What Issue One does

Issue One is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 2012 to strengthen American democratic institutions through bipartisan reform. The organization operates five interconnected program areas — Constitutional Defense, Free & Fair Elections, Money in Politics, Technology Reform, and Ethics & Accountability — and is likely structured as a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. Issue One does not develop proprietary technology products; its work is built on research, polling, policy analysis, coalition building, and public advocacy, with Form 990 filings publicly available for FY 2022 through FY 2025.

The organization's primary assets are coalition-based rather than technology-based. Its flagship initiative, the ReFormers Caucus, mobilizes over 200 former members of Congress and political appointees from across the political spectrum and is co-chaired by Ambassador Tim Roemer (D-IN) and Congressman Zach Wamp (R-TN). Other major programs include Faces of Democracy (election official advocacy launched in 2020), the Council for Responsible Social Media (co-chaired by Hon. Dick Gephardt and addressing the civic and public-health impacts of social media), and the recently launched Check the Exec campaign featuring the We the People Playbook policy platform focused on restoring congressional authority over trade, war powers, elections, and national emergencies. Issue One also produces research products including the Corruption Chronicles investigative series, campaign finance analyses, and an Election Safeguards Health Check.

The organization is funded primarily through donations from individuals, foundations, and philanthropic partners. It operates from a single Washington, D.C. headquarters with 11-50 staff under founder and CEO Nick Penniman. Its go-to-market motion is community-led, centered on coalition mobilization, thought leadership, and multi-channel advocacy targeting Congress, state legislatures, the executive branch, and the American public through polling (notably a YouGov partnership), press releases, events, coalition letters, and digital content distributed via website, social media, and email.

Name

Issue One

Legal name

Issue One

Website

https://issueone.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Issue One is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 2012 that mobilizes bipartisan coalitions of former members of Congress, election officials, and civic leaders to advance U.S. democracy reform across five program areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Advocacy Services

NAICS

Political Organizations (813940), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Other Social Advocacy Organizations (813319)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Electoral Support & Election Observation (BPADAGAA), Democratic Governance & Public Administration Reform (BPADAGAJ), Government, Public Policy & Regulatory Congresses (THAHAJAF)

Keywords

• Democracy reform advocacy
• Election integrity
• Campaign finance research
• Bipartisan policy reform
• Civic coalition building

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Issue One operates as a nonprofit organization funded primarily through donations from individuals, foundations, and philanthropic partners who support democracy reform. The organization solicits contributions through its website and outreach efforts. Financial statements and Form 990s are publicly available for FY 2022 through FY 2025.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Issue One is a nonpartisan nonprofit advocacy organization that advances democracy reform through bipartisan coalition-building, policy research, public polling, and advocacy campaigns. It operates the ReFormers Caucus (200+ former members of Congress), the Faces of Democracy campaign for election officials, the Council for Responsible Social Media, and the Check the Exec constitutional-defense campaign, while producing research such as campaign-finance analyses and the Corruption Chronicles series.

Product overview

Issue One is a nonprofit, bipartisan democracy reform advocacy organization. The organization does not offer a traditional technology product platform, but rather provides a portfolio of advocacy programs, research initiatives, and coalition-based campaigns. Key offerings include the ReFormers Caucus (bipartisan coalition of former Congress members), Faces of Democracy (election official advocacy), Council for Responsible Social Media (tech reform coalition), and Check the Exec campaign (constitutional checks and balances initiative). Issue One also produces research products including campaign finance analyses, The Corruption Chronicles investigative series, and the We the People Playbook policy platform. The organization functions primarily as a policy advocacy and coalition-building entity rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ReFormers Caucus: A crosspartisan effort with over 200 former members of Congress and political appointees advocating for democratic reform.
• Faces of Democracy
• Check the Exec
• Council for Responsible Social Media

