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.
- The Project on Government Oversight, Inc.
- $1,950,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Governance
- 2024
The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is a nonpartisan independent watchdog that investigates and exposes waste, corruption, abuse of power, failures by the government to serve the public, or efforts to silence those who report wrongdoing.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Government/Open Government and TransparencyGrant Length:
Jul 2024 to Jun 2027Strategy:
Preventing Authoritarian Abuse of Power- The Project on Government Oversight, Inc.
- $2,500,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Governance
- 2019
General operating support for the Project On Government Oversight.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Government/Executive Branch Performance, Government/Open Government and TransparencyGrant Length:
Jun 2019 to May 2022Strategy:
Oversight and Accountability- The Project on Government Oversight, Inc.
- $275,000.00
- Project
- Governance
- 2015
The purpose of this grant is to foster bipartisan expert collaboration among several organizations in the field on providing to congressional staff needed training on conducting oversight of the executive branch as part of the regular, civil function of government.
Project:
Collaboration on Congressional Oversight TrainingFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Legislative Branch Performance, GovernmentGrant Length:
Dec 2015 to Nov 2017Strategy:
Empowering Congress- The Project on Government Oversight, Inc.
- $300,000.00
- Project
- Governance
- 2017
This grant to The Constitution Project (TCP), a program within the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), will support POGO/TCP’s work to protect the courts. Through the “Defending Our Courts” campaign, POGO/TCP will develop messaging and build a coalition to restore and strengthen the public’s faith in the judiciary and build an infrastructure to resist any efforts to delegitimize or ignore a court’s decision.
Project:
The "Defending Our Courts" ProjectFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of LawGrant Length:
Dec 2017 to May 2020Strategy:
Oversight and Accountability- The Project on Government Oversight, Inc.
- $2,000,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Governance
- 2017
This rapid response grant provides POGO with critical increased capacity to respond to recent political developments. They will be able to conduct more in-depth investigations, provide more trainings for federal workers and congressional staff, and more effectively protect against the erosion of government safeguards and checks and balances.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Open Government and Transparency, Government/Legislative Branch Performance, Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of LawGrant Length:
Jun 2017 to May 2019Strategy:
Oversight and Accountability- The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia
- $200,000.00
- Project
- Governance
- 2020
The University of Virginia’s Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) is a nonpartisan organization that uses quantitative and qualitative analyses to promote legislative effectiveness among lawmakers across the United States.
Project:
Center for Effective LawmakingFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Legislative Branch PerformanceGrant Length:
Oct 2020 to Sep 2023Strategy:
Empowering Congress- The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia
- $100,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2020
To provide support for the Deliberative Media Lab’s research on the intersection of people of color and social media platforms, situated within the new Democracy Initiative at the University of Virginia.
Project:
Platforms & Civil RightsFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Media Access and PolicyGrant Length:
Apr 2020 to Dec 2021Strategy:
Digital Democracy- The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia
- $45,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2018
To provide additional technical support for the University of Virginia Department of Media Studies team working on modernization of the 2018 ASNE Diversity Survey.
Project:
Support for ASNE Diversity SurveyFoundation Center Topic:
Media/JournalismGrant Length:
Jun 2018 to Feb 2019Strategy:
Engaged Journalism- The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia
- $150,000.00
- Project
- Governance
- 2018
The University of Virginia’s Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) is a nonpartisan organization that uses quantitative and qualitative analyses to promote legislative effectiveness among lawmakers across the United States.
Project:
Center for Effective LawmakingFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Legislative Branch PerformanceGrant Length:
May 2018 to Apr 2020Strategy:
Empowering Congress- The Reed Institute
- $30,250.00
- Project
- Elections and Voting
- 2018
The purpose of this grant is to provide funding for the Reed 2018 CCES team module, which is a survey that captures the public’s opinions about election administration and voting.
