In 1991, NED co-founder Allen Weinstein told the Washington Post: 'A lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA.' Created in 1983, the NED receives congressional funding to 'strengthen democratic institutions' worldwide — but critics document its role in regime change operations, funding opposition groups, and destabilizing governments unfriendly to US interests. The NED funded groups involved in the 2019 Hong Kong protests, Venezuelan opposition, and Ukrainian civil society organizations prior to the 2014 Maidan revolution.