Sunlight Awarded $2 Million Grant by Omidyar Network

Stanford Law Professor Lawrence Lessig Joins Sunlight’s Advisory Board

January 22, 2008

Contact: Gabriela Schneider 202-742-1520 ext 236

WASHINGTON, DC - The Sunlight Foundation today announced an investment of $2 million from Omidyar Network, a mission-based organization established by Pam and Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay. This is the second such grant Sunlight received from Omidyar Network. Sunlight also announced that Lawrence Lessig, renowned expert in intellectual property and Stanford University Law Professor, has joined its Advisory Board.

Omidyar Network's investment will support Sunlight's operations and grant-making to organizations that create "Web 2.0" tools that make information about the workings of Congress and the influence of money in politics more accessible to citizens. Since its founding in 2006, Sunlight has awarded more than $3.1 million to organizations who use the Internet to make Congress more open and accountable to the public.

"Omidyar Network is proud to support the Sunlight Foundation and its efforts to provide citizens with new technologies to make government more transparent," said Dena Jones Trujillo, investment manager for Omidyar Network. "As more Americans go online to search government records and track legislation, Sunlight's community of government information sites will connect them to reliable information and engage them in oversight projects to monitor Congress."

"We are very pleased that Omidyar Network reconfirmed its commitment to support Sunlight's grant-making and initiatives to build greater congressional transparency," said Ellen Miller, executive director of the Sunlight Foundation. "We are also positively thrilled that Lawrence Lessig is joining our Advisory Board as part of his new mission to combat the influence of money in politics. Just as Lessig galvanized the copyright reform movement, he will inspire greater public participation in our work to restore public trust in Congress by cleaning up the systemic corruption on Capitol Hill."

Omidyar Network is a mission-based organization committed to building opportunity for individuals. Established by Pamela and Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay, Omidyar Network supports nonprofit and for-profit efforts that enable people around the world to improve their lives and make powerful, lasting contributions to their communities. Since 2004, Omidyar Network has funded a number of organizations in areas such as microfinance, participatory media, and transparency in government. To learn more about Omidyar Network, please visit http://www.omidyar.net.

The Sunlight Foundation supports, develops and deploys new Internet technologies to make information about Congress and the federal government more accessible to the American people. Through its projects and grant-making, Sunlight serves as a catalyst to create greater political transparency and to foster more openness and accountability in government.

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