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
  • Free Press
  • $500,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2018

To support the continued work and expansion of the NewsVoices project which organizes communities around local newsrooms to highlight underreported issues and build trust between journalists and the communities they serve. Ultimately, the project aims to improve journalistic practices, and coverage in the regions where they work, leaving behind a more active and engaged community which can continue to push for a healthier news ecosystem. 

Project:

Free Press News Voices Renewal

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

Dec 2018 to Nov 2020

Strategy:

Ecosystem News
  • 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
  • New Venture Fund
  • $500,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2017

This grant will provide support for the field of elections and voting research through participation in the Civic Engagement and Elections Research Collaborative Fund.

Project:

The Civic Engagement and Elections Research Collaborative Fund

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting

Grant Length:

Nov 2017 to Oct 2019

Strategy:

Pro-Voter Reform
  • The Miami Foundation Inc.
  • $500,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2023

The Press Forward pooled fund, a collaborative vehicle housed at The Miami Foundation, will support local news around the country. Press Forward seeks to reverse the dramatic decline in local news that has coincided with an increasingly divided America and weakening trust in institutions.

Project:

Press Forward Pooled Fund

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Dec 2023 to Nov 2024

Strategy:

News & Information Ecosystems
  • Future Currents
  • $500,000.00
  • Project
  • Governance
  • 2022

The Social and Economic Justice Leaders Planning Group, a fiscally sponsored project of the New Venture Fund, provides research, scenario-planning methodologies, and strategy-design processes to grassroots organizations and movement leaders to help them achieve their goals for a vibrant, reparative democracy.

Project:

Social and Economic Justice Leaders

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation, Civic Participation/Public Participation

Grant Length:

Nov 2022 to Oct 2023

Strategy:

General
  • Outlier Media
  • $500,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2020

Outlier Media, a fiscally sponsored project of MuckRock Foundation, Inc., is a trailblazing newsroom in Detroit whose strategy of identifying and serving community needs is a model for engaged journalism practice. Outlier also serves as an Ecosystem Builder by sharing resources, strategy, learning, and systems with peers in other cities.

Project:

Outlier Media

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Oct 2020 to Aug 2022

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • Emergent Fund
  • $500,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2022

Emergent Fund, a fiscally sponsored project of Amalgamated Charitable Foundation, funds rapid response and emergent organizing led by frontline Black, Indigenous, and organizers of color with trust-based, no-string-attached grants. This grant is made by Democracy Fund in collaboration with the Rights and Dignity Working Group, a cross-Omidyar Group initiative.

Project:

RAD Support for Emergent Fund

Foundation Center Topic:

Other

Grant Length:

Dec 2022 to Nov 2023

Strategy:

Rights and Dignity
  • Center for Economic and Policy Research
  • $505,000.00
  • Project
  • Governance
  • 2020

The Revolving Door Project’s research and coalition-oriented outreach generates support for executive branch reform and civil service renewal efforts.

Project:

Revolving Door Project

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Executive Branch Performance, Government/Open Government and Transparency

Grant Length:

Nov 2020 to Oct 2023

Strategy:

Oversight and Accountability
  • Center for Civic Design
  • $514,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2018

To provide the Center for Civic Design with General Operating support.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election Administration

Grant Length:

Jun 2018 to May 2021

Strategy:

Voter-Centric Election Administration
  • Check My Ads Institute
  • $515,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2022

Check My Ads Institute is an independent watchdog reshaping the digital adtech industry from within its ranks — and building a new sustainable standard in digital advertising.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Mar 2022 to Jun 2023

Strategy:

Digital Democracy
  • Partnership for Public Service Inc.
  • $525,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2024

The Partnership for Public Service serves as a bridge across the political aisle to build a government that meets its fundamental responsibilities to the public, no matter the political makeup of any presidential administration or Congress. They offer key solutions and performance measures that transform the way government works.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Executive Branch Performance, Government

Grant Length:

Nov 2024 to Oct 2025

Strategy:

Preventing Authoritarian Abuse of Power
  • American Oversight, Inc.
  • $525,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2023

American Oversight is a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog that uses public records requests backed by litigation to fight corruption, drive accountability, and defend democracy. They believe transparency is a critical tool to promote integrity in government and to protect justice, truth, and the rule of law.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Open Government and Transparency

Grant Length:

Sep 2023 to Aug 2025

Strategy:

State and Local Accountability
  • Common Cause Education Fund
  • $525,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2023

Common Cause Education Fund strives to uphold the core values of American democracy by working to create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election Administration, Civic Participation/Public Participation, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voting Access

Grant Length:

Oct 2023 to Mar 2025

Strategy:

Voting Power
  • 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 Efforts

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

Jun 2020 to Feb 2021

Strategy:

General
  • The Aspen Institute Inc
  • $525,000.00
  • Project
  • Governance
  • 2018

To provide continued support for the Aspen Institute’s Socrates Program, which provides a forum for emerging leaders from Capitol Hill and around the country to convene and explore contemporary issues through expert-moderated Socratic dialogue.

Project:

Support for the Aspen Institute Socrates Program and Emerging Governance Leaders

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

Dec 2018 to May 2023

Strategy:

Constructive Politics
  • Poynter Institute for Media Studies, Inc.
  • $525,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2017

The purpose of the Grant is to provide support for the fight against mis/disinformation through fact-checking innovation, research, collaboration, and training. For this project, Grantee will work to support fact-checking through the PolitiFact and PunditFact platforms. Grantee will also support research, training, and opportunities for collaboration for the broader fact-checking and journalism networks. 

Project:

Strengthening Accountability Reporting

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism Education and Training, Media

Grant Length:

Dec 2017 to Jun 2020

Strategy:

Digital Democracy
  • Institute for Nonprofit News
  • $530,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2013

INN’s mission is to help nonprofit news organizations produce and distribute stories with impact; to achieve cost efficiencies by pooling resources and services; and to develop new revenue streams that will help member organizations become sustainable, mission-driven, nonprofit businesses.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Dec 2013 to Dec 2015

Strategy:

Previous Strategy
  • FRIDA - The Young Feminist Fund
  • $530,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2022

FRIDA Young Feminist Fund, a fiscally sponsored project of the Tides Foundation, works to provide young feminist organizers with the resources they need to amplify their voices and bring attention to the social justice issues they care about. This grant is made by Democracy Fund in collaboration with the Rights and Dignity Working Group, a cross-Omidyar Group initiative.

Project:

FRIDA Young Feminist Fund

Foundation Center Topic:

Other

Grant Length:

Dec 2022 to Nov 2023

Strategy:

Rights and Dignity
  • Grassroots Asians Rising
  • $535,100.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2023

Grassroots Asians Rising, a fiscally sponsored project of Chinese Progressive Association, is a national network of grassroots organizations rooted in working-class Asian communities. Their members support communities that live in the most precarious margins of power: refugees, low-wage workers, youth, undocumented immigrants, queer and trans people, and low-income tenants.

Project:

Grassroots Asians Rising

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

Nov 2023 to Oct 2026

Strategy:

Power Building in Marginalized Communities
  • Ethics and Public Policy Center, Inc.
  • $544,000.00
  • Project
  • President's Office
  • 2016

Grantee will review existing research on the electorate,  will conduct original research and will facilitate follow up discussion and analysis regarding the findings of their research. Research and analysis will be released after the November 2016 elections and in 2017 and 2018.

Project:

Understanding the American Electorate

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Public Participation

Grant Length:

Aug 2016 to Dec 2020

Strategy:

General
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