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Reason Foundation
| Reason Foundation | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Los Angeles, California |
| Type: | 501(c)(3) |
| Top official: | David Nott, President and Chief Executive Officer |
| Founder(s): | Robert W. Poole, Jr., Manny Klausner, and Tibor Machan |
| Year founded: | 1978 |
| Website: | Official website |
The Reason Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1978. It describes its work as "[producing] respected public policy research on a variety of issues and [publishing] the critically-acclaimed Reason magazine. Together, our top-tier think tank and political and cultural magazine reach a diverse, influential audience, advancing the values of choice, individual freedom and limited government."[1]
Background
Robert W. Poole, Jr., Tibor Machan, and Manny Klausner founded Reason Enterprises in 1970 as part of their purchase of Reason magazine from publisher Lanny Friedlander. Poole was a mechanical engineer with degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a background in both surface and air transportation and the effects of privatization. Machan, who immigrated from Hungary, obtained his bachelor's, masters, and doctoral degrees in philosophy from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Klausner was an attorney whom Poole described as "far better connected in libertarian and free market circles than I was at that point." In 1978, the three founded the Reason Foundation after Poole "realized that without a larger organizational home, the magazine could not survive."[2][3][4][5]
As of September 2025, the organization's website described its mission as follows:[1]
| “ |
Reason Foundation advances a free society by developing, applying, and promoting libertarian principles, including individual liberty, free markets, and the rule of law. We use journalism and public policy research to influence the frameworks and actions of policymakers, journalists, and opinion leaders. We promote the libertarian ideas of:
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” |
Leadership
As of September 2025, the following individuals held leadership positions at the Reason Foundation:[7]
- David Nott, president and chief executive officer
- Jon Graff, chief financial officer and treasurer
- Mike Alissi, publisher and vice president of operations
- Jim Epstein, vice president and executive editor
- Leonard Gilroy, vice president of government reform
- Katherine Mangu-Ward, editor in chief and vice president for journalism
- Adrian Moore, vice president of policy
- Jackie Pyke, vice president for advancement
- Nick Gillespie, editor at large
- Matt Welch, editor at large
As of September 2025, the following individuals served as corporate officers of the Reason Foundation:[8]
- Gerry Ohrstrom, chairman of the board
- Robert W. Poole, Jr., founder
- David Nott, president
- Jon Graff, secretary and treasurer
- Adrian Moore, vice president of policy
- Len Gilroy, vice president of government reform
- Katherine Mangu-Ward, vice president of magazine
- Mike Alissi, vice president of operations
Work and activities
Legislative and policy work
The Reason Foundation publishes policy studies in the form of on-site articles, email newsletters, Reason magazine editions, and podcasts. The organization also hosts in-person events. As of September 2025, the organization listed the following policy areas of interest on its website:[9]
- Consumer Freedom
- Alcoholl
- Censorship and Media
- Guns
- Obesity
- Smoking Bans and Tobacco
- Vaping, E-Cigarettes
- COVID-19
- Criminal Justice Reform
- Culture and Media
- Drug Policy
- Industrial Hemp
- Marijuana Regulations
- Medical Marijuana
- Opioid Crisis
- Psychedelics
- Economy and Economics
- Bailouts, Stimulus
- Banking Regulation, Finance and Markets
- Consumer Credit and Borrowing
- Housing, Mortgages, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
- Monetary Policy and Federal Reserve
- Trade and Globalization
- Education
- Charter Schools
- K-12 Data
- Open Enrollment
- School Choice
- School Finance
- Universal Pre-K
- Energy
- Electricity
- Ethanol
- Hydrogen and Hybrid Vehicles
- Oil and Gas
- Environment
- Air Quality
- Climate Change
- Endangered Species
- Oceans and Fisheries
- Parks and Recreation
- Recycling and Waste
- Water and Wastewater
- Government Reform
- California
- Financial Transparency Project
- Florida
- Innovators in Action
- Occupational Licensing
- Tax and Budget Policy
- Transparency
- Harm Reduction
- Health Care
- Children's Health Care and SCHIP
- Telehealth
- Universal Health Care
- Immigration
- Pension Reform
- Alaska
- Arizona Pensions
- Arizona Municipal Governments
- ESG
- Florida Pensions
- Georgia Pensions
- Gold Standard Pension Design
- Louisiana Pensions
- Montana Pensions
- New Mexico Pensions
- North Dakota
- Texas Pensions
- Politics, Parties, Political History, Political Philosophy
- Privatization
- Annual Privatization Report
- Federal Government
- Local Government
- Prisons and Corrections
- State Government
- Reason – Rupe Public Opinion Survey
- Technology
- Telecommunications
- Municipal Broadband and WiFi
- Network Neutrality
- Transportation
- Air Traffic Control
- Airport Security
- Airports
- Annual Highway Report
- Automated Vehicles
- Federal Surface Reauthorization
- Galvin Mobility Report
- Highway Funding
- Mass Transit, Rail
- Space
- Urban Growth and Land Use
- Affordable Housing
- Eminent Domain and Regulatory Takings
- Inclusionary Zoning
- Redevelopment and Revitalization
- Wal-Mart and Big Box Stores
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.
Affiliations
As of September 2025, the Reason Foundation was one of seven California organizations affiliated with the State Policy Network.[10]
Finances
The following is a breakdown of the Reason Foundation's revenues and expenses from 2001 to 2024. The information comes from ProPublica.
| Year | Revenue | Expenses |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | $4.9 million | $5.2 million |
| 2002 | $4.6 million | $4.8 million |
| 2003 | $5.7 million | $4.4 million |
| 2004 | $4.7 million | $4.2 million |
| 2005 | $5.2 million | $4.8 million |
| 2006 | $7.3 million | $5.9 million |
| 2007 | $7.8 million | $6.7 million |
| 2008 | $7.2 million | $7.7 million |
| 2009 | $6.9 million | $6.7 million |
| 2010 | $7.2 million | $6.9 million |
| 2011 | $8.1 million | $7.8 million |
| 2012 | $9.1 million | $8.8 million |
| 2013 | $9.1 million | $9.0 million |
| 2014 | $11.1 million | $10.0 million |
| 2015 | $10.5 million | $9.8 million |
| 2016 | $11.5 million | $10.6 million |
| 2017 | $12.7 million | $12.4 million |
| 2018 | $12.1 million | $12.7 million |
| 2019 | $13.9 million | $13.5 million |
| 2020 | $16.2 million | $13.1 million |
| 2021 | $15.5 million | $13.4 million |
| 2022 | $15.2 million | $15.0 million |
| 2023 | $15.5 million | $17.5 million |
| 2024 | $23.3 million | $19.9 million |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Reason Foundation, "About Reason Foundation," accessed September 15, 2025
- ↑ Reason Foundation, "Robert Poole, Author at Reason Foundation," accessed September 15, 2025
- ↑ Reason Foundation, "Remembering Manny Klausner," March 18, 2025
- ↑ Reason Foundation, "REASON Profile: Tibor R. Machan," accessed September 15, 2025
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Manny Klausner on LinkedIn," accessed September 15, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Reason Foundation, "Staff," accessed September 15, 2025
- ↑ Reason Foundation, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed September 15, 2025
- ↑ Reason Foundation, "Policy Areas," accessed September 15, 2025
- ↑ State Policy Network, "Directory," accessed September 15, 2025
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