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.

Program Areas
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Elections and Voting
General and Field Building
Governance
Just and Inclusive Society
President's Office
Public Square
Strategies
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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
Previous Strategy
Pro-Voter Reform
Representative Institutions
Representative Leadership
Resilient Elections
Rights and Dignity
Roadmap for American Democracy
State and Local Accountability
Trust in Elections
Voter-Centric Election Administration
Voting Power
Organization Name (A-Z) Grant Amount Type Program Area Year
  • The Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting
  • $10,000.00
  • Project
  • President's Office
  • 2022

The Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting, a project of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, trains journalists from historically marginalized backgrounds in the critical field of data and investigative journalism.

Project:

Investing in Staff Wellbeing

Foundation Center Topic:

Grant Length:

Oct 2022 to Sep 2023

Strategy:

General
  • The Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting
  • $412,924.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2019

To provide general support to the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting, a project of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, so that it may continue training journalists from historically marginalized backgrounds in the critical field of data and investigative journalism.

Project:

Race, Media and Public Policy: The Ida B Wells Society for Investigative Reporting

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to Nov 2022

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • The Independence Public Media Foundation
  • $247,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2023

Independence Public Media Foundation’s Internet for All program makes grants to organizations working to expand community internet that is collectively owned and managed by local communities and strengthening community organizing for digital equity.

Project:

Independence Public Media Foundation

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Dec 2023 to Dec 2025

Strategy:

Equitable Civic Infrastructure
  • The Institute for Cultural Evolution
  • $96,500.00
  • Project
  • Governance
  • 2015

The purpose of the grant is to support the ongoing convening of conservatives seeking to work toward identifying policy solutions to the challenges facing our country initiated and successfully conducted at several locations around the country.

Project:

Conclave on the Future of the Right

Foundation Center Topic:

Other

Grant Length:

Dec 2015 to Nov 2016

Strategy:

Previous Strategy
  • The League
  • $225,000.00
  • Project
  • Governance
  • 2020

Women, especially women of color, are severely underrepresented in the U.S. government. The League, a project of the New Venture Fund, will convene a cohort of organizations building a pipeline of Black, Indigenous, and non-Black women of color (BIWOC) to run for elected office.

Project:

The League

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting, Civic Participation, Civic Participation/Public Participation

Grant Length:

Dec 2020 to Nov 2023

Strategy:

Constructive Politics
  • The Lugar Center
  • $100,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2018

General Operating Support

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Legislative Branch Performance, Government/Open Government and Transparency

Grant Length:

Dec 2018 to Nov 2019

Strategy:

Empowering Congress
  • The Lugar Center
  • $150,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2017

This grant will support the work of The Lugar Center, including their work to study the function of Congressional committees, creating bipartisan delegation meetings at state universities, increase congressional capacity for oversight, and other work to improve the bipartisan function of Congress. 

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Legislative Branch Performance, Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership

Grant Length:

Jul 2017 to Jun 2018

Strategy:

Empowering Congress
  • The Miami Foundation Inc.
  • $950,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2018

The purpose of this grant is to grow and continue The Fund for Nonprofit News, fiscally sponsored by The Miami Foundation, in support of NewsMatch 2018. The Fund supports a matching gifts program designed to encourage donations to nonprofit newsrooms and expand the capacity of nonprofit journalism to build their small donor base.

Project:

News Match 2018: The Fund for Nonprofit News

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Nov 2018 to Oct 2019

Strategy:

Ecosystem News
  • The Miami Foundation Inc.
  • $800,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2018

The purpose of this grant is to create a joint Legal Clinic Fund administered by the Miami Foundation to support and expand legal clinics that are housed at law schools and focus on the first amendment, media access, and transparency. This grant will help strengthen legal clinics as a backbone of legal support for local newsrooms. 

Project:

Press Freedom Clinic Fund

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Dec 2018 to Nov 2020

Strategy:

Press Freedom
  • The Miami Foundation Inc.
  • $1,000,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2023

The purpose of this grant is to grow and continue The Fund for Nonprofit News, hosted at The Miami Foundation, in support of NewsMatch, a fundraising campaign for nonprofit news.

