December 2, 2011

Last week, the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life issued a report “Lobbying for the Faithful: Religious Advocacy Groups in Washington, DC,” which named MPAC among the top 40 faith-based advocacy organizations in Washington, DC.

The report examines a total of 212 religion-related advocacy groups operating in the nation’s capital who work to inform their constituencies and the public about issues of concern and to help shape public policy on those issues.

MPAC and the Muslim American Society are the only two Muslim organizations included on the list, among the 17 Muslim American groups operating in our nation’s capitol. The number of Muslim groups is about the same as the number of mainline Protestant groups, and the largest category today is interreligious: One-quarter of the groups studied either represent multiple faiths or advocate on religious issues without representing a specific religion.

MPAC’s DC office has been in operation since 1999 and focuses on government relations, legislative advocacy, research, leadership development and community engagement.

Interestingly, the top faith-based advisory group, the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee’s budget in 2008-2009 was nearly $80 million, while MPAC’s budget during that 2-year period was under $3 million.

To gain more reach and have more impact, MPAC needs more funds. Please take a moment to make a generous donation today to enhance our work representing your voice to policymakers by clicking here.

-- Edina Lekovic
(edina@mpac.org)
Director of Policy & Programming