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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  • Media Democracy Fund
  • $500,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2023

The Digital Equity and Opportunity Initiative at Media Democracy Fund, a fiscally sponsored project of New Venture Fund, is a major opportunity for national, state, and place-based funders to engage with one of the most significant digital equity opportunities in history: the implementation of the broadband portions of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

Project:

Digital Equity and Opportunity Initiative

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

October 2023 to September 2025

Strategy:

Equitable Civic Infrastructure
  • Media Democracy Fund
  • $75,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2023

The Disinformation Defense League at Media Democracy Fund, a fiscally sponsored project of New Venture Fund (NVF), is a distributed national network of organizers, researchers, and disinformation experts disrupting online racialized disinformation infrastructure and campaigns that target communities of color.

Project:

MDF Disinformation Defense League

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

October 2023 to September 2026

Strategy:

Civil & Human Rights Online
  • Media Democracy Fund
  • $302,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2023

NetGain at Media Democracy Fund, a fiscally sponsored project of New Venture Fund, supports philanthropic collaboration and leadership on issues of technology and society, and supports engagement of organizations led by and serving communities of color in debates around platforms, power, and the public interest.

Project:

MDF NetGain

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

October 2023 to September 2026

Strategy:

Civil & Human Rights Online
  • Media Democracy Fund
  • $100,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2020

The Unicorn Fund at Media Democracy Fund, a fiscally sponsored project of New Venture Fund, is an award program that supports under-resourced grassroots leaders, including independent journalists, who face attacks for expressing their ideas, telling the truth, and taking a stand on the front lines of narrative change.

Project:

Unicorn Fund

Foundation Center Topic:

Media

Grant Length:

December 2020 to May 2022

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • Media Democracy Fund
  • $300,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2018

To provide support to Media Democracy Fund, a fiscally sponsored project of the New Venture Fund, to further the NetGain Partnership and to support engagement of organizations led by and serving communities of color in debates around platforms, power, and the public interest.

Project:

Netgain Partnership & Platform Accountability

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

December 2018 to November 2019

Strategy:

Digital Democracy
  • Media Democracy Fund
  • $100,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2019

The Unicorn Fund at Media Democracy Fund, a fiscally sponsored project of New Venture Fund, is a one-year experimental award program that supports under-resourced grassroots leaders, including independent journalists, who face attacks for expressing their ideas, telling the truth, and taking a stand on the front lines of narrative change.

Project:

Unicorn Fund

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Public Participation, Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

November 2019 to October 2020

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • Menlo College
  • $80,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2019

To support the Women Also Know Stuff initiative by providing capacity for workshops and a road show.

Project:

Support to Women Also Know Stuff

Foundation Center Topic:

Other

Grant Length:

July 2019 to June 2021

Strategy:

Pro-Voter Reform
  • Meridian Institute
  • $290,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2012

The Meridian Institute will assess the feasibility of finding common ground solutions to address problems related to the regulation of money in our political system.

Project:

Finding Common Ground on Campaign Finance

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Campaign Finance

Grant Length:

August 2012 to February 2014

Strategy:

Previous Strategy
  • Mi Familia Vota Education Fund
  • $300,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2023

Mi Familia Vota Education Fund’s develops and implements non-partisan field programs and strategies for the diverse Latino population to promote citizenship, increase voter registration, and increase voter participation. Their Election Administration Outreach program increases the communities’ understanding to foster trust in the electoral process among Latino voters.

Project:

Election Administration Outreach

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Civic Participation, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election Administration

Grant Length:

December 2023 to November 2025

Strategy:

Resilient Elections
  • Military Veterans in Journalism Inc
  • $25,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2024

Military Veterans in Journalism’s Information Integrity Project is a nonpartisan initiative combating the spread of deceptive narratives and violent extremism in veteran and military communities. A team of journalists, including several military veterans, report on violent extremist groups and narratives and engage with the community online to counter recruitment efforts.

Project:

Information Integrity Program

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

July 2024 to June 2025

Strategy:

General
  • Millennial Action Project
  • $350,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2016

This grant will allow Millennial Action Project to build on work to increase civil dialog and strengthen its own organization through collaborations with like-minded organizations while focusing on a key strategic constituency identified in our emerging strategy/map — younger Americans.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Legislative Branch Performance

Grant Length:

December 2016 to November 2018

Strategy:

Previous Strategy
  • Millennial Action Project
  • $175,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2019

General support for Millennial Action Project

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Legislative Branch Performance

Grant Length:

January 2019 to December 2019

Strategy:

Constructive Politics
  • Millennial Action Project
  • $138,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2015

The matching grant with the Hewlett Foundation will allow Millennial Action Project to build on work this year to increase civil dialog and strengthen its own organization through collaborations with like-minded organizations while focusing on a key strategic constituency identified in our emerging map — younger Americans.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Legislative Branch Performance

Grant Length:

December 2015 to November 2016

Strategy:

Constructive Politics
  • Millennial Action Project
  • $425,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2020

General operating support for the Millennial Action Project.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Civic Participation/Public Participation

Grant Length:

April 2020 to March 2023

Strategy:

Constructive Politics
  • Millions of Conversations, Inc.
  • $600,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2019

The purpose of this grant is to provide general operating support for Millions of Conversations (MoC).

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

August 2019 to July 2021

Strategy:

General
  • Millions of Conversations, Inc.
  • $250,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2018

To provide general operating support for American Muslims for Prosperity (AMFP).

Project:

American Muslim Bipartisan Advocacy Campaign

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

June 2018 to May 2019

Strategy:

General
  • Millions of Conversations, Inc.
  • $300,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2021

Millions of Conversations is a movement to transcend divides and bring Americans together through common values to create a shared future. Using Truth & Reconciliation work, they challenge narratives that stigmatize our fellow Americans, disrupt intolerance before it takes root, and help heal communities so all Americans may experience a sense of belonging.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

October 2021 to September 2022

Strategy:

General
  • Millions of Conversations, Inc.
  • $350,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2022

Millions of Conversations is a movement to transcend divides and bring Americans together through common values to create a shared future. Using Truth & Reconciliation work, they challenge narratives that stigmatize our fellow Americans, disrupt intolerance before it takes root, and help heal communities so all Americans may experience a sense of belonging.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

December 2022 to November 2024

Strategy:

Power Building in Marginalized Communities
  • Mississippi Center for Justice
  • $450,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2024

By engaging elected officials, faith-based leaders, media, community activists, educators, childcare providers, healthcare professionals and other advocacy partners, the Mississippi Center for Justice dismantles the policies that keep Mississippi at the bottom of nearly every indicator of human well-being and deny African-American and lower-income Mississippians opportunities.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

July 2024 to September 2027

Strategy:

Equitable Civic Infrastructure
  • Mississippi Votes
  • $100,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2022

Mississippi Votes works to increase voter registration and turnout (specifically within 18-35 voting bloc) through innovative and high-tech engagement programming and outreach strategies. They also engage traditional organizing techniques to cater to the needs of today’s voters.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Civic Participation

Grant Length:

November 2022 to October 2023

Strategy:

Pro-Voter Reform
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