Liberal billionaire George Soros’ foundation is among the most opaque think tanks in the country, according to a study funded by that foundation.
The study, by a group called Transparify, ranked 35 U.S. think tanks based on the amount of financial information that they make publicly available.
Soros’ Open Society Foundations rank dead last, earning zero stars out of a possible five. That designation is reserved for groups that dislose "no relevant or up-to-date information" on their finances.
The study notes that Transparify "is funded by the Think Tank Fund of the Open Society Foundations (OSF). As OSF is listed by the ranking used for selection, our raters applied rating criteria as they did with all other institutions."
"The OSF website highlights George Soros as their founder, but does not specify the funding source on its expenditure page," the study noted. "OSF emphasized to us that they do not consider themselves to be a think tank and that they are funded exclusively by George Soros."
The Center for American Progress, a Soros-funded think tank that frequently bemoans secretive political spending, also fared poorly, earning one out of five stars.
In contrast, the Heritage Foundation, commonly considered the flagship conservative think tank in Washington, earned four stars, putting it in the "broadly transparent" category.