Quantifiable outcome

• 86% of Americans favor banning stock trading by elected representatives
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• YouGovcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 September 2025Issue One partnered with YouGov to conduct and release national polling on voter concerns about presidential power and constitutional checks and balances, in observation of Constitution Day 2025. The poll of 1,070 registered voters found strong bipartisan support for congressional oversight.
• Principles FirstcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIssue One and Principles First co-host events on constitutional freedoms and executive overreach. The partnership convened an in-person discussion in Salt Lake City, Utah featuring former Republican presidential candidate John Kasich, supporting Issue One's Check the Exec campaign and We the People Playbook.
• Public CitizencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIssue One partnered with Public Citizen to host a virtual event bringing together bipartisan congressional leaders and election officials to discuss threats posed by AI to democracy, demonstrating coalition-building across civil society organizations.
• ReFormers CaucuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIssue One's flagship initiative bringing together over 200 former members of Congress and political appointees from across the political spectrum to advocate for democracy reform. Co-chaired by Ambassador Tim Roemer (D-IN) and Congressman Zach Wamp (R-TN).
• Faces of DemocracycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA campaign of election officials and poll workers to strengthen U.S. elections, engaging secretaries of state and local election administrators in advocacy for election security funding and protection from harassment.
• The Council for American DemocracyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA coalition initiative bringing together diverse stakeholders committed to democratic governance and reform.
• Council for Responsible Social MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-chaired by Hon. Dick Gephardt, this council develops bipartisan solutions to address the mental, civic, and public health impacts of social media in America. The Council has formally endorsed the Platform Accountability and Transparency Act (PATA).
• Platform Accountability and Transparency Act (PATA) CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Council for Responsible Social Media has formally endorsed PATA, a bipartisan bill that would create a framework for independent researchers to analyze major social media platforms. The bill is led by Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Bill Cassidy.
• National Council on Election IntegrityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated initiative focused on ensuring free, fair, secure, and accessible U.S. elections. Members include Donna Brazile and Michael Steele.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Public Citizen: A national nonprofit consumer and democracy advocacy organization. Public Citizen partners with Issue One on AI and democracy events and pursues overlapping issues including money in politics and government accountability.
• Common Cause: Common Cause is a nonpartisan democracy reform organization that advocates for money in politics, election integrity, and government ethics. It is one of Issue One's closest direct peers in mission, structure (501(c)(4) advocacy), and policy agenda.
• RepresentUs: A bipartisan anti-corruption organization focused on passing democracy reform legislation at the state and federal level. Comparable in its crosspartisan positioning and legislative campaign model.
• Protect Democracy: A nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to preventing American democracy from declining into authoritarianism. Directly comparable to Issue One's constitutional defense and checks-and-balances work.
• Brennan Center for Justice: A nonpartisan law and policy institute at NYU that works on voting rights, election security, money in politics, and constitutional reform. It is a leading peer in democracy reform research and policy, with a much larger institutional footprint than Issue One.
• End Citizens United: A political action committee and affiliated organization dedicated to campaign finance reform and reducing the influence of money in politics, an explicit focus of Issue One's Money in Politics program.
• League of Women Voters: A long-established nonpartisan civic organization focused on voter engagement, election protection, and democratic participation. Shares Issue One's emphasis on civic participation and free and fair elections.
• Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW): A government ethics watchdog that litigates and advocates against corruption. Closely comparable to Issue One's ethics and accountability pillar and congressional ethics work.

Broad incumbents

• Brookings Institution: A major public policy think tank that produces influential research on American democracy, elections, and governance. While broader in scope than Issue One, Brookings is a relevant peer in the democracy reform research and policy ecosystem.

Emerging players

• OpenSecrets: A research organization tracking money in U.S. politics. OpenSecrets is more of a data/research entity than an advocacy group but operates in the same Money in Politics space as Issue One's Campaign Finance Analysis reports.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IssueOneReform
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwJdEfGv82ZEZCWdQl3IYlA
• Facebookfacebook.com/IssueOneReform
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3213971
• Instagraminstagram.com/issueonereform/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Issue One