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
  • Institute for Nonprofit News
  • $700,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2023

The Institute for Nonprofit News strengthens and supports more than 425 independent news organizations that are nonprofit, nonpartisan and dedicated to public service. From local news to reporting on global issues, members of the INN Network tell stories that otherwise would go untold – connecting communities, holding the powerful accountable and strengthening democracy.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Dec 2023 to Dec 2026

Strategy:

News & Information Ecosystems
  • Borealis Philanthropy
  • $700,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2022

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:

Aug 2022 to Oct 2023

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • Pro Publica Inc.
  • $700,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2019

To support ProPublica’s investigative journalism as a critical check and balance on power. The grant will provide ProPublica with general operating support to help them fulfill their role as a core part of America’s fourth estate. 

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to Jun 2021

Strategy:

Investigative Journalism
  • Center for Technology and Civic Life
  • $700,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2019

To provide general operating support to the Center for Technology and Civic Life. 

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election Administration

Grant Length:

Jun 2019 to Jun 2021

Strategy:

Voter-Centric Election Administration
  • Take Back Our Republic Inc
  • $700,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2016

Take Back Our Republic (TBOR) gives concerned citizens a voice on money in politics. Their activities include research and education to return political power to individuals.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Campaign Finance

Grant Length:

Dec 2016 to Nov 2018

Strategy:

Previous Strategy
  • Take Back Our Republic Inc
  • $700,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2018

Take Back Our Republic (TBOR) gives concerned citizens a voice on money in politics. Their activities include research and education to return political power to individuals.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Campaign Finance

Grant Length:

Dec 2018 to Nov 2020

Strategy:

Previous Strategy
  • Democracy Works Inc.
  • $700,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2017

Democracy Works and their subdivision of TurboVote explores low-cost ways to increase civic engagement and voting through new civic technology and improving processes and data. Their aim is to make voting easier through use of technology and support for elections administrators and voters.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election Administration

Grant Length:

Dec 2017 to Nov 2019

Strategy:

Voter-Centric Election Administration
  • Protect Democracy Project
  • $700,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Governance
  • 2017

 The Protect Democracy Project is investigating government actions, engaging in public outreach and education, encouraging oversight by existing government mechanisms, and, when appropriate, bringing litigation against government actions that threaten our democracy.

Project:

General Operating Support

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law

Grant Length:

Nov 2017 to Oct 2019

Strategy:

Oversight and Accountability
  • Trusted Elections Fund
  • $700,000.00
  • Project
  • President's Office
  • 2019

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. The Trusted Elections Fund will undertake efforts to ensure a free and fair election in November 2020. 

Project:

Joint Fund for a Healthy Democracy

Foundation Center Topic:

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

Grant Length:

Dec 2019 to Jun 2021

Strategy:

Oversight and Accountability
  • New America Foundation
  • $700,000.00
  • Project
  • Governance
  • 2019

To support TechCongress, a project of New America Foundation, in placing an additional mid-career fellow with deep technological knowledge in a congressional office to support and strengthen the ability of lawmakers and staff to generate informed public policy on a variety of technology-related issues currently facing the nation.

Project:

TechCongress

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Legislative Branch Performance

Grant Length:

May 2019 to Apr 2022

Strategy:

Empowering Congress
  • Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism CUNY Foundation, Inc.
  • $700,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2019

The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism’s Center for Community and Ethnic Media (CCEM) will focus on expanding its role from a resource center and advocate for New York City-based community and ethnic media to a national hub for outlets serving ethnic, minority, and immigrant communities.

Project:

Center for Community and Ethnic Media

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism, Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

Jul 2019 to Jun 2022

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • $700,000.00
  • Project
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2020

The MIT Election Data and Science Lab (MEDSL) facilitates election data collection and sharing through web-based tools and datasets. Their system to share data with the public and the academic field supports the development of a network of scholars and members of the Election Science field.

Project:

MIT Election Data and Science Lab

Foundation Center Topic:

Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Election Administration

Grant Length:

Dec 2020 to Dec 2024

Strategy:

Voter-Centric Election Administration
  • William J. Brennan, Jr. Center for Justice, Inc.
  • $700,000.00
  • Project
  • Governance
  • 2019

The Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty and National Security Program’s Emergency Powers Project seeks to bolster checks on the use of emergency powers through legal research, developing reforms that limit emergency powers, preparing for potential invocations of emergency powers in the context of the 2020 election, and educating the public about these issues.

Project:

Liberty & National Security Program -Emergency Powers Project

Foundation Center Topic:

Government/Civil Liberties and Rule of Law

Grant Length:

Nov 2019 to Oct 2023

Strategy:

Oversight and Accountability
  • The Trust Project
  • $700,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2018

To support The Trust Project, fiscally sponsored by the New Venture Fund, in their efforts to research, develop, and deploy tools and technologies that make it easy for both the public and news distribution platforms to identify quality news out of the chaos online. 

Project:

The Trust Project

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism

Grant Length:

Dec 2018 to May 2022

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • ProGeorgia State Table Inc
  • $675,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Elections and Voting
  • 2020

The Childcare Fund at ProGeorgia State Table Inc. will support access to affordable childcare for women of color among their 38 table partners. With safe and reliable childcare during the pandemic, these individuals will be able to continue the urgent work of voter engagement and delivery of direct services in vulnerable communities.

Project:

ProGeorgia Childcare Fund

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation, Campaigns, Elections, and Voting/Voting Access

Grant Length:

Nov 2020 to Aug 2023

Strategy:

General
  • Data for Black Lives, Inc
  • $650,000.00
  • General Operating Support
  • Public Square
  • 2020

General operating support for Data for Black Lives.

Project:

Platforms & Civil Rights

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Apr 2020 to Apr 2023

Strategy:

Digital Democracy
  • Media Democracy Fund
  • $650,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2023

The Digital Equity and Opportunity Initiative at Media Democracy Fund, a fiscally sponsored project of New Venture Fund, is a major opportunity for national, state, and place-based funders to engage with one of the most significant digital equity opportunities in history: the implementation of the broadband portions of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

Project:

Digital Equity and Opportunity Initiative

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Media Access and Policy

Grant Length:

Oct 2023 to Sep 2025

Strategy:

Equitable Civic Infrastructure
  • Movement Law Lab
  • $650,000.00
  • Project
  • Just and Inclusive Society
  • 2020

To support Movement Law Lab (MLL), a fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy, in their innovation hub that brings lawyers together with other change-makers to implement novel and bold solutions for some of America’s toughest justice related problems. 

Project:

Movement Law Lab Immigrant Rights Work

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation, Media, Other

Grant Length:

Mar 2020 to May 2023

Strategy:

General
  • The Center for Investigative Reporting, Inc.
  • $650,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2016

The primary purpose of this grant is to expand the use of CIR’s Impact Tracker in the United States, so that news outlets can better monitor their role in their community. The grant will also support a budding partnership with local outlets in Chicago and a set of opportunities to promote diversity within the ranks of investigative reporters.

Project:

Reveal Labs

Foundation Center Topic:

Media/Journalism Education and Training

Grant Length:

Nov 2016 to Oct 2018

Strategy:

Engaged Journalism
  • AmericaSpeaks
  • $650,000.00
  • Project
  • Public Square
  • 2012

Face the Facts USA will deliver provocative facts about big issues to help Americans debunk myths, hold better conversations, get involved, and make choices as smarter citizens around the 2012 election.

Project:

Face the Facts USA

Foundation Center Topic:

Civic Participation/Public Participation

Grant Length:

Feb 2012 to May 2013

Strategy:

Previous Strategy
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