Close the Gap California

What Close the Gap California does

Close the Gap California is a non-PAC 527 statewide political organization founded in 2013 and headquartered in Sacramento, California, with the explicit mission of closing the gender gap in the California State Legislature by 2028. The organization recruits and prepares diverse, progressive women to run for open and winnable swing legislative seats through a one-on-one exploration process that identifies targeted districts one election cycle ahead. Its core product is a candidate recruitment and preparation program, supported by a portfolio of training resources including webinars, a political consultant directory, a PAC list, and election date guidance for prospective candidates. CTG does not sell products or services; instead, it operates a donation-funded model (registered 527, contributions not tax-deductible) with revenue drawn from individual donors, foundation grants, and signature fundraising events such as the annual Power in Parity Gala. The organization has no proprietary technology platform and is explicitly characterized as a political advocacy organization rather than a technology company.

In 2025, CTG materially expanded its institutional footprint by launching Close the Gap Catalyst, a separate 501(c)(4) nonprofit that extends the organization's work into research, education, advocacy, and leadership cultivation. It also launched the Power in Parity Initiative to replicate its recruitment model down-ballot and nationwide, and entered Florida as a second state of operation. CTG's measurable impact includes 82 women recruited to run in 89 state legislative contests, 25 sitting legislators (43.1% of all women currently serving in the California Legislature), and a 104.3% increase in Democratic women elected to the legislature since the organization's 2013 launch. The organization holds strategic partnerships with EMILY's List (flagship GTM partner) and the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University (research partner), and is led by Executive Director Susannah Delano with founder Mary Hughes. Customer-facing support comes from a network of high-profile endorsers including Gloria Steinem, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and former EMILY's List president Laphonza Butler.

Name

Close the Gap California

Legal name

Close the Gap California

Website

https://closethegapca.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Close the Gap California is a non-PAC 527 political organization founded in 2013 that recruits and prepares diverse, progressive women to run for the California State Legislature. It operates a donation-funded candidate pipeline program with 25 sitting legislators and has expanded into Florida and a 501(c)(4) advocacy arm.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Advocacy and Candidate Recruitment Services

NAICS

Political Organizations (813940), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Political candidate recruitment
• Gender parity advocacy
• Legislative campaign training
• Progressive candidate pipeline
• Women's political leadership

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: As a registered 527 organization, CTG raises funds from donors to support its candidate recruitment and preparation activities. Contributions are not tax-deductible. Federal law requires public reporting of cumulative contributions of $200 or more.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Close the Gap California recruits and prepares diverse, progressive women to run for open and winnable swing seats in the California State Legislature through a one-on-one candidate exploration process, targeted district analysis one cycle ahead, and meticulous campaign preparation. The organization does not sell products or services; it provides recruitment, training, mentorship, and endorsement support to selected candidates and engages donors and allies to fund and amplify the pipeline.

Product overview

Close the Gap California operates as a political advocacy organization with three main initiatives: the Close the Gap California 527 campaign (launched 2013) focused on achieving gender parity in the California Legislature by 2028 through candidate recruitment, the Close the Gap Catalyst 501(c)4 nonprofit (launched 2025) advancing women's leadership through research and advocacy, and the Power in Parity Initiative expanding the model beyond California. The organization provides candidate recruitment programs, political training resources including webinars and consultant referrals, and publishes research reports tracking legislative representation progress. The CTG Legislators Network represents the elected officials recruited through their program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Power in Parity Initiative: New initiative announced to expand impact beyond California Legislature to down-ballot and nationwide.

Products and services

• Candidate Recruitment Program A core service that selectively recruits and prepares diverse, progressive women to run for the California State Legislature through a one-on-one exploration process, targeted district analysis one cycle ahead, and campaign strategy development. Intended for prospective women candidates targeting open and winnable seats.
• Political Training Resources Educational materials and program resources for prospective candidates, including webinars, guidance on running for office, training organization referrals, a political consultant directory, PAC list, and election dates and deadlines.
• Center for American Women and Politics Partnership Research A research report produced in collaboration with Rutgers University's Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) that quantitatively and qualitatively evaluates CTG's targeted recruitment strategy and its impact on women's representation in the California Legislature.
• County Boards of Supervisors Report CTG Catalyst's inaugural research report examining California County Boards of Supervisors, including demographics, decision-making dynamics, and the underrepresentation of women and women of color.
• Power in Parity Initiative A new initiative expanding CTG's proven targeted recruitment model to down-ballot races and beyond California to scale gender parity outcomes nationwide.

Quantifiable outcome

• 104.3% increase in Democratic women elected to California Legislature since 2013
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCTG partnered with the nation's leading research institution on women in politics to evaluate the impact of their targeted recruitment strategy. CAWP conducted quantitative analyses and qualitative interviews revealing how CTG has accelerated gains for women in the California Legislature, creating a model that can be replicated nationwide.
• EMILY's ListflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerEMILY's List has been proud to partner with Close the Gap in laying the groundwork for California's next generation of Democratic pro-choice leaders. CTG's targeted advance work is key to ensuring the candidate pipeline is ready with diverse women who will champion shared values.
• California Faculty AssociationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization hosting CTG events including Partner Receptions at their Sacramento location (1110 K St, Sacramento).

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Higher Heights for America: Political home for Black women civic leaders, building the political pipeline and power of Black women from the voting booth to elected office. Directly comparable to CTG's recruitment-and-preparation model for women of color candidates.
• Running Start: International nonprofit that trains young women to run for political office. Comparable to CTG in mission focus on women's political leadership pipeline, though focused on younger demographic.
• VoteRunLead (formerly Women's Campaign Fund): Bipartisan organization training women to run for office and win. Comparable training-and-recruitment model aimed at women candidates, similar donor-supported nonprofit structure.
• IGNITE: Nonpartisan organization training young women to run for office and engage in civic leadership. Comparable pipeline-development mission with a younger target demographic than CTG.
• National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC): Multipartisan organization dedicated to recruiting, training, and supporting women candidates at all levels of government. Comparable to CTG's recruitment mission though broader in partisan scope.
• New American Leaders: Nonprofit that recruits and trains first- and second-generation Americans to run for office. Comparable recruitment-and-preparation model targeting underrepresented candidates, with overlapping intersectional-demographic focus.
• She Should Run: Nonpartisan nonprofit encouraging women from diverse backgrounds to run for office. Operates a broader, less targeted pipeline than CTG, but competes for the same prospective women candidates nationally.
• EMILY's List: National organization that recruits, trains, and supports pro-choice Democratic women candidates. CTG's flagship GTM partner, but operates at far larger scale across federal and state races, overlapping heavily on the same candidate pipeline.

Emerging players

• RepresentWomen: Research and advocacy organization focused on strategies to increase women's representation in elected office. Shares CTG's research-and-advocacy pillar through CTG Catalyst, though RepresentWomen focuses on systems-level reform rather than candidate recruitment.

Regional players

• California Women's List: State-focused PAC supporting progressive women candidates for California legislative and statewide offices. Direct overlap with CTG on California state legislature races, though operates as a PAC rather than 527.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/closethegapCA
• Facebookfacebook.com/CloseTheGapCa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/close-the-gap-ca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Close the Gap California