Funding search · EIN 383926408 · Washington, DC

Democracy Fund

Name: Democracy Fund grants, 2022–2024
Creator: PaperOrbit
License: https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/exempt-organization-public-disclosure-and-availability-requirements

A private foundation (files IRS Form 990-PF). Most private foundations do not take unsolicited applications; the route in is usually a program officer.

706
grants reported: $142.1M
total given: 2022–2024
filing years: $150,000
median grant

Based on grants this organization reported to the IRS for tax years 2022–2024. This is what they filed, not a complete record of their giving, and recent years may be incomplete because filings lag.

What they fund

democracy media center local election staff

Funder website ↗Full IRS filings ↗How this is built Report an error

Funding pattern

What this funder pays for, at what size, and how to position adjacent work. Read from their filings, with every number checked against the record.

Where the money goes

Local and nonprofit news infrastructure, including pooled journalism funds
Election administration support, voting access, and nonpartisan civic engagement
Government accountability, oversight litigation, and legal defense of democratic norms
Racial equity in journalism and media, community media, tech and digital rights
Grassroots and immigrant-led organizing and power building
Fiscally sponsored collaborative funds run through intermediaries

Typical grant

The median grant is $150,000 and half of all grants land between $100,000 and $215,000, so a $150,000 to $200,000 ask matches the pattern for a single organization. The largest checks, $500,000 to $1.5 million, go almost entirely to intermediaries and pooled funds (New Venture Fund, Hopewell Fund, Borealis, Proteus, Global Impact, The Miami Foundation, JustFundUs) rather than to direct grantees. With 706 grants to 318 recipients over three years, most relationships repeat, often more than once a year, and several organizations hold two or three concurrent grants.

Their words

Phrases from their own grant descriptions, worth speaking back to them.

“General support”
“Program support for”
“nonpartisan civic engagement”
“Racial Equity in Journalism Fund”
“Local News Lab Fund”
“Multiracial Democracy Project”

Positioning adjacent work

Connect to a named funded theme: election administration, local news sustainability, or racial equity in journalism.
Ask $150,000 to $250,000 for a defined project; reserve larger figures for pooled or multi-org vehicles.
University-based work fits: cite the Multiracial Democracy Project, Election Talent Study Group, or Center for Cooperative Media precedents.
Frame research as practitioner-serving, not academic. They fund infrastructure that election officials and newsrooms use.

Worth knowing: DC organizations take 242 of 706 grants, and a large share of the biggest dollars flows through a small set of fiscal sponsors and intermediary funds, which suggests giving is relationship-driven and often shaped inside collaborative funds rather than through direct solicitation. Recent giving leans heavily toward local news capacity and election protection, with a visible racial equity frame threaded through both.

2 grants matching “underfunded” · $400,000

$200,000
Democratizing Philanthropy Project · Oakland, CA · 2024
Program support to help underfunded nonprofits build small dollar revenue streams
$200,000
Democratizing Philanthropy Project · Oakland, CA · 2023
Program support to help underfunded nonprofits build small dollar revenue streams

Top recipients

Repeat recipients are the strongest signal of whether a funder has an open door or quietly re-funds the same organizations.

New Venture Fund31 grants · $11.8M
Neo Philanthropy25 grants · $4.7M
The Miami Foundation11 grants · $4.5M
Borealis Philanthropy4 grants · $2.9M
Free Press6 grants · $2.6M
The Project On Government Oversight3 grants · $2.5M
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law3 grants · $1.9M
Justfundus2 grants · $1.8M
Proteus Fund6 grants · $1.8M
Partnership for Public Service3 grants · $1.6M

Giving over time

$44.7M

2022

$48.3M

2023

$49.2M

2024

Grant history

The 100 largest of 706 grants.