Project:

Fund for Nonprofit News - NewsMatch

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Nov 2023 to Nov 2026

Strategy:

News & Information Ecosystems
  • The Miami Foundation Inc.
  • $1,020,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2017

The purpose of this grant is to establish The News Match Fund for Nonprofit News at Miami Foundation. The Fund is a collaboration between Knight Foundation and Democracy Fund that supports a matching gifts program designed to encourage donations to nonprofit newsrooms and expand the capacity of nonprofit journalism to build their small donor base.

Project:

News Match: Fund for Nonprofit News

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Sep 2017 to Aug 2018

Strategy:

Ecosystem News
  • The Miami Foundation Inc.
  • $1,300,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2019

The purpose of this grant is to grow and continue The Fund for Nonprofit News, fiscally sponsored by The Miami Foundation, in support of NewsMatch 2019 and 2020. The Fund supports a matching gifts program designed to encourage donations to nonprofit newsrooms and expand the capacity of nonprofit journalism to build their small donor base.

Project:

Fund for Nonprofit News - NewsMatch 2019 and 2020

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Jun 2019 to May 2021

Strategy:

Ecosystem News
  • The Miami Foundation Inc.
  • $1,200,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2021

The purpose of this grant is to grow and continue The Fund for Nonprofit News, hosted at The Miami Foundation, in support of NewsMatch, a fundraising campaign for nonprofit news.

Project:

Fund for Nonprofit News - NewsMatch

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Aug 2021 to Jul 2023

Strategy:

Ecosystem News
  • The Miami Foundation Inc.
  • $1,200,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2020

The Legal Clinic Fund, a joint fund housed at The Miami Foundation, makes grants to university legal clinics to expand their capacity as critical First Amendment advocates and resources for legal support for local newsrooms around the country. 

Project:

The Legal Clinic Fund

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Dec 2020 to Dec 2023

Strategy:

Press Freedom
  • The Miami Foundation Inc.
  • $400,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2023

The Legal Clinic Fund, a joint fund housed at The Miami Foundation, makes grants to university legal clinics to expand their capacity as critical First Amendment advocates and resources for legal support for local newsrooms around the country.

Project:

The Legal Clinic Fund

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Nov 2023 to Jan 2025

Strategy:

News & Information Ecosystems
  • The Miami Foundation Inc.
  • $500,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2023

The Press Forward pooled fund, a collaborative vehicle housed at The Miami Foundation, will support local news around the country. Press Forward seeks to reverse the dramatic decline in local news that has coincided with an increasingly divided America and weakening trust in institutions.

Project:

Press Forward Pooled Fund

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Dec 2023 to Nov 2024

Strategy:

News & Information Ecosystems
  • The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association
  • $200,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2020

General operating support for The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. 

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media, Media/Journalism, Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

Apr 2020 to Mar 2022

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association
  • $150,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2022

The National Association of LGBTQ Journalists is a journalist-led association working within the news media to advance fair and accurate coverage of LGBTQ+ communities and issues. They promote diverse and inclusive workplaces by holding the industry accountable and providing education, professional development and mentoring.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism, Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

May 2022 to Apr 2023

Strategy:

Journalism & Power Building
  • The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association
  • $150,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2023

The National Association of LGBTQ Journalists is a journalist-led association working within the news media to advance fair and accurate coverage of LGBTQ+ communities and issues. They promote diverse and inclusive workplaces by holding the industry accountable and providing education, professional development and mentoring.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

Jul 2023 to May 2025

Strategy:

Journalism & Power Building
  • The National Trust for Local News
  • $125,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2022

The National Trust for Local News will create a network of sustainable, independent community news outlets in Georgia by purchasing at-risk community newspapers and developing a shared ownership and governance structure–the Georgia News Conservancy–that are sustainable and ensure quality and editorial independence.

Project:

Georgia Local News Project

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Sep 2022 to Aug 2023

Strategy:

Ecosystem News
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