Areas of Focus

Democracy Fund strengthens and defends democracy through four core programs.

A voter holds a sticker on Election Day 2018. Credit: Danny Sax

Elections and Voting

Since its founding, the American voting system has intentionally made it difficult for marginalized communities to equitably participate. The Elections and Voting program works with community organizations and leaders to build a voting system that is fair, trustworthy, and inclusive, with racial justice at the center.

A joint session of Congress meets to hear an address.

Governance

American democracy is under threat, and we must protect it, or the harm will be irreparable and generational. The Governance program aims to stop the spread of authoritarianism and government abuses by strengthening infrastructure at the local, state, and federal levels.

Just and Inclusive Society

Just and Inclusive Society

Political and climate crises are forcing people to relocate, with communities of color disproportionately affected. The Just and Inclusive Society program works to ensure migrant and refugee communities in the United States have the resources to build and lead an intersectional social movement that protects their rights and addresses global threats.

Man conducts a radio interview in a sutdio.

Public Square

Reliable information is getting harder to find, leading to less informed voters and greater threats to democracy. To increase civic participation, the Public Square program invests in those who work to ensure communities have access to the information they need, online and offline.

Grantmaking

Democracy Fund supports a wide array of inspiring grantees. We identify grantees through ongoing research and network building, and regularly re-evaluate our grantmaking strategy based on what we learn from these partners. We do not accept unsolicited proposals.

Are you a Democracy Fund grantee? Log in to our Portal for valuable tools and information or find instructions for creating an account.

Resources for Funders

We can’t do this work alone. Democracy Fund is committed to partnering with a broad group of peer funders to develop strategy, create alignment, and dedicate pooled resources to support the field. We make our team of experts available to assist other foundations and philanthropists in learning about the issues facing democracy and in developing their funding strategies.

Find out how to take action

Joint Funds

Along with some of the nation’s largest grantmakers and philanthropists, Democracy Fund participates in a series of joint funds that leverage additional financial support, reduce the burden on grantees, and move resources to the field quickly and efficiently. When there’s a gap in the field, we partner with others to launch new funds.

Support our joint funds

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Who We Are

Who We Are

Democracy Fund is an independent and nonpartisan, private foundation that confronts deep-rooted challenges in American democracy while defending against new threats. Since 2014, we have made grants of more than $275 million in support of those working to strengthen our democracy through the pursuit of a vibrant and diverse public square, free and fair elections, effective and accountable government, and a just and inclusive society.

Democracy Fund
1200 17th Street NW Suite 300,
Washington, DC 20036