC

Website

https://lewis-burke.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lewis-Burke Associates LLC is a Washington, D.C.-based government relations and advocacy firm founded in 1992 that provides federal funding advocacy, strategic policy counsel, and coalition-building services to universities, scientific societies, research laboratories, and technology companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Relations Consulting

NAICS

Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Intergovernmental Affairs & Federal Grants Administration (BPAIAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)

Keywords

• Government relations consulting
• Federal advocacy services
• Public affairs advisory
• Federal funding strategy
• Science policy representation

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Relations Consulting Services: Lewis-Burke generates revenue through professional services fees for government relations counseling, advocacy, strategic planning, and policy advisory services. Their client engagements involve comprehensive federal representation for higher education institutions, scientific societies, and research organizations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Lewis-Burke Associates LLC is a full-service government relations and advocacy firm that provides strategic counsel, federal funding advocacy, congressional engagement, positioning, partnership building, and facilitation services to universities, scientific societies, research organizations, and companies in science, technology, education, and health sectors. The firm generates revenue through professional services fees negotiated per client engagement for ongoing federal representation in Washington, D.C.

Product overview

Lewis-Burke Associates LLC is a full-service government relations firm operating as a single unified offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The firm's core services include Facilitation, Growth Strategies, Advocacy, Positioning, and Partnership, supplemented by Strategic Communications, Tailored Training, and International Possibilities. These services are delivered through specialized sector practices covering Education & Workforce, Health, Innovation & Industry, Science & Technology, Energy, National Security, Infrastructure, Environment & Agriculture, and Arts & Humanities. Additionally, the firm offers dedicated practices including the Tech and Venture Practice, Technology-Based Economic Development (TBED) Practice, Tier 1 University Practice, Energy Practice, Health Bioscience Innovations Practice, and Talent and Workforce Development Practice. Clients include universities, scientific societies, research organizations, and companies seeking to advance federal policy and funding objectives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tier 1 University Practice: A dedicated practice leveraging 30+ years of working with top research universities to support federal endeavors across campuses.
• Tech and Venture Practice
• Talent and Workforce Development Practice
• Technology-Based Economic Development (TBED) Practice
• Health Bioscience Innovations Practice
• Energy Practice

Products and services

• Advocacy Core government relations service that develops effective strategies, maintains strong connections with congressional champions and key decision makers, and delivers compelling results for clients through clear messaging and thorough understanding of the political landscape. Intended for universities, scientific societies, and organizations needing federal advocacy.
• Facilitation Vision workshops, ideation sessions, strategic planning retreats, and focused meetings in which policy experts bring teams together to generate ideas, solve problems, and build consensus while bringing deep knowledge of federal trends and opportunities.
• Growth Strategies Service that identifies, anticipates, and executes strategies by matching client priorities with emerging opportunities; detects funding opportunities and trends to create actionable plans. Targeted at organizations seeking to grow their federal funding footprint.
• Positioning Service that enhances visibility, pinpoints timing, and plans with purpose to deliver influence and attention from decision-makers in Congress, federal agencies, the White House, and advocacy groups.
• Partnership Service that finds where objectives and capability connect, pursues non-traditional funding mechanisms, and brings groups together by leveraging a network of universities, companies, laboratories, and organizations.
• Education and Workforce Services Sector practice providing advocacy and funding support for higher education institutions, STEM organizations, K-12 stakeholders, workforce development programs, and Minority-Serving Institutions, focused on the Department of Education, NSF, Department of Labor, and Department of Commerce.
• Health Services Sector practice providing advocacy for biomedical research, healthcare delivery, translational research, public health, and health workforce development, with expertise across NIH, ARPA-H, HHS, and relevant congressional committees.
• Innovation and Industry Services Sector practice that helps forge partnerships for technology commercialization, create new companies and products, and spur regional economic development through engagement with federal agencies including NSF and EDA.
• National Security Services Sector practice providing advocacy for defense, space, intelligence, and cybersecurity clients, engaging with DOD, DHS, and key congressional committees to advance federal policy and funding opportunities.
• Energy Services Sector practice providing government relations for fundamental energy research, applied energy, and energy and nuclear security, engaging with DOE, national laboratories, and congressional committees.
• Tech and Venture Practice Specialized government relations practice tailored for tech companies, venture capital firms, and philanthropy rooted in the tech ecosystem, providing strategic guidance on federal policy, investment opportunities, and technology regulation.
• Tier 1 University Practice Specialized practice leveraging 30+ years of experience working with top research universities to support federal endeavors, from strategic priority-setting to facilitating faculty engagement with federal agencies.
• Energy Practice Specialized practice offering a complete range of government relations services to assist university, society, and industry clients in navigating federal energy research, development, demonstration, and commercialization opportunities.
• Health Bioscience Innovations Practice Specialized practice focused on advancing biomedical research and health innovation through federal engagement and strategic advocacy.
• Talent and Workforce Development Practice Specialized practice group shaping a vision for four-year higher education institutions as crucial players in workforce development, influencing legislation including HEA, NAA, and WIOA.
• Technology-Based Economic Development (TBED) Practice Dedicated team providing targeted assistance for clients seeking to shape and pursue federal opportunities around commercialization of research, public-private partnerships, and regional development.

Named customers27 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cornerstone Government Affairs: Bipartisan federal government relations firm with strong appropriations practice serving research, education, and healthcare clients. Comparable boutique-scale advocacy model with similar sector emphasis.
• Van Scoyoc Associates: Boutique DC lobbying firm focused on federal appropriations, research, and science policy advocacy for universities, scientific societies, and research institutions. Closest direct competitor in the higher-ed/research advocacy niche.
• Cassidy & Associates: Washington, D.C.-based federal government relations firm with deep relationships in the higher education, research, and healthcare sectors. Direct comparable to Lewis-Burke in serving university and research clients seeking federal funding.
• CGCN Group: Bipartisan government affairs firm specializing in advocacy for higher education, research institutions, and health clients on federal appropriations. Direct competitor in the research and education federal funding space.
• The Nickles Group: Bipartisan government relations firm with appropriations, tax, and policy advocacy practices serving corporate, association, and nonprofit clients. Overlapping federal advocacy model.
• Forbes Tate Partners: Strategic communications and government affairs firm serving corporate, nonprofit, and association clients with federal advocacy needs. Comparable boutique advocacy model with technology and innovation sector focus.
• Mehlman Consulting: Bipartisan federal government affairs firm focused on appropriations and policy advocacy for healthcare, education, and research clients. Strong comparable in federal funding and budget work.

Broad incumbents

• K&L Gates: Global law firm with a substantial government affairs and public policy practice that serves universities, research institutions, and corporations on federal funding and regulatory matters.
• Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Large international law firm with a top-tier federal lobbying and public policy practice serving higher education, research, and corporate clients. Represents scale competition with broader service breadth.
• Hogan Lovells: Large international law firm with a major government relations and public policy practice providing federal advocacy for higher education, health, and research clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lewis-burke-associates-llc

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 Lewis-Burke Associates LLC