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.

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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
  • 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 Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Budgeting, Civic Participation/Public Participation

Grant Length:

Jun 2018 to Aug 2022

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • Yale University
  • $50,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2018

To support research that can contribute to a convincing body of evidence that can inform stakeholders in media, industry, and government on how to most effectively design and regulate online spaces in a way that limits threats to democracy.

Project:

Investigating Digital Outrage as a Root Cause of Threats to Democracy

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Nov 2018 to Oct 2019

Strategy:

Digital Democracy
  • Marshall-Wythe School of Law Foundation
  • $575,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2018

To support the Election Law Program (ELP), a joint project of William & Mary Law School and the National Center on State Courts, which exists to support judges as they and their staff navigate election law questions and decisions. 

Project:

Election Law State Courts Research

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election Administration, Government/Judicial Selection and Performance

Grant Length:

Dec 2018 to Jul 2023

Strategy:

Voter-Centric Election Administration
  • 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 Project

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Dec 2018 to May 2022

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • Institute for Social Policy and Understanding
  • $500,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2019

The purpose of this grant is to provide general operating support for the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) as it conducts research, raises awareness, and works with partners to enable more understanding of the American Muslim community.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Other

Grant Length:

Sep 2019 to Aug 2023

Strategy:

General
  • MuckRock Foundation, Inc.
  • $350,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2019

This grant is to provide general operating support for MuckRock, whose work connects community engagement, freedom of information and journalism collaboration to ensure that newsrooms and citizens can access critical informaiton about their government. 

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Sep 2019 to Aug 2022

Strategy:

Press Freedom
  • Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
  • $900,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2019

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press provides pro bono legal representation, amicus curiae support, and other legal resources to protect First Amendment freedoms and the newsgathering rights of journalists.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

May 2019 to Apr 2022

Strategy:

Press Freedom
  • Colorado Seminary
  • $100,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2019

TheColorado Media Project (CMP), within University of Denver’s Project X-ITE, is an ecosystem-level convener, facilitator, and coordinator. They bring capacity-building expertise and support to local news outlets as they work to address the local news and information needs of all Coloradans now and in the future.

Project:

Colorado Media Project

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

Feb 2019 to Jan 2020

Strategy:

Ecosystem News
  • Openthegovernment.org
  • $500,000.00
  • Project
  • Governance
  • 2019

Open the Government, a fiscally sponsored project of the Fund for Constitutional Government, strengthens its partners in the field by training organizations and individuals on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and other tools for government openness, serves as a network hub for the government transparency community, and conducts its own research into government wrongdoing. 

Project:

Support for Open the Government

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Open Government and Transparency

Grant Length:

Sep 2019 to Aug 2022

Strategy:

Oversight and Accountability
  • Native American Rights Fund, Inc.
  • $200,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2019

The Native American Rights Fund (NARF) is a part of the Native American Voting Rights Coalition, which fosters partnerships with tribal governments across the country to tackle systemic challenges to voter participation for tribal communities. 

Project:

Voter Registration Basics in Indian Country: Addresses, POBs, & GIS

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voting Access

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to Jul 2024

Strategy:

Voter-Centric Election Administration
  • Foundation for Minority Interests In Media Inc.
  • $750,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2019

To provide general operating support to the Emma Bowen Foundation as they continue their work placing undergraduates of color in a variety of media outlets across the U.S., diversifying newsrooms overall, and track the retention of their fellows in the industry over time. 

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Oct 2022

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • Solutions Journalism Network
  • $300,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2019

To provide general operating support to the Solutions Journalism Network so they can continue to scale and adapt the work of infusing solutions journalism practice in newsrooms, building a journalism practice that better equips and informs communities to address social issues and fosters civic participation.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Oct 2022

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • E Pluribus Unum Foundation, Inc.
  • $250,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2019

To provide general operating support for the E Pluribus Unum Foundation Inc.  

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voter Education, Registration, and Turnout, Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Civic Participation/Public Participation

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Oct 2021

Strategy:

General
  • Local Independent Online News Publishers Inc.
  • $500,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2019

General operating support

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Oct 2022

Strategy:

Ecosystem News
  • Over Zero
  • $575,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2019

To provide support to Over Zero, a fiscally sponsored project of the Hopewell Fund, in its aim to bring about the reduction and prevention of violence and to create societal resilience on issues pertaining to violence prevention, polarization, and more, partner with civil society organizations, and in particular, better implement a newly developed long-term strategic approach in the United States to create societal resilience to violence.

Project:

Support for Over Zero

Foundation Center Topic:

Other

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to Apr 2024

Strategy:

General
  • The Georgia Coalition for the Peoples Agenda Inc
  • $125,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2019

To provide general operating support for the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voting Access

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to May 2023

Strategy:

Pro-Voter Reform
  • OpenSecrets
  • $225,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2019

To support the Center for Responsive Politics’ Foreign Lobby Watch Database. The Center will extract and analyze data from reports filed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) to reveal the relationships and lobbying activity of foreign governments, companies, and individuals. 

Project:

Foreign Lobby Watch Database

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Open Government and Transparency

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Oct 2022

Strategy:

Oversight and Accountability
  • 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
  • Women's Congressional Policy Institute
  • $290,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2019

General support for Women’s Policy, Inc. 

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Government/Legislative Branch Performance

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to Jun 2023

Strategy:

Constructive Politics
  • The Aspen Institute Inc
  • $400,000.00
  • Project
  • Governance
  • 2019

To support the Aspen Institute Congressional Program, a nongovernmental, nonpartisan educational program serving Members of the United States Congress and their staff. The Congressional Program’s focus on scholarly engagement gives Senators, Representatives, and senior staff the opportunity to delve into complex and pressing public policy issues with internationally recognized experts in a neutral, off-the-record settings in two primary forums: annual conferences and weekly breakfasts. 

Project:

Congressional Program

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Legislative Branch Performance

Grant Length:

Jul 2019 to Dec 2022

Strategy:

Empowering Congress
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