Center for Effective Government
OMB Watch is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC. OMB Watch was formed by Gary Bass in 1983 to lift the veil of secrecy shrouding the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). While OMB's actions were having an enormous impact on agency operations and the pursuit of social justice, it remained largely behind the scenes -- unaccountable and little understood by the public and public interest groups.
Mission
OMB Watch exists to increase government transparency and accountability; to ensure sound, equitable regulatory and budgetary processes and policies; and to protect and promote active citizen participation in our democracy.
Vision
OMB Watch envisions a more just and democratic society, one in which an open, responsive government protects people’s health, safety, and well-being, safeguards the environment, honors the public’s right to information, values an engaged and effective citizenry, and adequately invests in the common good.
Organization's Work
Over the years, OMB Watch expanded its focus to address the substantive issues it originally began tracking in the course of monitoring OMB. It now concentrates on four main areas: budget, taxation and government performance; information and access; nonprofit action, advocacy, rights and policy; and regulatory policy.
In all of its work, OMB Watch is committed to improving access to decision-makers and energizing citizen participation to strengthen civil society and make government more just, equitable and accountable. It works primarily with and through the nonprofit sector because of its vital and powerful role in supporting and securing communities and democracy.
At the national level, OMB Watch is deeply engaged in policy debate and formulation, and is well-known for convening diverse coalitions comprising nonprofits that deal with environmental, low-income, health, education, consumer, labor, religious, and other public interest issues.