This is a huge organizaton, folks. $5 billion in assets, spending budget of $250 million/year. They are a formidable competitor.

The Pew Charitable Trusts is an independent nonprofit and nongovernmental organization, founded in 1948 with over US$5 billion in assets. Its current mission is to serve the public interest by "improving public policy, informing the public, and stimulating civic life."[1]


[edit] History

The Trusts, a single entity, is the successor to, and sole beneficiary of, seven charitable funds established between 1948 and 1979 by the adult children of Sun Oil Company founder Joseph N. Pew and his wife, Mary Anderson Pew. The four co-founders were J. Howard Pew, Mary Ethel Pew, Joseph N. Pew, Jr., and Mabel Pew Myrin. The Trusts is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with an office in Washington, D.C..


In 2004, the Pew Trusts changed from a foundation into a nonprofit. It can now raise funds freely and devote up to 5% of its budget to lobbying the public sector.
According to the 2007 Annual Report, five of the 12 persons currently serving on the Board for the Trusts are named Pew, including the Chair. Two of the five are physicians.

[edit] Current concerns

The Trusts' public policy areas include the environment, state policy, economic policy and health and human services.
The Trusts, with other groups, backed an effort to create marine protected areas in the Pacific Ocean, near the Marinas Islands.[5] The protect area was officially designated in January 2009, and includes the Mariana Trench, the deepest ocean canyon in the world. Another marine protected area that the Trusts and other groups sought to protect is Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument which was protected by President Bush in 2006.[6]
The Trusts also funds the Pew Research Center, the third-largest think tank in Washington DC, after the Brookings Institution and the Center for American Progress.

[edit] Financial facts

According to the 2007 Annual Report, as of 30 June 2006, the Trusts owned over US$5 billion in assets. For the 12 months ending on that date, total revenues were about US$264 million and total expenses were about $197 million, of which $12 million were for operating costs and fund raising expenses.




I had a thought, maybe not the most charitable one. How do you beat an organization like this? With guerrilla warfare. Colbert and other political pundits have suggested making a social statement by going onto Wikipedia and posting unflattering but true information about the subject. Why not make it a misssion to research the worst violations of this huge conglomerate? If they are so bad and underhanded, there have to be web examples out there of mis-behavior or manipulation.



This is from their home page:

It looks pretty impressive, but it would be even more impressive if somewhere there was an asterisk that said
* we manipulate and smooth date to fit our agenda wherever possible, and throw our money around to influence scientists and others to put forth our agenda, whether it is completely true or not.

http://www.pewtrusts.org/our_work_category.aspx?id=110

Environment

The global environment is at a crossroads. The rapid pace of technology and population growth is placing unrelenting pressure on the world’s natural resources. Many of our natural systems have been pushed to the breaking point.

The build-up of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuel is changing the planet’s natural systems, upon which all life depends. Overfishing and pollution have ravaged the oceans, leaving commercial fisheries at the point of collapse. On land, areas that have not been inalterably changed by human civilization are under increasing stress from activities ranging from logging and mining to agriculture and development.

Pew is a major force in educating the public and policy makers about the causes, consequences and solutions to environmental problems. We actively promote strong conservation policies in the United States and internationally. Pew applies a range of tools in pursuit of practical, meaningful solutions—including applied science, public education, sophisticated media and communications, and policy advocacy.

Pew’s environmental activities have grown steadily over the past two decades, as has our staff of attorneys, scientists, economists, media professionals and campaign advocates. The Pew Environment Group comprises more than 80 staff—with a presence throughout the United States as well as in Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the western Pacific and the Indian Ocean—making it one of the nation’s largest scientific and environmental advocacy organizations.