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Non-profit

Campion Advocacy Fund

Website:

www.campionadvocacyfund.org/
Location:

SEATTLE, WA
Tax ID:

46-2842065
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(4)

Budget (2017):

Revenue: $157,169
Expenses: $4,662,278
Assets: $15,473,811
Formation:

2005
Type:

Left-of-center advocacy organization
President:

Sonya Campion
CEO:

Neil Kornze

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For additional information, see the Campion Foundation.

The Campion Advocacy Fund the political lobbying and activism arm of the Campion Foundation, a private foundation created in 2005 and funded by Tom and Sonya Campion. 1 It supports left-leaning environmentalism and left-of-center public policy organizations such as the New Venture Fund, the Center for American Progress, TSNE Missionworks, the Alaska Wilderness League, and the League of Conservation Voters. 2 3

People

Since 2005 the Campions have given at least $89.2 million to the Campion Foundation, 99.9 percent of total funding. 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 According to tax filings from the Alaska Wilderness League and the Campion Foundation, Campion has been a major sponsor—and potentially the largest single supporter—of the Alaska Wilderness League. 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 The primary policy objective of the Alaska Wilderness League is the blocking of all energy production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a priority that is strongly supported by Tom Campion. 18 19

Neil Kornze, a former official in the Obama administration, was named CEO of both Campion organizations in 2019. 20 The Campions have been strong financial supporters of Democratic politicians, including former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and President Joe Biden, and gave nearly $1 million to the political committees supporting the 2016 presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton. 21 22

Political Advocacy

The Campion Advocacy Fund supports lobbyists who work in Congress on behalf of Campion’s priorities regarding alleviating homelessness and blocking energy exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. 23 In the state of Washington, the Campion Advocacy Fund employs lobbyists that advocate for its concerns regarding homelessness. 24

An April 2019 report from City Journal found that #SeattleForAll, a public relations campaign partly financed by the Campion Advocacy Fund, was spreading overly optimistic misinformation about the homeless population of Seattle, Washington. 25

Sonya Campion testified for the Campion Advocacy Fund in the Washington state legislature on behalf of a proposal that would create a new 7 percent statewide capital gains tax. 26

The Campion Advocacy Fund has been a donor to Democratic politicians. In 2020, the fund donated a total of $85,000 to political committees controlled by the Washington state House and Senate Democrats. 27 Similarly in 2020, according to the campaign finance web service OpenSecrets.com, the Campion Advocacy Fund’s national political committee donated $800,000 to the Senate Majority PAC, a committee that supported the election of Democrats to the U.S. Senate. 28

