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.

Program Areas
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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
  • 2020 Census Project
  • $500,000.00
  • Project
  • President's Office
  • 2019

To support the 2020 Census Project, a fiscally sponsored project of the New Venture Fund. This grant will support the efforts of the 2020 Census Project’s Democracy Funders Collaborative joint fund on the Census, which aims to ensure that the 2020 Census is implemented effectively, produces a robust, accurate count of the population of the United States, and supports efforts to ensure all Americans – especially those most likely to be undercounted – are accounted for in the Census.

Project:

2020 Census Project Renewal

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Public Participation

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to Dec 2020

Strategy:

General
  • The Civic Engagement and Elections Research Fund
  • $175,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2019

To provide support for the field of elections and voting research through participation in the Civic Engagement and Elections Research Collaborative Fund, a fiscally sponsored project of New Venture Fund.

Project:

The Civic Engagement and Elections Research Collaborative Fund

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voting Access, Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Oct 2020

Strategy:

Pro-Voter Reform
  • The Obsidian Collection Archives
  • $500,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2019

This is a general operating, renewal grant to the Obsidian Collection for their work in helping black legacy press preserve and digitize their archives as a new revenue stream for most and a jumping off point to bring them into the digital age.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to Dec 2022

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • R Street Institute
  • $1,575,000.00
  • Project
  • Governance
  • 2019

R Street Institute’s Governance Project aims to assess and improve the state of America’s national system of self-governance by producing research papers and other writing about congressional capacity and separation-of-powers issues.

Project:

Governance Project

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Government/Legislative Branch Performance, Government/Open Government and Transparency

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Oct 2023

Strategy:

Empowering Congress
  • Faith and Politics Institute
  • $290,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2019

General support for Faith and Politics Institute

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voting Access, Government/Legislative Branch Performance

Grant Length:

Oct 2019 to Nov 2021

Strategy:

Constructive Politics
  • Issue One
  • $1,480,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2019

General operating support to Issue One. 

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Campaign Finance, Government/Legislative Branch Performance, Government/Open Government and Transparency

Grant Length:

Jun 2019 to Dec 2023

Strategy:

Oversight and Accountability
  • Native American Journalists Association
  • $150,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2019

This is a general operating grant to the Native American Journalists Association that will increase their support of members through trainings, networking, and scholarship opportunities, while holding the media accountable in their portrayals of Native American communities.

Project:

Red Press Initiative

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Feb 2021

Strategy:

Press Freedom
  • ReflectUs
  • $800,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2019

To provide general support for ReflectUs. 

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Oct 2023

Strategy:

Constructive Politics
  • Thought Partnerships
  • $546,807.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2019

To support Thought Partnerships, a fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropies, as it seeks to build effective cross sector communities of practice to advance non-violent and just societies through research, sharing and learning.  

Project:

RAD Support for Thought Partnerships

Foundation Center Topic:

Other

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to May 2024

Strategy:

General
  • 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:

Nov 2019 to Oct 2020

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • National League of Cities Institute, Inc.
  • $500,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2019

To support the Center for City Solutions at the National League of Cities to develop and socialize a suite of tools and best practices for mayors of U.S. cities to develop nonpartisan programs within their own cities to improve citizen engagement in civic life. They will look to enlist 100 cities to participate in a way that works well for the city’s own culture. 

Project:

Educating Cities for Greater Engagement

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

Oct 2019 to Apr 2023

Strategy:

Pro-Voter Reform
  • Former Members of Congress Inc.
  • $450,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2019

General Operating Support

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to Nov 2023

Strategy:

Empowering Congress
  • Southern Coalition for Social Justice
  • $275,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2019

To provide general operating support for SCSJ.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voting Access

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Apr 2022

Strategy:

Pro-Voter Reform
  • Faith in Public Life, Inc.
  • $483,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2019

To support Faith in Public Life (FPL) as they build on their previous interfaith clergy trainings in Florida, Ohio, Georgia, and North Carolina, with a focus on strengthening existing networks of protection for MASA communities with developed curricula and further training. 

Project:

Interfaith protection network

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Media, Other

Grant Length:

Sep 2019 to Apr 2022

Strategy:

General
  • Women's Public Leadership Network
  • $495,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2019

The purpose of this grant is to provide general operating support for the Women’s Public Leadership Network (WPLN) to expand their programming to engage with other organizations in the female candidate development space; continue their non-partisan educational workshops, mentorship programs, and post-election educational seminars; and maintain the WPLN website and digital portal. All of these resources will inform and educate women about the process of running for elected office. 

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Jun 2023

Strategy:

Constructive Politics
  • International Refugee Assistance Project Inc.
  • $500,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2019

To provide project support to the International Refugee Assistance Project’s (IRAP) family reunification, community lawyering, and impact litigation work.  

Project:

Project Support for IRAP

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Oct 2023

Strategy:

General
  • National Disability Rights Network, Inc.
  • $248,613.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2019

To provide the National Disability Rights Network the capacity to educate election officials, advocates, and the public on the need to provide access to voting functions for voters with disabilities and to build tools to improve polling place accessibility.

Project:

Disability Access and Rights Awareness

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election Administration, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voting Access

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Oct 2022

Strategy:

Voter-Centric Election Administration
  • New Georgia Project Incorporated
  • $375,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2019

To provide general operating support for NGP.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voting Access

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to Nov 2022

Strategy:

Pro-Voter Reform
  • Leadership Conference Education Fund, Inc.
  • $100,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2019

To support the Voting Rights Program within the Leadership Conference Education Fund as it expands its communications capacity and works to influence a shift in the national public narrative to center and support the self-empowerment of marginalized communities, re-establish voting as a fundamental right, and minimize the partisan lens on discourse around these issues.

Project:

Voting Rights Program Strategic Communications

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voting Access

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to Dec 2020

Strategy:

Pro-Voter Reform
  • ThinkTennessee
  • $350,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2019

To provide general support for ThinkTennessee’s work to build support for democracy reform in Tennessee. ThinkTN will provide unbiased research and analysis, informing key stakeholders about evidence-based ideas that will create civic and economic opportunity in Tennessee.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

May 2019 to Apr 2022

Strategy:

Pro-Voter Reform
Democracy Fund
1200 17th Street NW Suite 300,
Washington, DC 20036