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
  • Demand Progress Education Fund
  • $325,000.00
  • Project
  • Governance
  • 2019

To support Demand Progress Education Fund, a project of the New Venture Fund, to investigate and highlight potential improvements to congressional legislative, oversight, and administrative capacity for audiences on and off Capitol Hill. Grant funds will support Demand Progress Education Fund’s execution of written reports and newsletters, participation in public events, and meetings with stakeholders that cumulatively contribute expert, substantive ideas in support of congressional reform. 

Project:

Legislative Capacity Project at Demand Progress Education Fund, a project of the New Venture Fund

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Legislative Branch Performance

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to Dec 2022

Strategy:

Empowering Congress
  • Georgetown University
  • $1,435,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2019

To support the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection’s (ICAP) litigation measures in support of targeted communities.

Project:

JIS support for ICAP

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Government/Open Government and Transparency, Media/Media Access and Policy, Other

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Apr 2024

Strategy:

General
  • Pillars Fund
  • $800,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2019

To support Pillars Fund’s Culture Change Project, in partnership with Pop Culture Collaborative. They have developed the American Muslim Pop Culture Cohort and curriculum and will now advance their work even further. 

Project:

Pillars Fund and Pop Culture Collaborative - countering Islamophobia through narrative change

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Public Participation, Other

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to Nov 2023

Strategy:

General
  • Asian Law Caucus
  • $1,220,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2019

To support direct litigation and legal services work, and to strengthen and expand multilingual know your rights materials that can be delivered to MASA and immigrant communities through Asian Law Caucus’s National Security & Civil Rights work.

Project:

Litigation, Legal Services, and Know Your Rights

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Civic Participation/Naturalization and Immigrant Civic Integration, Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Oct 2023

Strategy:

General
  • National Immigration Law Center
  • $1,200,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2019

To support litigation and legal services to support targeted communities, particularly immigrant, refugee, and MASA communities.   

Project:

NILC immigration/masa support

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Naturalization and Immigrant Civic Integration, Media, Other, Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to Nov 2022

Strategy:

General
  • Georgetown University
  • $95,000.00
  • Project
  • Governance
  • 2019

To support Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life. The grantee will conduct programming on the role of faith in our political system and will create partnerships across Catholic institutions and with leaders across different faith traditions to strengthen religious pluralism and overcome polarization.

Project:

Engaging Young Leaders in Building Civility in Furtherance of Democracy and the Common Good

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Issue-based Participation, Civic Participation/Public Participation

Grant Length:

Aug 2019 to May 2022

Strategy:

Constructive Politics
  • Proteus Fund Inc.
  • $1,560,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2019

The Rise Together Fund (RTF), a Proteus Fund initiative, supports a diverse field of organizations working to address anti-Muslim bigotry, xenophobia, and more. They build the capacity of Muslim, Arab and South Asian (MASA) community-based organizations and provide field coordination support to their grantees.

Project:

Rise Together Fund

Foundation Center Topic:

Other

Grant Length:

Sep 2019 to Aug 2023

Strategy:

General
  • Business Forward Foundation
  • $550,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2019

To support Business Forward Foundation’s (BFF) work in organizing business leaders and train them speak out on the importance and business benefits of diversity and inclusiveness.

Project:

Business Leaders for Vulnerable Communities

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Naturalization and Immigrant Civic Integration, Civic Participation/Issue-based Participation, Media/Media Access and Policy, Media, Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to Nov 2022

Strategy:

General
  • Election Reformers Network Inc
  • $300,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2019

To support a research project examining the conflicts that occur when the individual responsible for administering a state’s elections (in most states, the secretary of state) competes for elected office or publicly supports a competing candidate or party. Election Reformers Network will disseminate its research and findings through speaking engagements and a range of publications, including a statement of ethical standards and draft policy recommendations.

Project:

Chief Election Officer Conflict of Interest Project

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election Administration, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voter Education, Registration, and Turnout

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Dec 2023

Strategy:

Trust in Elections
  • Protect Democracy Project
  • $1,900,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2019

General operating support to the Protect Democracy Project. 

