New grants support nonpartisan organizations and coalitions defending the essential elements of American democracy against threats to democratic institutions and norms.
Today, we announced a $100 million grant commitment to protect democracy in the United States. The initial grants support nonpartisan organizations and coalitions defending essential elements of our democracy, including protecting fair and safe elections, voting rights, civic freedoms, civil and human rights, and the rule of law.
This investment will also strengthen opportunities for Americans to volunteer, learn, take action in their communities, listen across divides, and foster a sense of belonging.
“Democracy thrives when people are informed, engaged, and feel like their voices matter.”
“Democracy thrives when people are informed, engaged, and feel like their voices matter. At a time when trust in our institutions is fragile, we are investing in the structures that uphold civic engagement,” said MacArthur Foundation President John Palfrey. “By nurturing diverse voices, broadening public participation, and defending the fundamental freedoms of speech and expression, we can work toward the promise of a more just and inclusive nation.”
Representative Grants
These grants are part of our promise to help the social sector navigate and respond to ongoing threats to democratic institutions and norms in the United States. Recipients represent a variety of ideological perspectives and work at the federal, state, and local levels of government, including:
- Campaign Legal Center (CLC) ($10,000,000)—Pursuing voter protection litigation and other strategies. As a national nonpartisan organization, CLC fights for every American’s right to participate in the democratic process and believes our democracy should be transparent, accountable, and inclusive.
- Defending Democracy Together Institute ($3,250,000)—Dedicated to promoting pro-democracy education through focus group research, educational campaigns, and building community among aligned constituencies.
- Democracy Forward Foundation ($10,000,000)—Using the law to build collective power in service of a bold and vibrant democracy for all people.
- Issue One ($4,000,000)—Uniting people across ideologies in the movement to build a democracy that works for everyone.
- PolicyLink ($5,000,000)—Working to redesign American governance to govern for all.
- The Heartland Fund’s Rural Democracy Initiative ($1,000,000)—A funding collaborative built to support and connect local leaders and organizations working for progress across diverse communities in rural areas and small cities.
- State Infrastructure Fund, a project of NEO Philanthropy ($1,000,000)—Working to increase civic participation and advance voting rights.
This support, through one-time grants from our New Work initiative is responsive to the moment and builds on MacArthur’s longstanding efforts and our past work to strengthen American democracy and to ensure the United States has a system of government built on citizen participation, equality, and fundamental freedoms enshrined in our Constitution. We will share more later this year about an open call to apply for funding to support projects that help protect our democracy.
