Dark Money Donors
behind issue 1

Out-of-state dark money Fuels issue 1

Issue 1 is bankrolled by over $20 million in out-of-state dark money.

Citizens Not Politicians, the group behind Issue 1, has raised an overwhelming majority of their money from out-of-state donors.

Issue 1 is a partisan power grab by elite, out-of-state special interests who want to rig Ohio’s elections and impose gerrymandering into Ohio’s constitution.

View the spreadsheet of contributors, or continue on to see exactly who these dark money donors are.

ISSUE 1 OUT-OF-STATE CONTRIBUTORS

Sixteen Thirty Fund

$6,550,000

Washington, D.C.

1630 Fund is a 501(c)(4), left-of-center lobbying and advocacy organization run by Arabella Advisors, a Washington, D.C. firm that caters to left-leaning
clients. The Atlantic has called 1630 “the indisputable heavyweight of Democratic dark money” which funneled “roughly $61 million of effectively untraceable money to progressive causes,” making it the “second-largest super-PAC donor in 2020.” The Atlantic also said 1630 has also been characterized as one of the “key groups founded to resist Trump”.

Article IV

$3,500,000

Arlington, VA

Article IV is a 501(c)(4) that has spent millions pushing progressive, ranked-choice voting initiatives, and has significant ties to Obama’s White House & Hillary Clinton. It is heavily funded by a billionaire couple from Texas (John Arnold – a former Enron executive and hedge fund manager – and his wife, Laura) who fund radical changes to the criminal justice system, including bail reform and ending incarceration.

Our American Future Foundation

$2,450,000

Washington, D.C.

OAFF is a 501(c)(3), left-of-center advocacy group that awards stipends to aspiring Democratic congressional candidates. OAFF was reportedly incorporated by Ezra Reese, political law chair for Marc Elias’ law firm.

American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, Inc.

$2,000,000

New York, NY

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation is the charitable-organization arm of the ACLU, a left-leaning activist organization that lobbies at the federal and state levels.

Tides Foundation

$2,000,000

San Francisco, CA

The Tides Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is a major center-left grantmaking organization and a major pass-through funder to numerous left-leaning nonprofits.

Movement Voter Project

$1,050,000

Northampton, MA

MVP is a 501(c)(4) clearinghouse run by veteran Democratic operatives for Democratic donors to contribute to Democratic-aligned political groups.
MVP directs donor money to hundreds of small-scale political groups while prioritizing key battleground states and districts.

American Federation of Teachers Solidarity 527

$1,000,000

Washington, D.C.

This 527 fund of AFT – the 2nd largest teachers’ union in the US – is a major player in liberal policy & Democratic politics.

Open Society Policy Center

$500,000

Washington, D.C.

OSPC is a 501(c)(4) lobbying group associated with Open Society Network and the Open Society Foundations, the principal philanthropic efforts of billionaire George Soros.

Unite and Renew Fund Inc.

$500,000

Washington, D.C.

This 501(c)(4) is a left-leaning advocacy organization that supports ranked-choice voting and nonpartisan primaries to “weaken the grip” of extremists on primary elections. It has recently funded left-of-center Alaskans for Better Elections $300,000, and Fair Maps Virginia $150,000, for operating expenses.

Global Impact Social Welfare Foundation

$500,000

Alexandria, VA

The Global Impact Social Welfare Fund (GISWF) is a 501(c)(4), left-of-center “dark money” advocacy group that made large contributions to left-leaning “dark money” organizations and PACs that support Democratic Party candidates and political causes like gun control and soft-on-crime prosecution.

Brennan Center for Justice Inc.

$100,000

New York, NY

This 501(c)(3) self-described “liberal” legal advocacy organization focuses on advancing left-of-center policy priorities on election-related, criminal justice, racial, and political institutional change.

VOTE NO ON ISSUE 1

IT'S A BAD DEAL FOR OHIO