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.
- Wesleyan University
- $50,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2020
To support the Wesleyan Media Project, a project of Wesleyan University, in their work to organize data to hold platforms accountable to the American public and advance America’s democratic promise. This grant will fund research and scholarship into how best to collect and publish data regarding political advertising on platforms, with particular interest on ads that involve race and gender.
Project:
Platforms & Political AdsFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Media Access and PolicyGrant Length:
Apr 2020 to Mar 2021Strategy:
Digital Democracy- State Voices
- $525,000.00
- Project
- Elections and Voting
- 2020
State Voices is national civic engagement organization focused on building capacity at the state and local level. This grant supports their work to make voting more inclusive and accessible.
Project:
Election Protection & Vote By Mail EffortsFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voter Education, Registration, and Turnout, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voting AccessGrant Length:
Jun 2020 to Feb 2021Strategy:
General- Documentary Educational Resources Inc.
- $75,000.00
- Project
- Governance
- 2020
Documentary Educational Resources is producing a two-part radio documentary series on judicial independence. The series, airing nationally on public radio affiliates, will explore the history of politicization of the U.S. judiciary and explore strategies and reforms to maintain the independence and legitimacy of the courts.
Project:
Humankind Radio - Judicial Independence SeriesFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Judicial Selection and PerformanceGrant Length:
May 2020 to Jul 2021Strategy:
Oversight and Accountability- The Brookings Institution
- $10,000.00
- Project
- Governance
- 2020
The Brookings Institution is conducting research on social service partnerships between the government and faith-based organizations, and will publish and share a report that includes recommended best practices.
Project:
Institution Report on Federal Faith-Based InitiativesFoundation Center Topic:
Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Government/Executive Branch Performance, GovernmentGrant Length:
Jul 2020 to Dec 2020Strategy:
Constructive Politics- Democracy Works Inc.
- $1,000,000.00
- Project
- Elections and Voting
- 2020
Democracy Works’ Voting Information Project, How to Vote, & Ballot Scout programs address voting and election administration issues brought about or exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Project:
Voting Information Project, How to Vote, & Ballot Scout programsFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and Voting, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election AdministrationGrant Length:
Jul 2020 to Mar 2021Strategy:
Voter-Centric Election Administration- National Conference on Citizenship
- $102,630.00
- Project
- Elections and Voting
- 2020
Project Redesign at the National Conference on Citizenship supports EL-ISAC’s work to increase information security capabilities among local election officials through recommendations, tools, and metrics that can be used to evaluate their messaging’s success.
Project:
EI-ISAC Election Security Messaging ProjectFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election Administration, OtherGrant Length:
Sep 2020 to May 2021Strategy:
Trust in Elections- American Press Institute
- $150,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2020
The Trusting News project works with journalists across the country to develop, test, and implement strategies in reporting and publishing that builds trust with audiences.
Project:
Trusting NewsFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Journalism Education and TrainingGrant Length:
Jun 2020 to May 2021Strategy:
Engaged Journalism- Georgia News Lab
- $122,504.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2020
Georgia News Lab, a fiscally sponsored project of the Institute for Nonprofit News, sustains and diversifies investigative newsrooms by training a new generation of diverse journalists across Georgia through high-impact partnerships with local newsrooms.
Project:
Georgia News LabFoundation Center Topic:
Media/JournalismGrant Length:
Jul 2020 to Jun 2022Strategy:
Engaged Journalism- Hearken
- $771,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2020
To support Hearken and their “Responsive Election Coverage for Better Democracy” work, fiscally sponsored by the American Press Institute, to provide training, coaching, resources and emergency support to 500+ journalists throughout the country, for more engaged, trusted, and informed elections coverage in 2020.
Project:
Election SOSFoundation Center Topic:
Media/JournalismGrant Length:
Apr 2020 to Mar 2021Strategy:
Engaged Journalism- Chalkbeat Inc.
- $250,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Public Square
- 2020
This general operating grant will support Chalkbeat’s efforts to create a scalable and sustainable model for local journalism that serves communities while sharing costs across geographic bureaus in order to make the work maximally sustainable.
