The Abelard Foundation supports early-stage grassroots nonprofits in a broad range of issue areas. It only funds grants that benefits “poor and low-income people seeking to affirm their civil or human rights,” which includes people of color, the disabled, and immigrants, among others.
The Agua Fund promotes civic engagement, voter participation, and voter rights in Washington D.C. and surrounding areas, as well as nationally. In particular, it funds work related to voter participation, engaging conservation-focused voters, and protecting the rights of Native Americans and marginalized groups.
The Rita Allen Foundation’s grantmaking for Civic Engagement funds efforts to promote informed and civically engaged citizens in light of changing technology and media landscapes in the U.S. It’s also made grants for “civic science.”
Alphawood conducts its grantmaking for democracy and civic engagement through an advocacy lens, supporting organizations whose activities “advance responsive and accountable policies and institutions.”
Amalgamated’s giving in the areas of civic engagement and democracy has recently focused on “voter education and engagement” leading up to the 2020 election.
Though AMB does not name grantmaking strategies in this space, its awards for civic engagement and democracy overlap with work related to Indigenous rights and equity.
While the foundation doesn’t publicly state democracy and civic engagement as a focus area, taxes reveal a broad interest in democracy, foreign policy, and youth organizing.
This foundation’s giving for democracy and civic engagement primarily focuses on the separation of church and state, as well as reducing the influence of religion on politics in the United States.
Applied Materials has a dedicated civic engagement program, which broadly funds organizations that provide food and shelter, develop youth leaders, and “build the capacity of the nonprofit sector.” This funding area overlaps with community development work.
The Arca Foundation supports organizations working on the front lines of social change in an effort to achieve economic, social and racial justice, a clean environment, peace and security. In particular, the foundation’s national and local grantmaking prioritizes work that benefits the South and Midwest in democratic inclusion, while it’s international grantmaking centers on human dignity and building peace over militarization.
The Arkay Foundation supports efforts to promote civic engagement, government transparency, voting rights and other pillars of the democratic process in the United States.
The Arnold Foundation supports efforts to reform tax and retirement policies in the United States.
The Aviv Foundation names the civic engagement of all citizens as a grantmaking priority, but does not offer an expanded view into it’s grantmaking strategy here.
This funder invests in civic participation and social and economic justice across the South.
Ballmer’s civic engagement work focuses on the Black community, specifically voting rights.
This foundation’s civic engagement and democracy grants focus on helping organizations expand and improve the adoption of legal and human rights-based approaches.
Bastian’s civic engagement and democracy work centers on and predominately benefits the LGBTQ community.
The Bauman Foundation supports government accountability and civic engagement programs in the United States.
Bay and Paul invests in civic and democracy work that’s committed to the rule of law in the United States and globally, especially those that target “government corruption and kleptocracy” as threats to democracy.
BENJAMIN FUND
The Benjamin fund supports community organizing and democracy efforts around the United States.
The Ben & Jerry’s Foundation is devoted to nationally supporting grassroots organizing for activism and social change.
BLOOMBERG PHILANTHROPIES
Michael Bloomberg’s foundation funds civic engagement and governmental reform efforts through its Government Innovation program.
THE LYNDE AND HARRY BRADLEY FOUNDATION
The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation is named for two brothers who helped co-found the Allen-Bradley Company in 1903. The foundation invests in conservative thinkers and researchers in academia, while also advancing conservative principles in education and civic life.
The Bohemian Foundation promotes civic engagement, economic opportunity, and government accountability in Colorado and beyond.
The Branscomb Family Foundation supports education, health, science research, civic participation, and community development.
While the Brown Foundation does not name specific strategies, it supports a wide range of community development causes and human services through its Civic and Public Affairs focus area.
The CarEth Foundation broadly supports grassroots community organizing, civic and human rights, democratic institutions, rule of law and social justice in the United States and around the world.
The Carnegie Corporation supports civic integration and voting rights for immigrants.
The Carter Center’s initiatives for civics and democracy prioritize elections and access to information, both of which the center considers a basic human right.
This funder’s approach towards civic engagement centers on Millennials.
The Marguerite Casey Foundation supports civic engagement, voter engagement, and community organizing efforts in select regions of the United States. The foundation invests in organizations and projects that works to cultivate a “movement of poor and low-income families” in advocating for their own change.
The ClimateWorks Foundation supports climate change efforts through various programs and grantmaking in places all around the world.
This is not a traditional climate funder in the sense that it does not support the usual types of projects, like those for land conservation or ecosystem restoration. Instead, it prefers to make grants to groups that utilize attention-getting methods to raise awareness of the climate crisis.
NNCF provides grants for democracy and civic engagement through several of its program areas.
CS Fund/Warsh Mott Legacy is dedicated to governmental transparency, free speech and constitutional rights in the United States.
Coulter’s civic and democracy work benefit the Asian-American community.
While CCF does not have a specific program dedicated to democracy and civic engagement, it supports organizations that do work in those areas through its grantmaking in education, rights, justice, reason, non-violence, journalism, open source, and Internet.
