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.
- Trusted Elections Fund
- $900,000.00
- Project
- President's Office
- 2021
To support the Trusted Elections Fund (formerly known as the Joint Fund for a Healthy Democracy), a fiscally sponsored project of the New Venture Fund. By strengthening civic infrastructure and election administration resiliency, the Trusted Elections Fund works to ensure free and fair elections.
Project:
Trusted Elections Fund 2021-2 RenewalFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and Voting, Civic Participation, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election AdministrationGrant Length:
Dec 2021 to Dec 2022Strategy:
General- Institute for Nonprofit News
- $900,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Public Square
- 2019
This renewal grant will provide general operating support for the Institute for Nonprofit News. The Institute for Nonprofit News is a critical anchor organization, providing support, training and networking for America’s almost 250 nonprofit journalism organizations.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Journalism Education and TrainingGrant Length:
Dec 2019 to Nov 2022Strategy:
Ecosystem News- URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement
- $898,095.00
- Project
- Elections and Voting
- 2019
To support Phase II of the RI VOTES project, building off Phase I of the project. Phase II will further develop a set of tools to assist elections officials during the three phases of an election cycle: election preparation, Election Day operations, and post-election analysis.
Project:
RI VOTES ProjectFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and VotingGrant Length:
Jun 2019 to Jun 2024Strategy:
Voter-Centric Election Administration- League of Women Voters Education Fund
- $885,000.00
- Project
- Elections and Voting
- 2018
The purpose of this grant is to help the League of Women Voters Education Fund (LWVEF) implement the Transformation Roadmap, with a focus on increasing LWVEF capacity at the state and national levels to help build a more engaged, diverse, and sophisticated network of 501(c)(3) members, volunteers, and activists.
A portion of this grant will also support LWVEF’s consultations with legal counsel to ensure that its legal structure positions it well for its next phase of operations.
Project:
Increasing State CapacityFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voter Education, Registration, and Turnout, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election AdministrationGrant Length:
Nov 2018 to Apr 2022Strategy:
Pro-Voter Reform- Tech Justice Fund
- $850,000.00
- Project
- Public Square
- 2021
Tech Justice Fund, a fiscally sponsored project of the Hopewell Fund, is launching a comprehensive public campaign that can inform and engage the public, change the narrative, help shift public opinion, and create an environment where Big Tech accountability is normalized and embedded in the mainstream policies and practices.
Project:
Tech Justice FundFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Media Access and PolicyGrant Length:
Dec 2021 to Oct 2025Strategy:
Digital Democracy- The Brookings Institution
- $850,000.00
- Project
- Governance
- 2019
To support Lawfare, a blog and project of the Brookings Institution’s Governance Studies Program. The grant will support Lawfare’s research and robust analysis of national security and rule of law issues and its use of FOIA to uncover information that will help foster objective, public, and transparent discussions around government decision-making.
Project:
Lawfare ProjectFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Government/Open Government and TransparencyGrant Length:
Dec 2019 to Dec 2023Strategy:
Oversight and Accountability- Participatory Budgeting Project Inc.
- $850,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Public Square
- 2018
This general operating grant will provide support Participatory Budgeting Project to grow and strengthen their ability to engage local communities at a moment when interest in democratic engagement is increasing. The grant will help spread the participatory budgeting processes across the United States.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Budgeting, Civic Participation/Public ParticipationGrant Length:
Jun 2018 to Aug 2022Strategy:
Engaged Journalism- Bipartisan Policy Center, Inc.
- $825,000.00
- Project
- Elections and Voting
- 2017
The Bipartisan Policy Center’s Democracy Project will continue their efforts to promote the Presidential Commission on Election Administration’s recommendations. These recommendations are meant to improve the quality of our elections.
Project:
Democracy Project ElectionsFoundation Center Topic:
Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election Administration, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voter Education, Registration, and TurnoutGrant Length:
Jul 2017 to Jun 2019Strategy:
Pro-Voter Reform- Tech Talent Project
- $814,000.00
- Project
- Governance
- 2020
The Tech Talent Project, a fiscally sponsored project of the New Venture Fund, increases the federal government’s ability to recruit modern technical leaders to achieve critical human, economic, and policy outcomes.
Project:
Tech Talent ProjectFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Executive Branch PerformanceGrant Length:
Nov 2020 to Oct 2024Strategy:
Oversight and Accountability- 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 AdsFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Media Access and PolicyGrant Length:
Jul 2019 to Apr 2023Strategy:
Digital Democracy- 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 ProjectFoundation 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 AccessGrant Length:
Dec 2023 to Nov 2026Strategy:
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 changeFoundation Center Topic:
Civic Participation/Public Participation, OtherGrant Length:
Dec 2019 to Nov 2023Strategy:
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 ProjectFoundation Center Topic:
Media/JournalismGrant Length:
Oct 2023 to Sep 2026Strategy:
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 SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Media Access and PolicyGrant Length:
Sep 2023 to Sep 2026Strategy:
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 SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Media Access and PolicyGrant Length:
Oct 2023 to Sep 2025Strategy:
Equitable Civic Infrastructure- 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 SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Other, Media/JournalismGrant Length:
Apr 2017 to Mar 2019Strategy:
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 SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Government/Legislative Branch Performance, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voter Education, Registration, and TurnoutGrant Length:
Oct 2011 to Oct 2013Strategy:
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 FundFoundation Center Topic:
Media/Media Access and PolicyGrant Length:
Dec 2018 to Nov 2020Strategy:
Press Freedom- ReflectUs
- $800,000.00
- General Operating Support
- Governance
- 2019
To provide general support for ReflectUs.
Project:
General Operating SupportFoundation Center Topic:
Civic Participation/Civic Education and Leadership, Civic Participation/Public ParticipationGrant Length:
Nov 2019 to Oct 2023Strategy:
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.