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
  • University of Arizona Foundation
  • $750,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2015

For general support to National Institute for Civil Discourse to encourage political and civic leaders to embrace vigorous debate in a way that allows for diverse perspectives to be shared, for complex issues to be discussed thoughtfully, and for challenging topics to be explored without resorting to invective and personal attacks.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Legislative Branch Performance, Government

Grant Length:

Jun 2015 to May 2017

Strategy:

Previous Strategy
  • Dēmos: A Network for Ideas and Action LTD
  • $750,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2014

This grant will provide $750,000 over three years to DEMOS, to contribute to their work in enforcing the requirements of the National Voter Registration Act-that state motor vehicle agencies comply with the requirement to provide information and assistance to register to vote at all state facilities.

Project:

Motor-voter compliance.

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election Administration

Grant Length:

Dec 2014 to Nov 2017

Strategy:

Voter-Centric Election Administration
  • State Leadership Project
  • $750,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2023

State Leadership Project’s Thunderbolt—Democracy Dream Team is a collaboration effort to engage new funders to expand funding for the pro-democracy and non-partisan civic engagement fields.

Project:

Thunderbolt — Democracy Dream Team collaboration

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

Oct 2023 to Dec 2024

Strategy:

General
  • 2020 Census Project
  • $750,000.00
  • Project
  • President's Office
  • 2018

To support the 2020 Census Project, a fiscally sponsored project of the New Venture Fund. The 2020 Census Project’s Democracy Funders Collaborative Joint aims to ensure that the 2020 Census is implemented effectively, and produces a robust count of the population of the U.S.

Project:

2020 CENSUS PROJECT

Foundation Center Topic:

Other

Grant Length:

Jun 2018 to Nov 2019

Strategy:

General
  • Law For Black Lives
  • $750,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2020

To support Law for Black Lives (L4BL), a fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy, on its litigation and and capacity building.  

Project:

Support for Law for Black Lives

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Civic Participation/Issue-based Participation, Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law

Grant Length:

Mar 2020 to May 2023

Strategy:

General
  • Bold Impact
  • $765,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2019

The purpose of this grant is to support Bold Impact in their coordination work to organize action within their stakeholder network to generate momentum to advance data policy innovation within a human rights framework through the event series Rights x Tech.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to Apr 2023

Strategy:

Digital Democracy
  • 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 SOS

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Apr 2020 to Mar 2021

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • Center for Media Justice
  • $775,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2020

General operating support for MediaJustice.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Jul 2020 to Jul 2023

Strategy:

Digital Democracy
  • Multicultural Media & Correspondents Association
  • $785,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2023

The Multicultural Media & Correspondents Association (MMCA) is a growing group of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) media stakeholders, advocates, and allies resolved to get more content, more ownership, more impact, and more control of our story and of where, when and how its told.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Oct 2023 to Sep 2026

Strategy:

Equitable Civic Infrastructure
  • George Washington University
  • $800,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2023

The Multiracial Democracy Project, an initiative of The GWU Institute for Racial, Ethnic and Socioeconomic Equity, supports a racially diverse community of researchers in law, policy, and social science in developing their research, and connects them to civil rights organizations, democracy reform organizations, and policymakers to better inform policy debates.

Project:

The Multiracial Democracy Project

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting, Media/Journalism, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election Administration, Media/Media Access and Policy, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Redistricting, Media, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voting Access

Grant Length:

Dec 2023 to Nov 2026

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
  • Colorado Media Project
  • $800,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2023

The Colorado Media Project, a fiscally sponsored project of the Rose Community Foundation, supports people and organizations working to build a more connected, collaborative and sustainable local news and information ecosystem in Colorado.

Project:

Colorado Media Project

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Oct 2023 to Sep 2026

Strategy:

News & Information Ecosystems
  • Check My Ads Institute
  • $800,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2023

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:

Sep 2023 to Sep 2026

Strategy:

Civil & Human Rights Online
  • Action Center on Race and the Economy Institute
  • $800,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2023

The Action Center on Race and the Economy supports racial, economic, and environmental justice organizations with strategic planning and advocacy coordination on political campaigns. The Action Center also leads campaigns to spotlight the political influence that corporate and financial profiteers wield as they erode the basic racial and economic rights of communities of color.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Oct 2023 to Sep 2025

Strategy:

Equitable Civic Infrastructure
  • New York University
  • $800,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2019

To support New York University in their work to organize data to hold platforms accountable to the American public and to 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 a focus to ads that involve race and gender.

Project:

Platforms & Political Ads

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Jul 2019 to Apr 2023

Strategy:

Digital Democracy
  • Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
  • $800,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2017

The purpose of this grant is to support the existing activity of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press as it fits within the emerging strategy for the Press Freedom arm of the emerging Fourth Estate Initiative.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Other, Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Apr 2017 to Mar 2019

Strategy:

Press Freedom
  • University of Arizona Foundation
  • $800,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2011

For general support to National Institute for Civic Discourse to encourage political and civic leaders to embrace vigorous debate in a way that allows for diverse perspectives to be shared, for complex issues to be discussed thoughtfully, and for challenging topics to be explored without resorting to invective and personal attacks.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Legislative Branch Performance, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voter Education, Registration, and Turnout

Grant Length:

Oct 2011 to Oct 2013

Strategy:

Previous Strategy
  • The Miami Foundation Inc.
  • $800,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2018

The purpose of this grant is to create a joint Legal Clinic Fund administered by the Miami Foundation to support and expand legal clinics that are housed at law schools and focus on the first amendment, media access, and transparency. This grant will help strengthen legal clinics as a backbone of legal support for local newsrooms. 

Project:

Press Freedom Clinic Fund

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Dec 2018 to Nov 2020

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
  • Ayni Institute Inc
  • $800,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2023

The Ayni Institute is a movement training center run, led, and rooted in the immigrant experience, community organizing, and indigenous wisdom that seeks to build the necessary capacity to win social change. They support social movements, leaders, and institutions in increasing their strategic and organizational capacity.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership

Grant Length:

Dec 2023 to Nov 2026

Strategy:

General
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