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
  • Bold Impact
  • $765,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2019

The purpose of this grant is to support Bold Impact in their coordination work to organize action within their stakeholder network to generate momentum to advance data policy innovation within a human rights framework through the event series Rights x Tech.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to Apr 2023

Strategy:

Digital Democracy
  • Bold Impact
  • $600,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2023

Be Bold Media is a global strategy and innovation agency that works with leaders and organizations on transformation initiatives, inclusive innovation, and movement-building. They believe technology, data, and media can help tackle the biggest social issues of our time.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Oct 2023 to Sep 2026

Strategy:

Civil & Human Rights Online
  • Borealis Philanthropy
  • $700,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2022

The Racial Equity in Journalism Fund (REJ) seeks to strengthen a future where communities of color are powerful. They do this by nourishing and building up the capacity and sustainability of both news organizations and journalism ecosystem partners led by people of color.

Project:

Racial Equity in Journalism Fund

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Aug 2022 to Oct 2023

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • Borealis Philanthropy
  • $3,020,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2023

The Racial Equity in Journalism Fund (REJ) seeks to strengthen a future where communities of color are powerful. They do this by nourishing and building up the capacity and sustainability of both news organizations and journalism ecosystem partners led by people of color.

Project:

Racial Equity in Journalism Fund

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Dec 2023 to Nov 2026

Strategy:

Journalism & Power Building
  • Borealis Philanthropy
  • $1,900,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2019

The Fund for Diverse-Led and Serving Media is a joint fund that will partner with diverse-led and -serving media outlets to better meet the information needs of traditionally underserved communities through capacity building support and technical assistance, a landscape analysis to understand how underserved communities of color receive information, and sharing learnings.

Project:

Fund for Diverse-Led and Serving Media

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Jul 2019 to Jun 2022

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • BoricuActivatEd
  • $25,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2021

Created by a group of former congressional staffers, BoricuActivatEd empowers individuals of all ages and teaches them to become active in the public space. They hold free workshops in locations across the country, carried out by former public servants and former congressional staff members.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation

Grant Length:

Oct 2021 to Sep 2022

Strategy:

Constructive Politics
  • BRIDGE Infrastructure Fund
  • $150,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2021

A fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy, Inc., BRIDGE Infrastructure Fund’s Spark Accelerator program provides funding, training, and other resources to organizers, founders, startup nonprofit organizations, and existing grassroots organizing and social justice advocacy groups working in under-resourced communities.

Project:

BRIDGE Infrastructure Fund

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

Nov 2021 to Apr 2023

Strategy:

Pro-Voter Reform
  • BRIDGE Infrastructure Fund
  • $300,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2023

A fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy, Inc., BRIDGE Infrastructure Fund’s Spark Accelerator program provides funding, training, and other resources to organizers, founders, startup nonprofit organizations, and existing grassroots organizing and social justice advocacy groups working in under-resourced communities.

Project:

BRIDGE Infrastructure Fund

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

Aug 2023 to Jul 2025

Strategy:

Voting Power
  • BRIDGE Infrastructure Fund
  • $60,000.00
  • Project
  • President's Office
  • 2022

BRIDGE Infrastructure Fund, a fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy Inc., is an infrastructure, capacity, and people building nonprofit organization designing, growing, and nurturing evergreen, progressive impact in Texas. They are developing their internal capacity to increase long-term sustainability and improve the impact of their work.

Project:

Capacity Building

Foundation Center Topic:

Grant Length:

Oct 2022 to Sep 2023

Strategy:

General
  • Business Forward Foundation
  • $300,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2022

Business Forward Foundation is a research and educational organization that takes a business-minded look at policy issues affecting America’s economic competitiveness. Through white papers, issue briefs, conference calls, and other events, they educate policy makers and the public about climate change, immigration reform, infrastructure investment, and other critical issues.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Civic Participation/Issue-based Participation, Other

Grant Length:

Dec 2022 to Nov 2024

Strategy:

General
  • Business Forward Foundation
  • $150,000.00
  • Project
  • Governance
  • 2019

To activate Business Forward’s network of business leaders across the U.S. to protect the rule of law. This grant will support their efforts to identify, train, and support leaders who will speak in favor of the rule of law and who will be prepared to push back against attacks on democratic norms or institutions. 

