Ideas

Grants Database

Democracy Fund champions the leaders and organizations who defend democracy and challenge it to be more open and just. We are proud to have supported more than 200 organizations doing this work.

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  • City Bureau NFP
  • $200,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2018

The purpose of this grant is to support City Bureau, an innovative local news organization in Chicago, that is leading efforts in community engagement, ecosystem building, business models. This grant will enable City Bureau to continue and expand their core programs, including Documenters, Civic Reporting Fellowships, and Public Newsrooms.  

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism, Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

December 2018 to May 2020

Strategy:

Ecosystem News
  • City Bureau NFP
  • $60,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2021

City Bureau is hiring a part-time coordinator to support an informal collective of community news partners to develop a theory of change, definitions, public communication, future convenings and other structures to realize their shared vision for the future of local media.  

Project:

Capacity Building Coordination

Foundation Center Topic:

Media

Grant Length:

December 2021 to November 2022

Strategy:

General
  • City Bureau NFP
  • $500,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2020

City Bureau works to address inequality in Chicago media. Their innovative programs engage Chicagoans directly in the process of producing civic media.  

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism, Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

October 2020 to September 2022

Strategy:

Ecosystem News
  • City Bureau NFP
  • $200,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2022

City Bureau works to address inequality in Chicago media. Their innovative programs engage Chicagoans directly in the process of producing civic media.  

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism, Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

October 2022 to September 2023

Strategy:

News & Information Ecosystems
  • City Bureau NFP
  • $125,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2023

City Bureau NFP works with a part-time coordinator to support an informal collective of community news partners to develop a theory of change, definitions, public communication, future convenings and other structures to realize their shared vision for the future of local media.    

Project:

Future of Local News Group

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

November 2023 to October 2024

Strategy:

Journalism & Power Building
  • City Bureau NFP
  • $450,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2023

City Bureau works to address inequality in Chicago media. Their innovative programs engage Chicagoans directly in the process of producing civic media.    

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

October 2023 to September 2026

Strategy:

Journalism & Power Building
  • City Bureau NFP
  • $200,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2018

The purpose of this grant is to support City Bureau, an innovative local news organization in Chicago, that is leading efforts in community engagement, ecosystem building, business models. This grant will enable City Bureau to continue and expand their core programs, including Documenters, Civic Reporting Fellowships, and Public Newsrooms.    

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism, Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

December 2018 to May 2020

Strategy:

Ecosystem News
  • City Bureau NFP
  • $60,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2021

City Bureau is hiring a part-time coordinator to support an informal collective of community news partners to develop a theory of change, definitions, public communication, future convenings and other structures to realize their shared vision for the future of local media.    

Project:

Capacity Building Coordination

Foundation Center Topic:

Media

Grant Length:

December 2021 to November 2022

Strategy:

General
  • City Bureau NFP
  • $500,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2020

City Bureau works to address inequality in Chicago media. Their innovative programs engage Chicagoans directly in the process of producing civic media.    

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism, Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

October 2020 to September 2022

Strategy:

Ecosystem News
  • City Bureau NFP
  • $200,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2022

City Bureau works to address inequality in Chicago media. Their innovative programs engage Chicagoans directly in the process of producing civic media.    

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism, Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

October 2022 to September 2023

Strategy:

News & Information Ecosystems
  • Civic Culture Coalition
  • $200,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2019

To support the efforts of the Civic Culture Coalition’s I Am A Voter campaign, fiscally sponsored by the Entertainment Industry Foundation, in organizing a meeting of major media leaders and increasing the number of artists and influencers participating in the campaign.    

Project:

Support for I Am A Voter campaign activities

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voter Education, Registration, and Turnout

Grant Length:

August 2019 to January 2021

Strategy:

Pro-Voter Reform
  • Civic Culture Coalition
  • $200,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2019

To support the efforts of the Civic Culture Coalition’s I Am A Voter campaign, fiscally sponsored by the Entertainment Industry Foundation, in organizing a meeting of major media leaders and increasing the number of artists and influencers participating in the campaign.  

Project:

Support for I Am A Voter campaign activities

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voter Education, Registration, and Turnout

Grant Length:

August 2019 to January 2021

Strategy:

Pro-Voter Reform
  • Civic Engagement Research & Dissemination Hub
  • $150,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2021

The Civic Engagement and Dissemination Hub, a fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy Inc., is a source of research on best practices for voter contact in the field of nonpartisan civic engagement.  

Project:

Civic Engagement Research & Dissemination Hub

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting, Civic Participation, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voter Education, Registration, and Turnout, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voting Access

Grant Length:

August 2021 to December 2021

Strategy:

General
  • Civic Engagement Research & Dissemination Hub
  • $150,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2021

The Civic Engagement and Dissemination Hub, a fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy Inc., is a source of research on best practices for voter contact in the field of nonpartisan civic engagement.    

Project:

Civic Engagement Research & Dissemination Hub

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting, Civic Participation, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voter Education, Registration, and Turnout, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voting Access

Grant Length:

August 2021 to December 2021

Strategy:

General
  • Civic Hall Labs, Inc.
  • $100,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2015

The purpose of this grant is to help fund a Civic Hall Imagination Fellow at Civic Hall Labs.    

Project:

Civic Hall Imagination Fellow

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Public Participation

Grant Length:

December 2015 to December 2016

Strategy:

Previous Strategy
  • Civic Hall Labs, Inc.
  • $100,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2015

The purpose of this grant is to help fund a Civic Hall Imagination Fellow at Civic Hall Labs.  

Project:

Civic Hall Imagination Fellow

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Public Participation

Grant Length:

December 2015 to December 2016

Strategy:

Previous Strategy
  • Civic Hall LLC
  • $225,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2015

The purpose of this grant is to scope opportunities to enable greater public participation in candidate debates by studying, modeling and encouraging the use of innovative approaches from around the country and also elsewhere that make debates more substantive, engaging, educative, and accountable to public concerns.  

Project:

Rethinking Debates

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism, Civic Participation/Public Participation

Grant Length:

July 2015 to December 2016

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • Civic Hall LLC
  • $225,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2015

The purpose of this grant is to scope opportunities to enable greater public participation in candidate debates by studying, modeling and encouraging the use of innovative approaches from around the country and also elsewhere that make debates more substantive, engaging, educative, and accountable to public concerns.    

Project:

Rethinking Debates

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism, Civic Participation/Public Participation

Grant Length:

July 2015 to December 2016

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • Civic Nation
  • $350,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2017

The Purpose of the Grant is to allow Civic Nation to build out a strategy and recruit additional support around positive communications placement that increases the likelihood of culture change around how the public discusses and views the American Muslim community.    

Project:

Protecting Vulnerable Communities and Anti-Hate Initiative

Foundation Center Topic:

Other, Media

Grant Length:

June 2017 to May 2018

Strategy:

General
  • Civic Nation
  • $350,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2017

The Purpose of the Grant is to allow Civic Nation to build out a strategy and recruit additional support around positive communications placement that increases the likelihood of culture change around how the public discusses and views the American Muslim community.  

Project:

Protecting Vulnerable Communities and Anti-Hate Initiative

Foundation Center Topic:

Other, Media

Grant Length:

June 2017 to May 2018

Strategy:

General
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