$1.5M
New Venture Fund · Washington, DC · 2024
Program support for Trusted Elections Fund
$1.5M
Solutions Project · Oakland, CA · 2024
Program support to advance climate and migrant justice
$1.5M
New Venture Fund · Washington, DC · 2023
Program support for Trusted Elections Fund
$1.5M
New Venture Fund · Washington, DC · 2022
Program support for the Trusted Elections Fund
$1.2M
Borealis Philanthropy · Minneapolis, MN · 2023
Program support for the Racial Equity in Journalism Fund
$1.0M
Borealis Philanthropy · Minneapolis, MN · 2024
Program support for the Racial Equity in Journalism Fund
$1.0M
American Journalism Project · Washington, DC · 2022
General support
$950,000
The Project On Government Oversight · Washington, DC · 2022
General support
$934,000
Justfundus · Oakland, CA · 2024
Program support for Building Power Fund
$900,000
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law · Washington, DC · 2023
General support
$900,000
New Venture Fund · Washington, DC · 2022
Program support for the Trusted Elections Fund
$890,000
Justfundus · Oakland, CA · 2023
Program support to increase equity and efficiency in grantmaking processes
$800,000
The Project On Government Oversight · Washington, DC · 2023
General support
$750,000
Hopewell Fund · Washington, DC · 2024
Program Support for Free Election Fund
$750,000
The Project On Government Oversight · Washington, DC · 2024
General support
$750,000
People'S Action Institute · Chicago, IL · 2023
General support
$725,000
University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA · 2022
Program support for the Voting Location Siting Tool
$720,000
New Venture Fund · Washington, DC · 2024
Program support for Future Currents
$700,000
Democracy Forward Foundation · Washington, DC · 2024
General support
$700,000
Free Press · Washington, DC · 2024
General support
$700,000
Free Press · Washington, DC · 2023
General support
$700,000
New Venture Fund · Washington, DC · 2022
Program Support for Independent Strategic Collaborative Education Fund
$700,000
The Miami Foundation · Miami, FL · 2022
Program support for NewsMatch Fund
$650,000
Protect Democracy Project · Washington, DC · 2023
General support
$650,000
Partnership for Public Service · Washington, DC · 2022
General support
$625,000
The Campaign Legal Center · Washington, DC · 2022
General support
$600,000
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law · Washington, DC · 2024
General support
$600,000
Kairos Fellowship · New York, NY · 2023
General support
$600,000
Protect Democracy Project · Washington, DC · 2022
General support
$560,000
People'S Action Institute · Chicago, IL · 2024
General support
$550,000
Proteus Fund · Waltham, MA · 2024
Program support for Rise Together Fund
$530,000
Tides Foundation · San Francisco, CA · 2023
Program support for FRIDA Young Feminist Fund
$525,000
Partnership for Public Service · Washington, DC · 2024
General support
$525,000
Borealis Philanthropy · Minneapolis, MN · 2022
Program support for Racial Equity in Journalism Fund
$515,000
Check My Ads Institute · Washington Dc, DC · 2022
General support
$513,000
New Venture Fund · Washington, DC · 2023
Program support for Social and Economic Justice Leaders Group
$500,000
American Journalism Project · Washington, DC · 2024
General support
$500,000
Center for Media Justice · Oakland, CA · 2024
General support
$500,000
Global Impact · Washington, DC · 2024
Program support for Legal Accountability Center
$500,000
Global Impact · Washington, DC · 2024
Program support for GovAct
$500,000
State Leadership Project · Raleigh, NC · 2024
Program support to bring new funding to nonpartisan civic engagement
$500,000
The Miami Foundation · Miami, FL · 2024
Program Support for Press Forward
$500,000
Way To Rise · Washington, DC · 2024
Program support for Valiente Fund
$500,000
Georgetown University · Washington, DC · 2023
Program support for the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection
$500,000
The Miami Foundation · Miami, FL · 2023
Program support for Press Forward
$500,000
The Miami Foundation · Miami, FL · 2023
Program support for NewsMatch
$500,000
Voter Registration Project · Washington, DC · 2023
General support
$500,000
Amalgamated Charitable Foundation · Washington, DC · 2022
Program support for the Emergent Fund
$500,000
Amalgamated Charitable Foundation · Washington, DC · 2022
Program support for Valiente Fund to build civic engagement in Latinx communities
$500,000
Neo Philanthropy · New York, NY · 2022
Program support for the State Infrastructure Fund
$500,000
New Venture Fund · Washington, DC · 2022
Program support for the Social and Economic Justice Leaders Planning Group
$500,000
New Venture Fund · Washington, DC · 2022
Program support for Center for Secure and Modern Elections
$500,000
State Voices · Washington, DC · 2022
General support
$500,000