Project:
2018 Cooperative Congressional Election StudyFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election AdministrationGrant Length:
Aug 2018 to Oct 2019Strategy:
Trust in Elections- The Reed Institute
- $12,500.00
- Project
- Elections and Voting
- 2016
To provide funding for survey work of public opinions about election administration.
Project:
Survey of Public Opinions About Election AdministrationFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election AdministrationGrant Length:
Jul 2016 to Jun 2017Strategy:
Voter-Centric Election Administration- The Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles
- $100,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2022
The National Center on Race and Digital Justice works on informing legislation, building strong networks of coordinated work, collaborating with grassroots organizers, conducting academic and legal research, curating public lectures, and supporting new thinkers and leaders.
Project:
The National Center on Race and Digital JusticeFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Media Access and PolicyGrant Length:
Oct 2022 to Mar 2024Strategy:
Equitable Civic Infrastructure- The Revival Lab Project
- $300,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2024
The Revival Lab Project, a fiscally sponsored project of Aspiration, is documenting how the loss of BIPOC local media and community infrastructure, paired with increasingly inextricable relationship between tech companies, governments, and third-party entities, is fueling a social, economic and public health crisis
Project:
The Revival LabFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Media Access and PolicyGrant Length:
Oct 2024 to Sep 2026Strategy:
Civil & Human Rights Online- The Roosevelt Institute
- $50,000.00
- Project
- Just and Inclusive Society
- 2022
The Roosevelt Institute’s Fellowship is conducting research on climate migration and migrant integration issues. Climate migration is an emergent megatrend that is reshaping our culture, economy, and politics in profound ways. This research contributes to the ongoing discussion and to more just outcomes for migrants, refugees, and all marginalized people.
Project:
Roosevelt FellowshipFoundation Center Topic:
Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Civic Participation/Issue-based Participation, OtherGrant Length:
Oct 2022 to Jun 2023Strategy:
Power Building in Marginalized Communities- The Trust Project
- $700,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2018
To support The Trust Project, fiscally sponsored by the New Venture Fund, in their efforts to research, develop, and deploy tools and technologies that make it easy for both the public and news distribution platforms to identify quality news out of the chaos online.
Project:
The Trust ProjectFoundation Center Topic:
Media/JournalismGrant Length:
Dec 2018 to May 2022Strategy:
Engaged Journalism- The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
- $200,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2016
This is a renewal grant to CJR’s United States Project to support experimentation in building local journalism capacity in the areas of collaboration, innovation, impact, and funding in target states.
Project:
US States Project RenewalFoundation Center Topic:
Media/JournalismGrant Length:
Sep 2016 to Dec 2017Strategy:
Previous Strategy- The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
- $400,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2014
To improve local journalism by continuing the United States Project at CJR which has become an important reference point for reporting on the state of local journalism across the country.
Project:
Columbia Journalism Review's United States ProjectFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Journalism Education and TrainingGrant Length:
Mar 2014 to Feb 2016Strategy:
Previous Strategy- The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
- $465,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2011
The Columbia Journalism Review will improve the quality of election and policy coverage by focusing media criticism at the local level, where the quality of media coverage can be essential for voters to understand issues and make informed choices.
Project:
Support Columbia Journalism Review Local Election and Policy CoverageFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Journalism Education and TrainingGrant Length:
Dec 2011 to Dec 2013Strategy:
Previous Strategy- The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
- $100,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2016
This is a renewal grant to CJR’s United States Project to support experimentation in building local journalism capacity in the areas of collaboration, innovation, impact, and funding in target states.
Project:
CJR's United States Project - RenewalFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Journalism Education and TrainingGrant Length:
Feb 2016 to Aug 2016Strategy:
Ecosystem News- The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
- $25,875.00
- Network Grant
- Public Square
- 2015
The purpose of this grant is to convene a group of journalists and people passionate about the news along with one or two featured journalist guests over a meal. The idea, dubbed “Let’s Read the News,” is a form of book club for journalism.