The Center for Governmental Studies (CGS) was an American non-profit, nonpartisan organization founded in 1983, which provided 28 years of policy research and recommended improvements to political and government processes in California.
It created innovative political and media solutions like the web-based Digital Democracy system to empower citizens and help them to become more engaged in their communities, state and local governments.
The announcement cited a decline in funding, which the organization attributed to both the poor economy and a "dramatically polarized political environment", as reasons for the decision.
The organization's founders, Bob Stern and Tracy Westen, were reportedly in negotiations with Claremont Graduate University to provide a base of operations.
[12] Between 2008 and the close of CGS in 2011, contributions to the group dropped by 80 percent and expenses exceeded income by $1.6 million, according to government records.