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.
- FairVote
- $300,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Governance
- 2022
FairVote is a nonpartisan organization working for better elections for all. They research and advance voting reforms that make democracy more functional and representative for every American, with a focus on two key reforms: ranked choice voting and the Fair Representation Act.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and Voting, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election Administration, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voting AccessGrant Length:
Nov 2022 to Oct 2024Strategy:
Representative Institutions- Fight for the Future Education Fund
- $300,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Public Square
- 2023
Fight for the Future Education Fund is a group of artists, engineers, activists, and technologists harnessing the power of the Internet to channel outrage into action, defending people’s most basic rights in the digital age. They work to ensure that technology is a force for empowerment, free expression, and liberation rather than tyranny, corruption, and structural inequality.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Media Access and PolicyGrant Length:
Oct 2023 to Sep 2025Strategy:
Civil & Human Rights Online- The Congressional Institute, Inc.
- $300,000.00
- Project
- Governance
- 2017
This grant will support the Congressional Institute’s efforts to provide educational information about Congress to the general public, and to educate Members of Congress and staff about efforts to improve the function and management of the institution.
Project:
Congressional Reform ProjectFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Legislative Branch PerformanceGrant Length:
Dec 2017 to Nov 2019Strategy:
Empowering Congress- Media Democracy Fund
- $302,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2023
NetGain at Media Democracy Fund, a fiscally sponsored project of New Venture Fund, supports philanthropic collaboration and leadership on issues of technology and society, and supports engagement of organizations led by and serving communities of color in debates around platforms, power, and the public interest.
Project:
MDF NetGainFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Media Access and PolicyGrant Length:
Oct 2023 to Sep 2026Strategy:
Civil & Human Rights Online- Sojourners
- $315,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Just and Inclusive Society
- 2021
Sojourners is an independent, award-winning print and online magazine of faith, culture, and politics.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and Voting, Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Civic Participation/Issue-based Participation, Civic Participation/Naturalization and Immigrant Civic Integration, Media, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voter Education, Registration, and Turnout, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voting AccessGrant Length:
May 2021 to Apr 2023Strategy:
General- Center for Internet Security Inc.
- $315,000.00
- Project
- Elections and Voting
- 2021
This grant supports the Center for Internet Security’s (CIS) Election Security Best Practices team’s development of security-focused tools and guidance for election officials and election technology providers.
Project:
Election Security ToolsFoundation Center Topic:
OtherGrant Length:
Jun 2021 to May 2023Strategy:
Trust in Elections- Movement Law Lab
- $320,000.00
- Project
- Just and Inclusive Society
- 2017
To support Movement Law Lab, an innovation hub bringing lawyers together with other change-makers to implement novel and bold solutions for some of America’s toughest justice related problems.
Project:
Support for Movement Law LabsFoundation Center Topic:
Other, Media, Civic ParticipationGrant Length:
Nov 2017 to Oct 2019Strategy:
General- Institute for Local Self Reliance Inc
- $325,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2023
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance is a national research and advocacy organization building local power to fight corporate control. The Tribal Broadband Bootcamp project builds Tribal capacity to take advantage of federal investment and coordination with states on new broadband networks.
Project:
Tribal Broadband BootcampFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Media Access and PolicyGrant Length:
Oct 2023 to Sep 2025Strategy:
Equitable Civic Infrastructure- 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 FundFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Legislative Branch PerformanceGrant Length:
Dec 2019 to Dec 2022Strategy:
Empowering Congress- Sojourners
- $325,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Governance
- 2019
Sojourners is an independent, award-winning print and online magazine of faith, culture, and politics.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voter Education, Registration, and Turnout, Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of LawGrant Length:
Aug 2019 to Jul 2020Strategy:
Constructive Politics- Poynter Institute for Media Studies, Inc.
- $325,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2013
A grant to the Poynter Institute will foster a public conversation within media about the role of pundits in our democracy, reduce the level of deception from pundits through highly visible fact checking of pundits, and demonstrate the value of using non-partisan fact checking of media pundits to reduce deception and misinformation.
Project:
PundiFact & Civility ProjectFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Journalism, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voter Education, Registration, and TurnoutGrant Length:
Sep 2013 to Aug 2015Strategy:
Digital Democracy- Center for Internet Security Inc.