Project:
ChalkbeatFoundation Center Topic:
Media/JournalismGrant Length:
Jul 2020 to Jun 2021Strategy:
Ecosystem News- New America Foundation
- $50,000.00
- Project
- Just and Inclusive Society
- 2020
To support the Political Reform Program, through the New Models of Policy Change project, at New America Foundation to strengthen work on resilience to political violence.
Project:
Political Reform Program on resilience and political violenceFoundation Center Topic:
OtherGrant Length:
Mar 2020 to Feb 2021Strategy:
General- Islamic Society of North America
- $100,000.00
- Project
- Just and Inclusive Society
- 2020
To support the Shoulder to Shoulder campaign, inside of Islamic Society of North America, in their initiative on interfaith and islamophobia trainings and workshops. These training are called Faith over Fear, and this grant will support Shoulder to Shoulder’s Ramadan work, as well.
Project:
Shoulder to Shoulder Islamophobia trainingsFoundation Center Topic:
OtherGrant Length:
May 2020 to Apr 2021Strategy:
General- University of Maryland
- $34,000.00
- Project
- Governance
- 2020
To support research on radical polarization and the behaviors that lead to increased political violence in the United States and dissemination of the research through white papers and a book.
Project:
Radical American Partisanship Research ProjectFoundation Center Topic:
Civic Participation/Civic Education and LeadershipGrant Length:
Mar 2020 to Feb 2021Strategy:
Constructive Politics- The New School
- $400,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2020
The purpose of this renewal grant is to support the Journalism + Design program at The New School in their efforts to support local news through spreading the tools of systems thinking and community engagement. This grant will allow The New School to refine its approach to workshops, partnerships, and open-source material for further spreading the mission and mindset of systems thinking in journalism.
Project:
Journalism + Design Systems Thinking TrainingFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Journalism Education and TrainingGrant Length:
Apr 2020 to Mar 2022Strategy:
Ecosystem News- Regents of the University of California, Santa Barbara
- $50,015.00
- Project
- Governance
- 2020
A team of researchers are working with a constituent relationship management software vendor to compare the demographics of constituents who contact a congressional office and the demographics of the congressional district. Their findings and insights will be shared with congressional staff and the vendor partner.
Project:
How Inequality in Communication to Congress Perpetuates Political InequalityFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Legislative Branch PerformanceGrant Length:
Sep 2020 to Apr 2022Strategy:
Empowering Congress- Advancement Project
- $175,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Elections and Voting
- 2020
Advancement Project is a next generation, multi-racial, policy, communications, and legal action group committed to civil rights and racial justice . They use innovative tools and strategies to strengthen social movements, achieve policy change and support local movements to ensure impacted communities are at the forefront of change.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and Voting, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voter Education, Registration, and TurnoutGrant Length:
Sep 2020 to Dec 2021Strategy:
General- Decolonizing Wealth Project
- $500,000.00
- Project
- Just and Inclusive Society
- 2020
The Liberated Capital Initiative by Decolonizing Wealth Project, a fiscally sponsored project of Allied Media Projects, aims to collectively move us all from disparities to equity. They train funders on the structural inequalities that shape philanthropy, to support more equitable philanthropic efforts.
Project:
Decolonizing Wealth Project's Liberated Capital FundFoundation Center Topic:
OtherGrant Length:
Sep 2020 to Dec 2021Strategy:
General- Media Democracy Fund
- $100,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2020
The Unicorn Fund at Media Democracy Fund, a fiscally sponsored project of New Venture Fund, is an 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 FundFoundation Center Topic:
MediaGrant Length:
Dec 2020 to May 2022Strategy:
Engaged Journalism- American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy
- $100,000.00
- Project
- Governance
- 2020
Scholars from the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) and American Enterprise Institute (AEI) are conducting a joint project to find solutions to the many continuity of government challenges that our institutions face, some emerging from our current pandemic and others more universal.
Project:
Continuity of Government CommissionFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Executive Branch Performance, Government, Government/Judicial Selection and Performance, Government/Legislative Branch PerformanceGrant Length:
Nov 2020 to Oct 2022Strategy:
Empowering Congress- Future Currents
- $75,000.00
- Project
- Governance
- 2020
The Social and Economic Justice Leaders Project, a fiscally sponsored project of the New Venture Fund, is working to establish new models of co-governance between civil society actors and those working within the institutions of our democracy.