Foreign-backed group tied to far-left initiatives allegedly exploited legal loophole to fund ballot measures in 25 states, report finds
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A new investigation by the America First Policy Institute has uncovered what it describes as a massive foreign influence operation using the Sixteen Thirty Fund to funnel more than $100 million in dark money into ballot initiatives across 25 states. According to the report, the funds were used to push far-left policies related to abortion, election law changes, and drug decriminalization, often bypassing legislative scrutiny.
“Non-citizens can influence U.S. elections and domestic policy through donations to ballot initiatives,” the report warns, highlighting the increasing concern that foreign billionaires with ideological agendas are leveraging state-level loopholes to sway U.S. policy. The Sixteen Thirty Fund, widely regarded as a major backer of progressive causes, was found to be the central vehicle for this foreign-backed effort.
Fact Sheet – Foreign Money in Ballot Initiatives by yourNEWS Media
One example cited in the report was in Ohio, where over $14 million in foreign-linked funds were allegedly funneled into campaigns promoting abortion expansion and the reduction of penalties for fentanyl possession. These efforts stood in stark contrast to public sentiment—85 percent of Ohio voters reportedly oppose foreign influence in ballot initiatives. In response, Ohio enacted new legislation in 2024 banning foreign contributions to such measures.
The practice has been enabled by a 2021 Federal Elections Commission ruling that allowed foreign nationals to donate to U.S. ballot initiatives. Although some states—like California, Colorado, Maryland, Nevada, and Washington—have implemented partial restrictions, most laws stop short of banning contributions from foreign individuals, focusing only on foreign-owned corporations.
In a recent Fox News segment, Caitlyn Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust, said, “We have been able to trace over $100 million of foreign money flowing through the Sixteen Thirty Fund in states across the country.” Sutherland claimed the funds are being used to push “the most extreme version of public policy possible,” including gerrymandering attempts and radical abortion expansions.
She emphasized that the ballot initiative process is being exploited to impose policies that would likely fail in traditional legislative proceedings. “They know their far-left agenda cannot withstand scrutiny, so they bypass the legislature,” Sutherland said. “That’s why we’re seeing these initiatives funded and placed directly onto the ballot—paid for by foreign donors.”
Sixteen Thirty Fund responded in a statement to Fox News, defending their donations as legal: “Sixteen Thirty Fund is proud to support ballot initiative campaigns that are working to advance economic opportunity, reproductive rights, and democracy. Our donations to these initiatives are made in compliance with local, state, and federal laws.”
But critics argue that these donations, though technically legal, violate the spirit of U.S. election law. According to a 2022 University of Maryland survey, eight in ten Americans across party lines support banning foreign spending in ballot initiatives altogether.
Sutherland clarified, “There is nothing democratic about using foreign dark money to rewrite U.S. state constitutions and laws. States are waking up to this threat and are passing bans to keep their policies free of foreign influence.”
The Sixteen Thirty Fund has faced scrutiny before. A 2024 report by Americans for Public Trust documented the organization’s wide-reaching involvement in initiatives across the country. The group has spent tens of millions to sway policies in states from Arizona and Michigan to North Dakota and Maryland.
As momentum builds among state legislatures to enact comprehensive bans on foreign financing in state campaigns, watchdog groups are calling for federal reforms to ensure foreign nationals can no longer influence American domestic policy via backdoor ballot channels.