Government organizations in the United States typically have robust support through funding and research to produce high-quality evidence to influence policy.
However, often these organizations might be limited in their research scope by federal policies or laws--such as the FDA scheduling of marijuana--that restricts the types of research they are able to do.
They are also unable to participate in political advocacy and activism as organizations due to the government nature of the work, which typically calls for an unbiased, scientific approach to research. Most exist simply to fund, conduct, and present research.
Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) are groups that are not part of a government that may conduct or fund research through independent funding, such as donors or research foundation grants.
They are freer to pursue certain types of research due to the lack of federal oversight since the research is not funded by taxpayer money.
These groups also engage much more heavily in activism and advocacy for policy to lobby legislators and influence public policy.
Many of the groups featured on this page are here because of their advocacy and activism work.