References

  1. “Welcome.” Campion Foundation. Accessed March 2, 2021. http://www.campionadvocacyfund.org/campion/
  2. Campion Foundation, Form 990-PF, 2018, 15, 21. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/203421717/02_2020_prefixes_16-20%2F203421717_201812_990PF_2020021317145895.
  3. “Priorities.” Campion Foundation. Accessed March 2, 2021. http://www.campionadvocacyfund.org/advocacy/priorities/
  4. Campion Foundation. IRS Form 990. 2016. Accessed March 2, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/203421717/12_2017_prefixes_20-22%2F203421717_201612_990PF_2017122815062545
  5. Campion Foundation. IRS Form 990. 2014. Accessed March 1, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/203421717/2015_08_PF%2F20-3421717_990PF_201412
  6. Campion Foundation. IRS Form 990. 2013. Accessed March 2, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/203421717/2014_05_PF%2F20-3421717_990PF_201312
  7. Campion Foundation. IRS Form 990. 2012. Accessed March 2, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/203421717/2013_11_PF%2F20-3421717_990PF_201212
  8. Campion Foundation. IRS Form 990. 2007. Accessed March 2, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/203421717/2008_05_PF%2F20-3421717_990PF_200712
  9. Campion Foundation. IRS Form 990. 2006. Accessed March 2, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/203421717/2007_06_PF%2F20-3421717_990PF_200612
  10. Campion Foundation. IRS Form 990. 2005. Accessed March 2, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/203421717
  11. Alaska Wilderness League. IRS Form 990. 2018. Accessed March 1, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/521814742/02_2020_prefixes_47-52%2F521814742_201812_990_2020020517110967
  12. Alaska Wilderness League. IRS Form 990. 2017. Accessed March 1, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/521814742/09_2018_prefixes_52-55%2F521814742_201712_990_2018092115719850
  13. Alaska Wilderness League. IRS Form 990. 2015. Accessed March 1, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/521814742/2016_10_EO%2F52-1814742_990_201512
  14. Campion Foundation, Form 990-PF, 2018, 15, 21. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/203421717/02_2020_prefixes_16-20%2F203421717_201812_990PF_2020021317145895.
  15. Campion Foundation. IRS Form 990. 2017. Accessed March 1, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/203421717/12_2018_prefixes_16-20%2F203421717_201712_990PF_2018120615979431
  16. Campion Foundation. IRS Form 990. 2015. Accessed March 1, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/203421717/2017_03_PF%2F20-3421717_990PF_201512
  17. Campion Foundation. IRS Form 990. 2014. Accessed March 1, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/203421717/2015_08_PF%2F20-3421717_990PF_201412
  18. “Pledge to Protect America’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.” Alaska Wilderness League. Accessed March 1, 2021. http://alaskawildaction.org/pledge/
  19. Campion, Tom. Places where oil rigs don’t belong, the Artic Refuge is one of them.” The Seattle Times. June 13, 2016. https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/places-where-oil-rigs-dont-belong-the-arctic-refuge-is-one-of-them/?platform=hootsuite
  20. “Campion Advocacy Fund Names Neil Kornze as New CEO.” Campion Advocacy Fund. January 30, 2019. http://www.campionadvocacyfund.org/updates/campion-advocacy-fund-names-neil-kornze-as-new-ceo/
  21. “Power couples, tribes among state’s biggest donors to the Clinton campaign.” The Seattle Times. November 3, 2016. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/power-couples-tribes-among-states-big-donors-to-the-clinton-campaign/
  22. “Joe Biden’s campaign funding ‘bundlers’ include some top names in Seattle tech.” GeekWire. November 2, 2020. https://www.geekwire.com/2020/joe-bidens-campaign-funding-bundlers-include-top-names-seattle-tech/
  23. Lobbying Report: Cassidy & Associates, Inc. for Campion Advocacy Fund. 2020. https://disclosurespreview.house.gov/ld/ldxmlrelease/2020/Q1/301165720.xml
  24. “Shelia Babb Anderson – January 2021.” Public Disclosure Commission. February 10, 2021. https://accesshub.pdc.wa.gov/node/75729; “Shelia Babb Anderson. Campion Advocacy Fund. Accessed February 25, 2021. http://www.campionadvocacyfund.org/team/sheila-babb-anderson/.
  25. “Seattle’s Revolt of the Elites.” City Journal. April 16, 2019. https://www.city-journal.org/seattleforall-campaign
  26. “‘It’s sleazy’: Local Legislators, community leaders voice discontent with capital gains tax bill.” Columbia Basin Herald. February 22, 2021. https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2021/feb/22/its-sleazy-local-legislators-community-leaders-voi/
  27. “2020-Campion Advocacy Fund L3 Report.” Public Disclosure Commission. February 1, 2021. https://accesshub.pdc.wa.gov/node/74763; “Control of Washington Legislature could be influenced with “independent’ cash.” The Spokesman-Review. October 30, 2016. https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/oct/30/control-of-washington-legislature-could-be-influen/.
  28. Center for Responsive Politics. “Campion Advocacy Fund.” OpenSecrets.org. Accessed February 25, 2021. https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/campion-advocacy-fund/summary?id=D000070916

Associated Organizations

  1. Campion Foundation (Non-profit)
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: March 1, 2015

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2017 Dec Form 990 $157,169 $4,662,278 $15,473,811 $0 N $614 $0 $197,295 $373,177
    2016 Dec Form 990 $25,498,020 $2,239,378 $18,600,010 $0 N $7,400,400 $0 $357 $655,480 PDF
    2015 Dec Form 990 $5,403,005 $1,320,356 $7,187,742 $0 N $5,403,000 $0 $5 $616,601 PDF
    2014 Dec Form 990 $6,274 $2,291,823 $8,431,219 $3,444 N $0 $0 $6,274 $209,281 PDF
    2013 Dec Form 990 $8,715,255 $66,745 $7,989,840 $0 N $8,712,000 $0 $3,255 $0 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Campion Advocacy Fund

    1904 3RD AVE STE 405
    SEATTLE, WA 98101-1150