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
  • Borealis Philanthropy
  • $3,020,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2023

The Racial Equity in Journalism Fund (REJ) seeks to strengthen a future where communities of color are powerful. They do this by nourishing and building up the capacity and sustainability of both news organizations and journalism ecosystem partners led by people of color.

Project:

Racial Equity in Journalism Fund

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Dec 2023 to Nov 2026

Strategy:

Journalism & Power Building
  • Pro Publica Inc.
  • $3,000,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2017

This grant is to support investigative reporting. It is part of a larger package of grants around investigative journalism that is meant to expand the critical capacity of nonprofit investigative journalism as a robust fourth estate. The grant will empower those newsrooms to pursue rigorous journalism that keeps the government accountable to the American people.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Apr 2017 to Mar 2019

Strategy:

Investigative Journalism
  • Center for Public Integrity
  • $3,000,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2017

This grant is to support investigative reporting. It is part of a larger package of grants around investigative journalism that is meant to expand the critical capacity of nonprofit investigative journalism as a robust fourth estate. The grant will empower those newsrooms to pursue rigorous journalism that keeps the government accountable to the American people.

Project:

Investigative Grants

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Apr 2017 to Mar 2019

Strategy:

Investigative Journalism
  • The Center for Investigative Reporting, Inc.
  • $3,000,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2017

This grant is to support investigative reporting. It is part of a larger package of grants around investigative journalism that is meant to expand the critical capacity of nonprofit investigative journalism as a robust fourth estate. The grant will empower those newsrooms to pursue rigorous journalism that keeps the government accountable to the American people.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Apr 2017 to Mar 2019

Strategy:

Investigative Journalism
  • Trusted Elections Fund
  • $3,000,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2023

The Trusted Elections Fund, a fiscally sponsored project of New Venture Fund, is a pooled donor fund with a portfolio of democracy-related investments. The Trusted Elections Fund undertakes efforts to help prepare U.S. institutions for the possibility of challenges to free and fair elections.

Project:

Project Support for the Trusted Elections Fund

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

Dec 2023 to Nov 2025

Strategy:

General
  • The Project on Government Oversight, Inc.
  • $2,500,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2019

General operating support for the Project On Government Oversight. 

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

Jun 2019 to May 2022

Strategy:

Oversight and Accountability
  • Solutions Project Inc
  • $2,250,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2023

The Solutions Project (TSP) funds and amplifies climate justice solutions created by grassroots organizations that are tackling the root causes of the climate crisis. TSP is an important force for building a more connected, visible, and solutions-oriented climate and migrant justice movement.

Project:

Climate and Migrant Justice Project

Foundation Center Topic:

Other

Grant Length:

Dec 2023 to Nov 2026

Strategy:

Power Building in Marginalized Communities
  • Protect Democracy Project
  • $2,250,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2022

Formed by lawyers who served at the highest levels of the federal government, the Protect Democracy Project works to inform Americans of specific threats to their right to free, fair, and fully-informed self-government.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law

Grant Length:

Dec 2022 to Mar 2026

Strategy:

Preventing Authoritarian Abuse of Power
  • Free Press
  • $2,100,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2023

Free Press is a watchdog for media and technology policy. They conduct research and policy analysis, educate policymakers, the press and the public, pressure corporations, organize campaigns with grasstops and grassroots constituencies to hold decision-makers accountable, and lead winning coalitions.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Oct 2023 to Sep 2026

Strategy:

Equitable Civic Infrastructure
  • Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
  • $2,000,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2023

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law activates the pro bono resources of the bar for litigation, public policy, advocacy and other forms of service by lawyers to the cause of civil rights.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Sep 2023 to Sep 2026

Strategy:

Civil & Human Rights Online
  • The Project on Government Oversight, Inc.
  • $2,000,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2017

This rapid response grant provides POGO with critical increased capacity to respond to recent political developments. They will be able to conduct more in-depth investigations, provide more trainings for federal workers and congressional staff, and more effectively protect against the erosion of government safeguards and checks and balances.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

Jun 2017 to May 2019

Strategy:

Oversight and Accountability
  • The Pew Charitable Trusts
  • $2,000,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2013

The Pew Charitable Trusts’ election initiatives team supports innovative research and partnerships to achieve the highest standards of accuracy, cost-effectiveness, convenience, and security in America’s system of election administration.

Project:

Pew's Election Initiatives

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election Administration

Grant Length:

Oct 2013 to Apr 2018

Strategy:

Voter-Centric Election Administration
  • Bipartisan Policy Center, Inc.
  • $2,000,000.00
  • Project
  • General and Field Building
  • 2014

Support the Democracy Program to raise awareness of the Presidential Commission on Election Administration and The Commission on Political Reform recommendations among key stakeholders and the general public and support key research and technical assistance to assist officials who are seeking to adopt best practices recommended by the commissions.

Project:

Support the Democracy Program

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Legislative Branch Performance, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election Administration

Grant Length:

Dec 2014 to Jun 2016

Strategy:

General
  • American Journalism Project
  • $2,000,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2019

This general operating grant to The American Journalism Project will support the organization’s mission to make transformative investments in Civic News Organizations, building a new public service media that is governed by, sustained by and looks like the public it serves.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Oct 2021

Strategy:

Investigative Journalism
  • American Journalism Project
  • $2,000,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2021

The American Journalism Project makes transformative investments in civic news organizations, building a new public service media that is governed by, sustained by, and looks like the public it serves.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Oct 2021 to Nov 2023

Strategy:

General
  • The Project on Government Oversight, Inc.
  • $1,950,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2024

The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is a nonpartisan independent watchdog that investigates and exposes waste, corruption, abuse of power, failures by the government to serve the public, or efforts to silence those who report wrongdoing.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Government/Open Government and Transparency

Grant Length:

Jul 2024 to Jun 2027

Strategy:

Preventing Authoritarian Abuse of Power
  • Protect Democracy Project
  • $1,900,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2019

General operating support to the Protect Democracy Project. 

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting, Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to Dec 2022

Strategy:

Oversight and Accountability
  • Borealis Philanthropy
  • $1,900,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2019

The Fund for Diverse-Led and Serving Media is a joint fund that will partner with diverse-led and -serving media outlets to better meet the information needs of traditionally underserved communities through capacity building support and technical assistance, a landscape analysis to understand how underserved communities of color receive information, and sharing learnings.

Project:

Fund for Diverse-Led and Serving Media

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Jul 2019 to Jun 2022

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • JustFund.Us
  • $1,824,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2023

JustFund is a revolutionary nonprofit grantmaking solution that provides philanthropy with a new way to give through a B2B SaaS (business-to-business software-as-a-service) platform with growing B2C (business-to-consumer) offerings. JustFund eliminates bottlenecks and barriers to giving and centers equity in a traditionally inequitable process.

Project:

Building Power Cohort

Foundation Center Topic:

Other

Grant Length:

Dec 2023 to Nov 2025

Strategy:

Voting Power
  • People's Action Institute
  • $1,810,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2023

People’s Action Institute is a national network of 40 member-based, power-building organizations in 29 states with more than a million members and tens of thousands of national volunteers. They work to advance a long-term agenda for racial, economic and gender justice by investing in powerful state and local organizations and campaigns that win real change in people’s lives.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Other

Grant Length:

Dec 2023 to Oct 2026

Strategy:

General
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