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.
- University of Maryland
- $411,800.00
- Project
- Elections and Voting
- 2023
The University of Maryland Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement (CDCE) is creating an Election Talent Study Group to address the growing recruitment and retention crisis in election administration.
Project:
Election Talent Study GroupFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election Administration, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voting AccessGrant Length:
Oct 2023 to Jun 2025Strategy:
Resilient Elections- University of Maryland
- $34,000.00
- Project
- Governance
- 2020
To support research on radical polarization and the behaviors that lead to increased political violence in the United States and dissemination of the research through white papers and a book.
Project:
Radical American Partisanship Research ProjectFoundation Center Topic:
Civic Participation/Civic Education and LeadershipGrant Length:
Mar 2020 to Feb 2021Strategy:
Constructive Politics- University of Maryland Foundation Inc.
- $125,000.00
- Project
- Elections and Voting
- 2017
To provide project support to the Center for Public Policy and Private Enterprise at the University of Maryland, which will conduct extensive research into the current and future election cybersecurity issues faced in the State of Maryland.
Project:
State Election Cybersecurity AssessmentFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election AdministrationGrant Length:
Aug 2017 to Jul 2018Strategy:
Trust in Elections- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- $75,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2017
This grant will support initial research into the surveillance, experimentation, and persuasion capabilities of platforms such as Facebook and Google and the ways we can prevent or mitigate the use of these capabilities by authoritarians. The initial funding will support the development of a plan for an academic center devoted to these issues as well as the hiring of research support staff for the primary investigator.
Project:
Research on Platform Surveillance and AuthoritarianismFoundation Center Topic:
MediaGrant Length:
Dec 2017 to May 2020Strategy:
Digital Democracy- University of North Texas Foundation
- $16,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2016
The primary goal of this study is to qualitatively evaluate the impact of diversity placement programs on the recruitment and retention of minority journalists in U.S. newspaper newsrooms between 2000 and 2015. This also allows us to engage a scholar interested in journalism institutions with a focus on inclusion, who we may continue to engage throughout our strategy implementation.
Project:
Diversity in Journalism ResearchFoundation Center Topic:
Media/JournalismGrant Length:
Nov 2016 to Apr 2018Strategy:
Engaged Journalism- University of Oregon Foundation
- $150,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2020
Gather is a project that supports community-minded journalists and other engagement professionals through an online platform that’s a hub for critical tools, resources, and conversations for journalists.
Project:
GatherFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Journalism Education and TrainingGrant Length:
Dec 2020 to Mar 2025Strategy:
Engaged Journalism- University of Oregon Foundation
- $100,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2016
The purpose of this grant is to support the University of Oregon School of Journalism’s Agora Journalism Center to create workshops to strengthen the community of practice of Engaged Journalism. This grant builds on Knight’s larger grant that supports building a web-tool, with our emphasis on creating robust connections within the field.
Project:
Building out the Community of PracticeFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Journalism Education and TrainingGrant Length:
Nov 2016 to Apr 2018Strategy:
Engaged Journalism- University of Oregon Foundation
- $150,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2018
Gather supports community-minded journalists and other engagement professionals through an online platform that acts as a hub for critical tools, resources, and conversations for journalists.
Project:
Gather - Year TwoFoundation Center Topic:
Media/JournalismGrant Length:
Sep 2018 to Nov 2020Strategy:
Engaged Journalism- University of Southern California
- $1,025,000.00
- Project
- Elections and Voting
- 2021
This grant provides support for the Center for Inclusive Democracy at the University of Southern California to maintain and expand the Vote Center and Ballot Drop Box Siting Tool.
Project:
USC Siting Tool ExpansionFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election Administration, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voting AccessGrant Length:
Aug 2021 to Jan 2024Strategy:
Voter-Centric Election Administration- University of Southern California
- $975,000.00
- Project
- Elections and Voting
- 2019
The California Civic Engagement Project (CCEP) at the University of Southern California will design, release, and host the Vote Center Siting Tool in three states: Colorado, Arizona, and Texas. The development of the tool in these three states will help election officials make informed decisions about where to locate polling places and how to better target other services to the voters and potential voters they serve.
