Issue One

History

Issue One was founded in 2014 when two organizations, Fund For The Republic and Americans For Campaign Reform, merged.² The Democracy Alliance, a collection of left-of-center political donors, provided institutional backing to Fund For The Republic, coordinating $1.6 million in financial support for the group in 2014.³ The Democracy Alliance coordinates spending and strategy between the groups in order to defeat conservatives. Issue One has kept its association with the Democracy Alliance.⁴

Influence

Issue One works by educating the public on the issue of campaign finance reform. It also networks with like-minded organizations and people to promote its issues. It also works to make grants to supporting organizations promoting campaign finance reform. Finally, it organizes lawmakers and other “thought leaders” into advocates for campaign finance reform.¹

One of the ways Issue One tries to draw attention to the issue of campaign finance reform is by coordinating a group of ex-Congressmen to lobby their former colleagues on the issue. The ReFormers Caucus is a bipartisan group of former members of Congress that has been organized by Issue One to promote campaign finance reform on the state, local, and Federal level. ⁵ According to the Huffington Post, former U.S. Senators who are part of ReFormers include former Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), Obama administration Secretary of Defense and U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska), Bill Bradley (D-N.J.), John Danforth (R-Missouri), Richard Lugar (R-Indiana), Carl Levin (D-Michigan), and Alan Simpson (R-Wyoming). Former U.S. Representatives Tim Roemer (D-Indiana), Connie Morella (R-Maryland), Chris Shays (R-Connecticut) and Mike Castle (R-Delaware) are also involved in the campaign.⁵

Activities

In 2025, Issue One’s vice president of advocacy, Alix Fraser signed a petition titled “The National Declaration on AI and Kids’ Safety.” The petition highlights documented cases where AI-driven tools such as chatbots and recommendation algorithms, exposed minors to sexually explicit content, psychological manipulation, and harmful advice. It argued that AI products have prioritized engagement and profit over child safety and are deployed without adequate testing or oversight. The petition also called for the implementation of core safety principles such as bans on manipulative AI design, minimal and protected data collection, full parental transparency, and independent safety auditing. It also urges Congress to reform Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to remove liability shields for AI-generated or algorithmically promoted content. The petition also claimed AI products that pose inherent risks to minors should face product liability and, if necessary, be banned. ⁶

Finances

According to their 2023 form 990, Issue One reported revenue of $14,827,410, expenses of $8,219,311, and total net assets of $10,173,485. In 2022, Issue One received $250,000 from Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, ⁷ $100,000 from the Hopewell Fund, ⁸ and $50,000 from Impactassets Inc. ⁹In 2023, Issue One received $350,000 from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation ¹⁰ and $366,500 from the Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program. ¹¹

Previously, Issue One has given money to left-of-center organizations, including the environmentalist organizing group League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, which received $925,000, the left-leaning Center For American Progress (CAP) which received $20,000, and the Common Cause Education Fund which received $200,000. ¹²

In the past Issue One has received support from Jonathan Soros.¹³ The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation has also funded the group, contributing $1.2 million in 2017.¹⁴

People

Nick Penniman is the founder and CEO of Issue One. Prior to Issue One, Penniman was founder and executive director of the Huffington Post Investigative Fund and director of the Schuman Media Center. ¹⁵

Alix Fraser serves as the vice president of advocacy at Issue One. Fraser works at Issue One’s Council for Responsible Social Media. ¹⁶

Whitney Hatch is the chairman of the board. The Board’s co-chairs include Bill Burgess and Teresa Kersten, former vice president of consumer marketing at LinkedIn. ¹⁷