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting, Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to Dec 2022

Strategy:

Oversight and Accountability
  • 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 Alliance

Foundation Center Topic:

Media, Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Oct 2020

Strategy:

Ecosystem News
  • National Network for Youth
  • $20,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2019

The purpose of this grant is to support wellness and healing for frontline staff at National Network for Youth, and to learn about strategies, resources, and needs in the field.  

Project:

RAD Healing and Wellness for National Network for Youth

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation, Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Civic Participation/Issue-based Participation, Civic Participation/Public Participation

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Apr 2020

Strategy:

General
  • Montclair State University Foundation, Inc.
  • $200,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2019

To support the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University Foundation, Inc.’s New Jersey News Commons project. As part of this grant, Center for Cooperative Media will support the local news ecosystem in New Jersey by providing various resources and support, such as training, collaboration support, and research.

Project:

Center for Cooperative Media

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Oct 2020

Strategy:

Ecosystem News
  • Interfaith Youth Core
  • $50,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2019

To support Interfaith Youth Core’s Alumni Fellowship Program. The organization will provide fellowships to at least five individuals from their alumni network to create innovative new interfaith civic engagement projects focused on promoting pluralism in their communities. 

Project:

Interfaith Innovation Fellowship Program

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Oct 2020

Strategy:

Constructive Politics
  • Federation of American Scientists
  • $103,500.00
  • Project
  • Governance
  • 2019

The Federation of American Scientists’ Congressional Science Policy Initiative strengthens connections between the scientific community and congressional policymakers. They will develop an open source, web-based application that allows scientists, engineers, and technologists to engage with congressional committees.

Project:

Congressional Science Policy Initiative

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Issue-based Participation, Government/Legislative Branch Performance

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Oct 2020

Strategy:

Empowering Congress
  • Free Press
  • $100,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2019

To support Free Press in their work to create a new deal for the digital age with a focus on racial and gender equity. This grant will advance the work of Change the Terms, a coalition co-founded and co-led by Free Press, in organizing stakeholders from civil society, government, and technology to hold platforms accountable through a public-facing campaign aimed at pressuring companies to make changes on a range of issues, including content moderation and advertising policies.  

Project:

Change the Terms

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Jul 2019 to Jun 2020

Strategy:

Digital Democracy
  • The Governance Lab
  • $200,000.00
  • Project
  • Governance
  • 2019

GovLab, a fiscally-sponsored project of the Fund for the City of New York, is developing pilot projects with congressional committees to utilize open-source software and online resources to solicit expert and constituent opinion at key moments of the legislative process.

Project:

GovLab Congressional CrowdLaw Pilot Project

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Legislative Branch Performance

Grant Length:

Aug 2019 to Jul 2020

Strategy:

Empowering Congress
  • Association of the Bar of the City of New York Fund, Inc. dba The Vance Center
  • $30,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2019

To support a strategic planning process for The Vance Center for International Justice Initiatives to develop Lawyers for Reporters, a nonprofit law firm providing pro bono legal services to nonprofit and local news reporting organizations throughout the United States. The goal of Lawyers for Reporters is ensuring that no journalists needing legal support will be turned down because of financial constraints.

Project:

Planning Grant: Lawyers for Reporters

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Oct 2020

Strategy:

Press Freedom
  • Freedom Network USA
  • $20,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2019

The purpose of this grant is to support wellness and healing for frontline staff at Freedom Network USA, and to learn about strategies, resources, and needs in the field.  

Project:

RAD Healing and Wellness for Freedom Network USA

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Civic Participation/Naturalization and Immigrant Civic Integration, Civic Participation/Public Participation, Other

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Apr 2020

Strategy:

General
  • Center for Public Integrity
  • $1,140,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2019

This grant is to support The Center for Public Integrity’s investigative journalism as a critical check and balance on power. The grant will provide the Center for Public Integrity with critical general operating support to help them fulfill their role as a core part of America’s fourth estate. 

Project:

Investigative Journalism Special Project

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Aug 2019 to Jul 2021

Strategy:

Investigative Journalism
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