Freedom House is an independent think tank and interest group, founded in 1941, for democracy promotion against dictatorships in any part of the ideological spectrum. Its first honorary chairs were Eleanor Roosevelt and Wendell Willkie.
In its research and analysis role, it produces several reports rating freedom around the world. While freedom is obviously hard to quantify, their indices are widely used in political science:
The group also publicizes its ideas, and runs training centers around the world.
It receives individual, private, and government funding, with the caveat that it only accepts grants, not contracts, from democratic governments.[1]