Grants Database

Democracy Fund collaborates with our grantees, donors, and other partners to strengthen and expand the movement for an inclusive, multiracial democracy. We are proud to have supported more than 400 organizations doing this work.

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Elections and Voting
General and Field Building
Governance
Just and Inclusive Society
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Civil & Human Rights Online
Constructive Politics
Digital Democracy
Ecosystem News
Empowering Congress
Engaged Journalism
Equitable Civic Infrastructure
General
Investigative Journalism
Journalism & Power Building
News & Information Ecosystems
Oversight and Accountability
Power Building in Marginalized Communities
Press Freedom
Preventing Authoritarian Abuse of Power
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Pro-Voter Reform
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Voting Power
Organization Name (A-Z) Grant Amount Type Program Area Year
  • Montclair State University Foundation, Inc.
  • $440,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2022

The Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University, provides critical infrastructure to the local news and information ecosystem across New Jersey. Their signature program, NJ News Commons, along with their other efforts, works to create a more collaborative local news ecosystem in New Jersey and beyond.

Project:

Center for Cooperative Media NJ News Commons

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Sep 2022 to Dec 2023

Strategy:

News & Information Ecosystems
  • More in Common Inc.
  • $150,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2021

More in Common’s three-part research strategy seeks to understand the challenges around American identity, civic and cultural norms, race, polarization, and violence mitigation. They will identify messaging and approaches that resonate with a majority of Americans.

Project:

American Identity Research & Messaging Project

Foundation Center Topic:

Other

Grant Length:

Sep 2021 to Sep 2022

Strategy:

General
  • More in Common Inc.
  • $400,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2020

To support More in Common’s November 4th Project to help decrease polarization and to advance the norms of belonging in anticipation of the 2020 presidential election.  

Project:

Support for the November 4th Project

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Civic Participation/Public Participation, Other

Grant Length:

Jun 2020 to Mar 2021

Strategy:

General
  • More in Common Inc.
  • $150,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2022

More in Common’s (MiC) is conducting a three-part research strategy to better understand and diagnose the challenges around American identity, civic and cultural norms, race, polarization and violence mitigation. They will test and refine messaging to identify approaches that can reach and resonate with a majority of Americans.

Project:

American Identity Research & Messaging Project

Foundation Center Topic:

Other

Grant Length:

Sep 2022 to Nov 2023

Strategy:

Power Building in Marginalized Communities
  • Morgan State University Foundation Incorporated
  • $250,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2017

This grant will provide support for the Morgan Initiative. The Morgan Initiative demonstrates how universities can lead collaborative reporting projects that challenge local newsrooms to shift their practices to better create journalism that is meaningful to communities and responsive to their needs.

Project:

The Morgan Initiative

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

Oct 2017 to Sep 2019

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • Morgan State University Foundation Incorporated
  • $100,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2022

The Center for Urban Journalism at Morgan State University trains new cadres of black journalists through fellowships, runs Social Justice Reporting Collaboratives between students at Morgan State and other journalism institutions, and produces research on the needs of black communities residing in news deserts or facing otherwise biased or insufficient news.

Project:

Center for Urban Journalism

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism, Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

Nov 2022 to Oct 2023

Strategy:

Journalism & Power Building
  • Morgan State University Foundation Incorporated
  • $170,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2019

The Institute for Urban Journalism at Morgan State University trains new cadres of black journalists through new fellowships; runs Social Justice Reporting Collaboratives between students at Morgan State and other journalism institutions; and produces research on the needs of black communities residing in news deserts or facing otherwise biased or insufficient news.

Project:

Institute for Urban Journalism

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism Education and Training, Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Oct 2022

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • Morgan State University Foundation Incorporated
  • $100,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2023

The Center for Urban Journalism at Morgan State University trains new cadres of black journalists through fellowships, runs Social Justice Reporting Collaboratives between students at Morgan State and other journalism institutions, and produces research on the needs of black communities residing in news deserts or facing otherwise biased or insufficient news.

Project:

Center for Urban Journalism

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism, Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

Nov 2023 to Oct 2024

Strategy:

Journalism & Power Building
  • Movement Law Lab
  • $650,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2020

To support Movement Law Lab (MLL), a fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy, in their innovation hub that brings lawyers together with other change-makers to implement novel and bold solutions for some of America’s toughest justice related problems. 

