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.
- Participatory Budgeting Project Inc.
- $350,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2014
Provide project support to the Participatory Budgeting Project to foster increased use of participatory budgeting in the US.
Project:
Advancing the Understanding of the Practice of Participatory BudgetingFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Budgeting, Civic Participation/Public ParticipationGrant Length:
May 2014 to May 2016Strategy:
Previous Strategy- Participatory Budgeting Project Inc.
- $100,000.00
- General Operating Support
- President's Office
- 2022
The Participatory Budgeting Project (PBP) works with communities across the US and Canada to decide together how to best spend public money. They create and support participatory budgeting (PB) processes that deepen democracy, build stronger communities, and make public budgets more equitable and effective.
Project:
Participatory Budgeting General Operating Renewal 2022Foundation Center Topic:
Civic Participation/Civic Education and LeadershipGrant Length:
Dec 2022 to Nov 2023Strategy:
General- Participatory Budgeting Project Inc.
- $850,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Public Square
- 2018
This general operating grant will provide support Participatory Budgeting Project to grow and strengthen their ability to engage local communities at a moment when interest in democratic engagement is increasing. The grant will help spread the participatory budgeting processes across the United States.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Budgeting, Civic Participation/Public ParticipationGrant Length:
Jun 2018 to Aug 2022Strategy:
Engaged Journalism- Participatory Budgeting Project Inc.
- $17,500.00
- Network Grant
- General and Field Building
- 2015
Grantee plans to increase turnout in participatory budgeting (PB) processes by using TurboVote to provide consistent, streamlined election reminders for the City of Boston’s participatory budgeting program for youth, Youth Lead the Change (YLC).
Project:
Youth Lead the Change BostonFoundation Center Topic:
Civic Participation/Public ParticipationGrant Length:
Dec 2015 to Jul 2017Strategy:
Previous Strategy- Participatory Budgeting Project Inc.
- $600,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Public Square
- 2016
The purpose of this grant is to further build out participatory budgeting as a practice in communities around the United States.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Civic ParticipationGrant Length:
May 2016 to Apr 2018Strategy:
Engaged Journalism- Partnership for Large Election Jurisdictions Inc.
- $300,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Elections and Voting
- 2023
The Partnership for Large Election Jurisdictions (PLEJ) is an organization dedicated to providing peer-to-peer best practices, convening spaces, and information-sharing opportunities between local election officials.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election AdministrationGrant Length:
Dec 2023 to Nov 2025Strategy:
Resilient Elections- Partnership for Public Service Inc.
- $1,450,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Governance
- 2018
General operating support to the Partnership for Public Service.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Legislative Branch Performance, Government/Executive Branch PerformanceGrant Length:
Nov 2018 to May 2021Strategy:
Empowering Congress- Partnership for Public Service Inc.
- $250,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Governance
- 2016
The Partnership for Public Service builds trust and better relationships between the branches of the federal government, enhances accountability for Congressional stewardship for the Executive Branch, and increases general understanding of the challenges facing the government.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Legislative Branch Performance, Government/Executive Branch PerformanceGrant Length:
Apr 2016 to Mar 2018Strategy:
Empowering Congress- Partnership for Public Service Inc.
- $125,000.00
- Project
- Governance
- 2017
This grant supports the Partnership for Public Service’s efforts to support constructive, bipartisan congressional oversight. It has two components: case studies on effective congressional oversight, and an analysis of how to more effectively engage career executive branch officials around oversight.
Project:
Promoting Constructive Congressional OversightFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Legislative Branch Performance, Government/Executive Branch PerformanceGrant Length:
Dec 2017 to Nov 2018Strategy:
Oversight and Accountability- Partnership for Public Service Inc.
- $525,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Governance
- 2024
The Partnership for Public Service serves as a bridge across the political aisle to build a government that meets its fundamental responsibilities to the public, no matter the political makeup of any presidential administration or Congress. They offer key solutions and performance measures that transform the way government works.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Executive Branch Performance, GovernmentGrant Length:
Nov 2024 to Oct 2025Strategy:
Preventing Authoritarian Abuse of Power- Partnership for Public Service Inc.