CrossCurrents Foundation’s grantmaking in the realm of democracy and civic engagement takes the form of support for the organizations that Grossinger and his wife serve on the boards of, as well as various liberal think tanks, policy outfits, advocacy groups, and other non-profits.
The Nathan Cummings Foundation advocates for political and corporate accountability in the United States and Israel.
This funder focuses on partnerships, grantees and funders who work towards a range of civil rights and democracy issues, especially those facing local journalism.
Devon Creek’s civil society program promotes universal engagement with and participation in democratic processes.
The Roy and Patricia Disney Foundation funds community development and housing initiatives in the United States.
Grants for civic engagement and democracy in the U.S. mirror Donner’s global security grantmaking in that a mix of liberal and conservative or libertarian organizations have received support.
The foundation maintains a strong interest in the legal representation of underserved individuals and families and has awarded grants to organizations that provide pro-bono or low-cost representation and advocacy services.
Edison’s civic engagement work overlaps with its workforce development work. This work is committed to mentorship, leadership development, access to technology, and underserved populations, which it defines as including women, veterans, people with low incomes, “diverse ethnic groups,” people with special needs, and LGBTQ populations.
The EFA’s Make Democracy Work program is one of its newest initiatives, largely benefitting Florida and North Carolina.
The Emerson Collective promotes civic engagement initiatives as part of its social justice grantmaking.
This trust’s civic engagement giving is broadly dedicated to civic needs.
The Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund supports voting rights and government accountability efforts across the United States.
The fund invests in civic engagement and democracy through its sense of place initiative.
The Moses Feldman Foundation’s Social Justice, Education and Human Services grantmaking program funds efforts to “strengthen civic leadership,” “contest hate and bigotry,” and “help disadvantaged populations access services that address urgent needs and build self-sufficiency.”
Fikes conducts grantmaking related to civic engagement and democracy through its progressive values focus area, which has funded policy reform, voting rights and access, freedom of the press, social justice, human rights, and civil liberties.
The Fund for a Safer Future’s grantmaking supports projects that work to engage citizens on gun violence prevention.
Recent areas of priority include campaign finance reform, voter education and registration and organization for gun control legislation.
The Gannett Foundation broadly supports civic engagement and democracy through A Community Thrives.
The Geffen Foundation’s work in the areas of civic engagement and democracy focuses mainly on the state of California.
Responding to “post-election threats to our inclusive democracy,” the General Service Foundation joined forces with Hill-Snowdon Foundation, the Whitman Institute, the Veatch Program and others to establish the Defending the Dream Fund.
Gerbode supports civic engagement and democracy via its Justice and Advancing Truth initiatives, which share related goals.
The Green Family Foundation supports voter registration initiatives and projects that foster community “participation, education and activism.”
The Haas Fund’s Democracy grantmaking program works exclusively in California to “increase civic participation and representation for communities in California that have long been underrepresented in our domestic process.”
Hewlet’’s grants for civic engagement and democracy focus on fortifying governing institutions, especially Congress, during an era of polarization. Grants also support cybersecurity and AI efforts to support voting integrity.
The Hill-Snowdon Foundation’s broadly funds community-strengthening and organizing initiatives in Washington D.C. and across the United States. In particular, it invests in youth of color’s ability to build influence over policy decisions, multi-generational community organizing, the Native American community, government accountability, voter registration efforts, the Southeastern United States and Washington D.C.
The Hutchins Foundation’s Public Policy efforts center around supporting “the creation, dissemination and debate of smart, rigorous and independent research” for improved government function.
Incite Labs supports grantmaking in the environment and climate change spaces, as well as community development, work and economic opportunity, and science research. It does limited grantmaking to civic engagement organizations.
The James Irvine Foundation mainly supports initiatives for work and economic opportunity in the state of California. Other areas of interest include immigrants’ rights, voting and the priority communities of Fresno, Salinas, Riverside, San Bernardino and Stockton. Some grants exist for national funders.
JOHNSON FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Johnson Family Foundation promotes civic engagement through several of its grantmaking programs, particularly in Vermont.
The Joyce Foundation funds initiatives that promote fair elections and free, honest media in the Great Lakes region. The foundation’s mission and focus areas are continually evolving to address critical social issues.
The JPB Foundation supports democracy and civic engagement through its broader grantmaking for poverty. Related grantmaking centers on inclusion and equity, voting rights, and protecting the rights and full participation of immigrants.
The Klarman Family Foundation supports efforts to promote healthy democratic institutions in Boston, the United States and Israel.
The Kohlberg Foundation’s grantmaking for civic engagement and democracy takes the form of support for prominent national policy thinktanks, advocates, and law schools.
The Eugene M. Lang Foundation supports civic engagement and social justice initiatives, with a focus on the New York City and Washington D.C. areas.
Langeloth supports grassroots civic engagement organizations across its two main funding areas: justice reform and safe and healthy communities.
Lauder broadly gives to civic engagement and democracy, most often the the Aspen Institute.
The Lear Family Foundation does not outline specific goals for its grants in this area, but recent tax filings suggest a strong interest in promoting civic engagement and protecting constitutional rights.