Project:

Business Leaders for the Rule of Law

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Oct 2022

Strategy:

Oversight and Accountability
  • Business Forward Foundation
  • $550,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2019

To support Business Forward Foundation’s (BFF) work in organizing business leaders and train them speak out on the importance and business benefits of diversity and inclusiveness.

Project:

Business Leaders for Vulnerable Communities

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Naturalization and Immigrant Civic Integration, Civic Participation/Issue-based Participation, Media/Media Access and Policy, Media, Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to Nov 2022

Strategy:

General
  • Business Forward Foundation
  • $100,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2017

To organize business leaders and earned media, in specific areas, to educate the public and policymakers about the importance of respecting and protecting vulnerable communities.  

Project:

Business Leaders for Vulnerable Communities

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy, Media, Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Civic Participation/Naturalization and Immigrant Civic Integration, Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership

Grant Length:

Sep 2017 to Aug 2018

Strategy:

General
  • Business Forward Foundation
  • $75,000.00
  • Project
  • Governance
  • 2018

This project grant will allow Business Forward Foundation to activate its network of business leaders across the U.S. to focus on protecting the legitimacy and independence of the U.S. judicial system. This grant will support Business Forward Foundation’s efforts to identify, train, and support business leaders who will speak in favor of the rule of law and will prepare them to push back against attacks on the courts. 

Project:

Business Leaders Protecting the Courts

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Judicial Selection and Performance, Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law

Grant Length:

Nov 2018 to Oct 2019

Strategy:

Oversight and Accountability
  • Business Forward Foundation
  • $170,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2018

The purpose of this grant is to support Business Forward Foundation’s project to 1) organize business leaders and train them speak out on the business benefits of diversity and inclusiveness, 2) to strengthen an ad campaign to support the organizing work, and 3) to develop a storefront sign campaign around diversity, inclusion and empathy. A portion of this grant will also support the costs of Business Forward Foundation conducting an audit of its 2018 financials.

Project:

Business Leaders for Vulnerable Communities

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy, Media, Civic Participation/Issue-based Participation, Civic Participation/Naturalization and Immigrant Civic Integration, Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership

Grant Length:

Dec 2018 to Nov 2019

Strategy:

General
  • California State University Northridge Foundation
  • $114,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2018

The purpose of this grant is to create capacity at CSUN for them to begin exploring partnership with other centers across the country focused on supporting ethnic media throughout the country.

Project:

Center for Community and Ethnic Media

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Sep 2018 to Aug 2020

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • Campaign For Accountability Inc.
  • $200,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2023

Campaign for Accountability (CfA) is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog organization that uses research, litigation, and aggressive communications to expose misconduct and malfeasance in public life.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Oct 2023 to Sep 2025

Strategy:

Civil & Human Rights Online
  • Canopy Atlanta
  • $125,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • President's Office
  • 2021

Canopy Atlanta trains and equips local journalists to tell in-depth stories in collaboration with residents of overlooked communities in metro Atlanta’s five core counties.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism, Civic Participation

Grant Length:

Dec 2021 to Mar 2023

Strategy:

General
  • Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
  • $150,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2020

This grant supports research development through the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The Senior Fellow and expert in the program will produce a research paper on transitional justice lessons from abroad for advancing racial reconciliation in the United States.

Project:

Support for Transitional Justice Research

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

Dec 2020 to Oct 2021

Strategy:

General
  • Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
  • $100,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2023

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) is conducting a major research project that aims to answer key questions about the causes, perceptions, and realities of climate migration.

Project:

CEIP Climate Migration

Foundation Center Topic:

Other

Grant Length:

Dec 2023 to Dec 2024

Strategy:

Power Building in Marginalized Communities
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