Voter Registration Project · Washington, DC · 2022
General support
$475,000
New Venture Fund · Washington, DC · 2023
Program support for Media Democracy Fund's Digital Equity and Opportunity Initiative
$475,000
Progeorgia State Table · Atlanta, GA · 2022
General support
$473,000
Voter Registration Project · Washington, DC · 2024
General support
$450,000
Allied Media Projects · Detroit, MI · 2024
Program support for Detroit Community Tech Project
$450,000
Center for Media Justice · Oakland, CA · 2023
General support
$450,000
Check My Ads Institute · Washington, DC · 2023
General support
$450,000
Partnership for Public Service · Washington, DC · 2023
General support
$450,000
Proteus Fund · Amherst, MA · 2022
Program support for the RISE Together Fund
$450,000
Union of Concerned Scientists · Cambridge, MA · 2022
Program support to strengthen scientific capacity in the federal civil service
$440,000
Montclair State University Foundation · Montclair, NJ · 2022
Program support to the Center for Cooperative Media
$415,000
Accountableus · Washington, DC · 2024
General support
$411,800
University of Maryland · College Park, MD · 2024
Program support for the Election Talent Study Group
$400,000
Rural Digital Youth Resiliency Project · Morgantown, WV · 2024
General support
$400,000
Action Center On Race and the Economy Institute · Chicago, IL · 2023
General support
$400,000
Proteus Fund · Amherst, MA · 2023
Program support for Rise Together Fund
$400,000
Public Knowledge · Washington, DC · 2023
General support
$400,000
State Power Fund · Kent, OH · 2023
Program support to help social justice organizations develop new revenue streams
$400,000
The Miami Foundation · Miami, FL · 2023
Program support for Legal Clinic Fund
$400,000
Bipartisan Policy Center · Washington, DC · 2022
Program support to strengthen local election administration
$400,000
North Carolina Community Foundation · Raleigh, NC · 2022
Program support for the Local News Lab Fund
$400,000
Santa Fe Community Foundation · Santa Fe, NM · 2022
Program support for the New Mexico Local News Fund
$400,000
The Miami Foundation · Miami, FL · 2022
Program support for Representative Democracy
$400,000
The Miami Foundation · Miami, FL · 2022
Program support for Legal Clinic Fund
$389,000
New Venture Fund · Washington, DC · 2022
Program support for Tech Talent Project
$375,000
Neo Philanthropy · New York, NY · 2024
Program support for North Carolina Local News Lab Fund
$375,000
Multicultural Media & Correspondents Association · Washington, DC · 2023
General support
$375,000
Neo Philanthropy · New York, NY · 2023
Program support for North Carolina Local News Lab Fund
$375,000
Santa Fe Community Foundation · Santa Fe, NM · 2023
Program support for New Mexico Local News Fund
$360,000
Multicultural Media & Correspondents Association · Washington, DC · 2024
General support
$360,000
Rural Digital Youth Resiliency Project · Morgantown, WV · 2023
General support
$360,000
National Conference of State Legislatures · Denver, CO · 2022
Program support to provide nonpartisan election administration information to state legislators and election officials
$350,000
Free Press · Washington, DC · 2024
Program support for Media 2070
$350,000
Kairos Fellowship · New York, NY · 2024
General support
$350,000
Santa Fe Community Foundation · Santa Fe, NM · 2024
Program support for New Mexico Local News Fund
$350,000
Tides Center · Los Angeles, CA · 2024
Program support for 22nd Century Initiative
$350,000
Democracy 21 Education Fund · Washington, DC · 2023
Program support for the Democracy Legal Strike Force project
$350,000
Free Press · Washington, DC · 2023
Program support for Media 2070
$350,000
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law · Washington, DC · 2022
General support
$340,000
Policy Impact · Berkeley, CA · 2024
Program support for Hearken's Election SOS project
$325,000
Democracy Forward Foundation · Washington, DC · 2023
General support
$300,000
Action Center On Race and the Economy Institute · Chicago, IL · 2024
General support
$300,000
Aspiration · San Francisco, CA · 2024
Program support for The Revival Lab
$300,000
Fund for Constitutional Government · Washington, DC · 2024
Program support for Keseb
$300,000
Montclair State University Foundation · Montclair, NJ · 2024
Program support for Center for Cooperative Media
$300,000
Protect Democracy Project · Washington, DC · 2024
General support
$300,000
The Miami Foundation · Miami, FL · 2024
Program support for NewsMatch

View all 706 grants →

Grants already paid are the record; PaperOrbit reads your paper and finds the funders whose record matches it — then explains why.

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Source: IRS Form 990-PF, Part XV, as filed by the foundation. These are grants already paid — a record of what this funder backs, not an open call.