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.
- Chicago Reader
- $30,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2019
The purpose of this grant is to support the planning for the creation of a collaborative for independent media organizations in Chicago. The Chicago Reader, fiscally sponsored by Public Narrative, will lead this effort and use this support to provide the administration needed to get this effort off the ground.
Project:
Chicago Independent Media AllianceFoundation Center Topic:
Media, Media/Journalism Education and TrainingGrant Length:
Nov 2019 to Oct 2020Strategy:
Ecosystem News- Chicago Reader
- $50,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2020
The Chicago Independent Media Alliance project at the Chicago Reader, a fiscally sponsored project of the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation, brings together 60 community media in Chicago to provide training, shared resources, and a coalition of support during a devastating time for media that serves communities.
Project:
Chicago Independent Media AllianceFoundation Center Topic:
Media/JournalismGrant Length:
Nov 2020 to Oct 2021Strategy:
Ecosystem News- Children's Defense Fund
- $450,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Public Square
- 2024
Children’s Defense Fund works at the intersection of well-being and racial justice for children and youth. They work alongside and amplify the power of youth and families through advocacy, community organizing, direct service, and public policy.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Media Access and PolicyGrant Length:
Sep 2024 to Sep 2027Strategy:
Equitable Civic Infrastructure- Church World Service, Inc.
- $300,000.00
- Project
- Just and Inclusive Society
- 2023
Church World Service’s Refugee Organizing project includes grassroots organizing, power-building, and leadership development in refugee communities.
Project:
Refugee OrganizingFoundation Center Topic:
Civic Participation, Civic Participation/Issue-based Participation, Civic Participation/Naturalization and Immigrant Civic IntegrationGrant Length:
Nov 2023 to Oct 2026Strategy:
Power Building in Marginalized Communities- Church World Service, Inc.
- $100,000.00
- Project
- Just and Inclusive Society
- 2022
Church World Service’s Refugee Organizing project includes grassroots organizing, power-building, and leadership development in refugee communities.
Project:
Refugee OrganizingFoundation Center Topic:
Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Civic Participation/Naturalization and Immigrant Civic IntegrationGrant Length:
Nov 2022 to Oct 2023Strategy:
Power Building in Marginalized Communities- Ci-X News
- $60,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2020
Ci-X News, a fiscally sponsored project of MuckRock Foundation Inc, is creating a set of services to help support newsroom sustainability through operational capacity building.
Project:
Newsroom Operations SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Journalism Education and TrainingGrant Length:
Nov 2020 to Oct 2021Strategy:
Press Freedom- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Inc.
- $400,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Governance
- 2023
Using bold legal actions and in-depth investigations, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) targets government officials who sacrifice the common good to special interests and personal gain.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Government/Open Government and TransparencyGrant Length:
Jul 2023 to Dec 2024Strategy:
Preventing Authoritarian Abuse of Power- City Bureau
- $50,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2017
This grant will support the development and expansion of the City Bureau Documenters Project which strengthens local media coverage and builds trust in journalism by creating opportunities for anyone to participate in the production of local journalism.
Project:
Prototype Fund: City Bureau Documenters ProjectFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Journalism Education and TrainingGrant Length:
Jul 2017 to Jun 2018Strategy:
Ecosystem News- 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 SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Journalism, Media/Journalism Education and TrainingGrant Length:
Oct 2020 to Sep 2022Strategy:
Ecosystem News- City Bureau NFP
- $465,000.00
- 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 SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Media/JournalismGrant Length:
Oct 2023 to Sep 2026Strategy:
Journalism & Power Building- 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 CoordinationFoundation Center Topic:
MediaGrant Length:
Dec 2021 to Nov 2022Strategy:
General- 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 GroupFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Journalism Education and TrainingGrant Length:
Nov 2023 to Oct 2024Strategy:
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 SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Journalism, Media/Journalism Education and TrainingGrant Length:
Dec 2018 to May 2020Strategy:
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 SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Journalism, Media/Journalism Education and TrainingGrant Length:
Oct 2022 to Sep 2023Strategy:
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 activitiesFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voter Education, Registration, and TurnoutGrant Length:
Aug 2019 to Jan 2021Strategy:
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 HubFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and Voting, Civic Participation, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voter Education, Registration, and Turnout, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voting AccessGrant Length:
Aug 2021 to Dec 2021Strategy:
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 FellowFoundation Center Topic:
Civic Participation/Public ParticipationGrant Length:
Dec 2015 to Dec 2016Strategy:
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 DebatesFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Journalism, Civic Participation/Public ParticipationGrant Length:
Jul 2015 to Dec 2016Strategy:
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 InitiativeFoundation Center Topic:
Other, MediaGrant Length:
Jun 2017 to May 2018Strategy:
General- CivicTN
- $50,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Elections and Voting
- 2020
CIVIC TN is a coalition that strengthens the collective impact of, and collaboration between, nonprofit 501(c)(3) community and advocacy organizations that empower Black, Latinx, New Americans, low-income families, single women and young voters.