Project:
Election Siting ToolFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election AdministrationGrant Length:
Sep 2019 to Nov 2021Strategy:
Voter-Centric Election Administration- University of Wisconsin Foundation
- $100,000.00
- Project
- President's Office
- 2023
The State Democracy Research Initiative fosters research and dialogue on state-level democracy, government, and public law across the nation. They produce and promote original academic research and bring together academics, judges, policymakers, and advocates to exchange insights and perspectives on matters related to democracy and the rule of law in the states.
Project:
State Democracy Research Initiative ProjectFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of LawGrant Length:
Dec 2023 to Dec 2024Strategy:
General- University System of New Hampshire
- $40,000.00
- Project
- Governance
- 2018
The New Hampshire Listens program at the University of New Hampshire’s Carsey School of Public Policy will partner with the Beeck Center for Social Impact & Innovation at Georgetown University to design and execute a demonstration project of a digital version of a congressional committee hearing.
Project:
Digital field hearingFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Legislative Branch PerformanceGrant Length:
Jul 2018 to Aug 2019Strategy:
Empowering Congress- Upturn, Inc.
- $600,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Public Square
- 2023
Upturn advances equity and justice in the design, governance, and use of technology. They combine research with advocacy, and their approach is informed by a broad range of perspectives and experiences, including computer science, social science, law, and policy. They partner with local and national advocates and others to ensure their work is collaborative and actionable.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Media Access and PolicyGrant Length:
Sep 2023 to Sep 2026Strategy:
Civil & Human Rights Online- Upturn, Inc.
- $350,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Public Square
- 2019
From the October 01, 2019 up to May 01, 2020, the Grant funds are restricted for the following purpose: To support Upturn’s research, publication, and coordination on the topic of discriminatory targeting by social media platform companies.
Any remaining funds from this Grant as of May 01, 2020 are hereby released from the project restriction outlined above and can be used for General Operating Support.
Project:
Discriminatory Targeting PolicyFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Media Access and PolicyGrant Length:
Oct 2019 to Apr 2023Strategy:
Digital Democracy- URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement
- $898,095.00
- Project
- Elections and Voting
- 2019
To support Phase II of the RI VOTES project, building off Phase I of the project. Phase II will further develop a set of tools to assist elections officials during the three phases of an election cycle: election preparation, Election Day operations, and post-election analysis.
Project:
RI VOTES ProjectFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and VotingGrant Length:
Jun 2019 to Jun 2024Strategy:
Voter-Centric Election Administration- URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement
- $99,961.00
- Project
- Elections and Voting
- 2018
The purpose of this grant is to implement the election line allocation tools created by the Voting Technology Project, as recommended by the Rhode Island Board of Elections Task Force.
Project:
RI VOTES ProjectFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and VotingGrant Length:
Apr 2018 to May 2019Strategy:
Voter-Centric Election Administration- URL Media Holdings Inc
- $620,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2023
URL Media, a fiscally sponsored project of the Journalism Funding Partners, builds and supports a network of Black and Brown led newsrooms to harness their collective power and content for distribution, sustainability, and audience growth.
Project:
URL MediaFoundation Center Topic:
Media/JournalismGrant Length:
Aug 2023 to Jul 2026Strategy:
Journalism & Power Building- URL Media Holdings Inc
- $215,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2022
URL Media, a fiscally sponsored project of the Journalism Funding Partners, builds and supports a network of Black and Brown led newsrooms to harness their collective power and content for distribution, sustainability, and audience growth.
Project:
URL MediaFoundation Center Topic:
Media/JournalismGrant Length:
Aug 2022 to Jul 2023Strategy:
Journalism & Power Building- URL Media Holdings Inc
- $100,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2021
URL Media, a project of the International Women’s Media Foundation, is building and supporting a network of Black- and Brown-led newsrooms to harness their collective power and content for distribution, sustainability, and audience growth.
Project:
URL MediaFoundation Center Topic:
Media/JournalismGrant Length:
Jul 2021 to Jun 2022Strategy:
Engaged Journalism- US Vote Foundation
- $50,000.00
- Network Grant
- Elections and Voting
- 2015
Increase the amount of information available through the U.S. Vote Civic Data Application Programming Interface (API), including state voter requirements, election dates and deadlines, and voting methods. This will increase Rock the Vote access to information for their users.