- $330,000.00
- Project
- Elections and Voting
- 2019
The Center for Internet Security’s (CIS) Election Security Best Practices team will develop security-focused tools and guidance for election officials and election technology providers.
Project:
Election Security Tools and TrainingFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election AdministrationGrant Length:
Aug 2019 to Jan 2021Strategy:
Trust in Elections- Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
- $330,000.00
- Project
- Governance
- 2018
The purpose of this grant is to fund Project DATA at the University of Wisconsin, which involves research and analysis of online political advertisements. Through this research and analysis, the project will explore the extent of “dark money” online advertising campaigns. The project will seek to analyze online advertising data collected in 2016 to assess who is behind online political advertising, the information that is disseminated online, who is targeted, and the effects produced by the targeted campaigns. Potential outcomes are publication of the findings in peer-reviewed academic journals, as well as a white paper, and the project lead – Professor Young Mie Kim – engaging in public service activities to disseminate the findings.
Project:
Project DATA: Digital Ad Tracking & AnalysisFoundation Center Topic:
Government, Civic Participation, Campaigns, Elections, and VotingGrant Length:
Jan 2018 to Jun 2021Strategy:
Oversight and Accountability- Wayne State University
- $337,500.00
- Project
- Governance
- 2019
To support the activities of the Levin Center at Wayne Law to promote bipartisan, fact-based oversight. The Levin Center will conduct oversight trainings for congressional staff, promote scholarly research on oversight, host conferences and symposia on oversight topics, and strengthen the public narrative around the importance of meaningful oversight.
Project:
Levin Center at Wayne LawFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Legislative Branch Performance, Government/Open Government and TransparencyGrant Length:
Nov 2019 to Oct 2023Strategy:
Oversight and Accountability- Public Rights Project
- $350,000.00
- Project
- Elections and Voting
- 2023
Public Rights Project’s Voting Rights and State Abuse of Power program is a rapid response litigation hub supporting a corps of 200 election officials across 12+ states. They provide training, technical assistance and legal backup to election administrators to enable them to quickly and effectively respond to election threats.
Project:
Voting Rights and State Abuse of Power Program SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and VotingGrant Length:
Dec 2023 to Nov 2025Strategy:
Resilient Elections- Democracy Rising
- $350,000.00
- Project
- Governance
- 2024
Democracy Rising, a fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy Inc., works directly with community groups advancing democracy reform to build effective organizing, education, and advocacy strategies and to ensure just implementation.
Project:
Democracy RisingFoundation Center Topic:
Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Civic Participation, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voting AccessGrant Length:
Nov 2024 to Oct 2026Strategy:
Representative Institutions- We the Veterans Foundation
- $350,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Just and Inclusive Society
- 2024
We the Veterans Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization created by veterans and military family members. They empower the veteran and military family community to strengthen American democracy.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Civic Participation/Civic Education and LeadershipGrant Length:
Oct 2024 to Sep 2026Strategy:
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 SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Media Access and PolicyGrant Length:
Sep 2019 to Aug 2022Strategy:
Press Freedom- ACCESS
- $350,000.00
- Project
- Just and Inclusive Society
- 2023
The National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC), an institution of ACCESS, builds the capacity of Arab American community organizations. NNAAC’s capacity building program will help its member organizations though trainings, technical assistance, workshops, convenings, and peer-to-peer learnings.
Project:
National Network for Arab American CommunitiesFoundation Center Topic:
Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Civic Participation, Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Civic Participation/Issue-based Participation, Media, Civic Participation/Public Participation, Other, Government/Budgeting, Civic Participation/Naturalization and Immigrant Civic Integration, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voter Education, Registration, and Turnout, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voting AccessGrant Length:
Nov 2023 to Oct 2026Strategy:
Power Building in Marginalized Communities- Sightline Institute
- $350,000.00
- Project
- Governance
- 2023
Sightline Institute’s nonpartisan Democracy and Elections program advances solutions for Cascadia’s electoral systems, including stifling extreme partisanship through open primaries, allowing voters more freedom to express their preferences through ranked choice voting and proportional representation, and expanding and protecting voting access for all.