Project:

Movement Law Lab Immigrant Rights Work

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation, Media, Other

Grant Length:

Mar 2020 to May 2023

Strategy:

General
  • Movement Law Lab
  • $320,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2017

To support Movement Law Lab, an innovation hub bringing lawyers together with other change-makers to implement novel and bold solutions for some of America’s toughest justice related problems. 

Project:

Support for Movement Law Labs

Foundation Center Topic:

Other, Media, Civic Participation

Grant Length:

Nov 2017 to Oct 2019

Strategy:

General
  • Movement Law Lab
  • $100,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2023

Movement Law Lab, a fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy, helps develop a legal arm for social movements through deep consultation with organizers and grassroots groups to understand legal vulnerabilities and needs. They recruit and vet lawyers to provide advice and strategy, and conduct outreach, training, and planning sessions for large groups of lawyers.

Project:

Movement Law Lab

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law

Grant Length:

Nov 2023 to Oct 2024

Strategy:

Power Building in Marginalized Communities
  • Mozilla Foundation
  • $225,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2017

The purpose of this grant is to support the Coral Project in the development and implementation of tools and platforms that encourage a culture of engagement in newsrooms. The grant will largely focus on expanding adoption of their tools in newsrooms, which will consist of training, outreach and work around shifting culture inside newsrooms to be more open to engagement. 

Project:

Expanding Community Engagement Through the Coral Project

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

Aug 2017 to Jul 2018

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • Mozilla Foundation
  • $200,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2018

To support the Coral Project in the development and implementation of tools and platforms that encourage a culture of audience-driven storytelling in newsrooms. The grant will largely focus on expanding adoption of Coral Project’s tools in newsrooms, which will consist of training, outreach, and work around shifting culture inside newsrooms to be more transparent.

Project:

Coral Project

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Aug 2018 to Jul 2019

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • MuckRock Foundation, Inc.
  • $200,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2017

This general operating support grant is to continue the development of the Muckrock platform and staffing capacity as they seek to broaden user base and interface capability.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Other

Grant Length:

Sep 2017 to Aug 2019

Strategy:

Press Freedom
  • MuckRock Foundation, Inc.
  • $350,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2019

This grant is to provide general operating support for MuckRock, whose work connects community engagement, freedom of information and journalism collaboration to ensure that newsrooms and citizens can access critical informaiton about their government. 

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Sep 2019 to Aug 2022

Strategy:

Press Freedom
  • Multicultural Media & Correspondents Association
  • $785,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2023

The Multicultural Media & Correspondents Association (MMCA) is a growing group of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) media stakeholders, advocates, and allies resolved to get more content, more ownership, more impact, and more control of our story and of where, when and how its told.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Oct 2023 to Sep 2026

Strategy:

Equitable Civic Infrastructure
  • Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative
  • $105,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2022

Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC) focused on building capacity within Muslim and allied communities for racial justice. MuslimARC creates anti-racism curriculum and education resources, connects multi-racial and multi-faith networks via storytelling and media, and cultivates racial justice through leadership and community development programs.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Other

Grant Length:

Nov 2022 to Oct 2023

Strategy:

Power Building in Marginalized Communities
  • Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative
  • $100,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2020

MuslimARC, a fiscally sponsored project of Allied Media Projects, builds capacity for racial justice in Muslim and allied communities through anti-racism workshops, presentations, panels, and keynotes to organizations and learning institutions across the country.

Project:

MuslimARC

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Other

Grant Length:

Nov 2020 to Oct 2022

Strategy:

General
  • Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative
  • $10,000.00
  • Project
  • President's Office
  • 2022

Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC) focused on building capacity within Muslim and allied communities for racial justice. MuslimARC creates anti-racism curriculum and education resources, connects multi-racial and multi-faith networks via storytelling and media, and cultivates racial justice through leadership and community development programs.

Project:

Investing in Staff Wellbeing

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Issue-based Participation, Civic Participation/Public Participation, Other

Grant Length:

Oct 2022 to Sep 2023

Strategy:

General
  • NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
  • $350,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2020

The NAACP-Legal Defense Fund’s (“LDF”) Police Reform Campaign employs litigation, research, technology, and data strategies to advance police reforms at the local, state, and national levels.

Project:

Policing Reform Campaign

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation, Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law

Grant Length:

Jun 2020 to May 2022

Strategy:

General
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