- $1,150,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Governance
- 2021
The Partnership for Public Service builds trust and better relationships between the branches of the federal government, enhances accountability for Congressional stewardship for the Executive Branch, and increases general understanding of the challenges facing the government.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Executive Branch Performance, Government/Legislative Branch Performance, Government/Open Government and TransparencyGrant Length:
Nov 2021 to Oct 2023Strategy:
Empowering Congress- Partnership for Public Service Inc.
- $450,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Governance
- 2023
The Partnership for Public Service, believes that the future and democracy depend on our ability to solve big problems—and that an effective federal government is needed to do so. They serve as a bridge between administrations, across the political aisle, and from the public to the private sector to develop forward-thinking solutions that improve the way the government works.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Executive Branch Performance, Government/Legislative Branch Performance, Government/Open Government and TransparencyGrant Length:
Nov 2023 to Oct 2024Strategy:
Preventing Authoritarian Abuse of Power- Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans
- $200,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Just and Inclusive Society
- 2021
The Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA) works to ensure that Black and African, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (BAMEMSA) immigrant communities are centered in legislative and administrative policies. They also work to reimagine refugee resettlement narratives and policies that have created barriers to the full inclusion of refugees in the fabric of our democracy.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Civic Participation/Naturalization and Immigrant Civic Integration, Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Civic ParticipationGrant Length:
Nov 2021 to Apr 2023Strategy:
General- PEN American Center, Inc.
- $215,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2022
PEN American combats online harassment of journalists through trainings for newsrooms and journalism membership associations on how to prepare and react to online attacks, as well as through their publicly available Online Manual Field Guide, which crowdsources resources and tools in the field to counter online abuse.
Project:
Combatting Online HarassmentFoundation Center Topic:
Media/JournalismGrant Length:
Aug 2022 to Jan 2024Strategy:
Journalism & Power Building- PEN American Center, Inc.
- $140,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2022
PEN America defends press freedom and fosters local journalism. Their work includes events, organizing, and outreach with local communities, organizers and journalists to expand grassroots support for the role of the press in American democracy and the rights of all people under the First Amendment.
Project:
Press Freedom Incentive FundFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Media Access and PolicyGrant Length:
Nov 2022 to Oct 2023Strategy:
Press Freedom- PEN American Center, Inc.
- $400,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2024
PEN American’s Online Abuse Defense Program trains journalists and newsrooms to prepare for, and react to, online attacks via trainings, tools, and resources. They also partner with a broad variety of field actors to build better, safer online spaces.
Project:
Online Abuse Defense ProgramFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Journalism, Media/Journalism Education and Training, MediaGrant Length:
Mar 2024 to Feb 2026Strategy:
Journalism & Power Building- PEN American Center, Inc.
- $75,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2017
The purpose of this project grant is to empower PEN America to leverage their robust cohort of writers to galvanize their local communities around issues of press freedom. The PEN America leadership will establish a fund that allows deeply engaged members to execute activities and hold events that educate their local communities about the importance of press freedom with the support of the greater PEN team.
Project:
Protecting Press FreedomFoundation Center Topic:
OtherGrant Length:
Aug 2017 to Jul 2018Strategy:
Press Freedom- PEN American Center, Inc.
- $250,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2018
To support the continued activity and expansion of the PEN America Press Freedom Incentive Fund, a sub-granting mechanism designed to support PEN America Members, writers, and allies to mobilize their local communities around press freedom.
Project:
Press Freedom Incentive FundFoundation Center Topic:
Grant Length:
Sep 2018 to Aug 2020Strategy:
Press Freedom- PEN American Center, Inc.
- $350,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2019
To support PEN American’s programming to combat online harassment of journalists, which will include providing trainings for newsrooms and journalism membership associations to better equip both journalists and management on how to prepare and react to online attacks, as well as continued efforts to develop their publicly available Online Manual Field Guide, a crowdsource of resources and tools in the field to counter online abuse.
Project:
Combatting Online HarassmentFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Journalism Education and TrainingGrant Length:
Oct 2019 to Jun 2022Strategy:
Press Freedom- PEN American Center, Inc.
- $250,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2020
PEN America defends press freedom and fosters local journalism. Their work includes events, organizing, and outreach with local communities, organizers and journalists to expand grassroots support for the role of the press in American democracy and the rights of all people under the First Amendment.