Today, Borealis Philanthropy is proud to report the mobilization of $2 million of resources to 36 democracy-building nonprofits in alignment with the All by April campaign, which called on the philanthropic sector to move early resources to safeguard elections. We are grateful to the Democracy Fund for organizing our sector to act with collective power and proud to have joined a coalition of 135+ foundations, nonprofit grantmakers, and individual donors in standing up to regressive philanthropy.

At Borealis, we have long understood democracy as much more than a single act of voting; ensuring democracy means creating and preserving the conditions that make civic participation possible. It is for this reason that our latest awards resourced democracy-building nonprofit luminaries contributing myriad, vital ingredients necessary for free, fair, and representative elections, including efforts of democracy-building nonprofits to:

  • Register voters, increase voter turnout, and build electoral power.
  • Build grassroots power and engage communities in civic life.
  • Shape public discourse, combat misinformation, and deliver civic information to communities.
  • Advance civil rights, legal systems, and government accountability.
  • Make democratic participation accessible and democracy representative for marginalized groups.

Across these areas, our democracy-building nonprofit grantee partners’ work is all encompassing. The groups in our cohort are developing voter engagement guides for canvassers; advocating to restore voting rights for formerly incarcerated people; educating, equipping, and mobilizing immigrant communities to exercise their rights; and developing Know Your Rights campaigns, voter registration drives, and policy trackers to keep communities informed in real time.

At the same time, democracy-building nonprofits are strengthening our election protection infrastructure, training attorneys on what is legally permissible for local police and federal law enforcement to do at the polls, providing legal support to voters, and educating election workers on their rights. And democracy-building nonprofits are delivering vital information—from storytelling that highlights the impact of policies and practices on trans communities to editorial research and reporting on superPAC influence—to strengthen civic participation.

Please join us in supporting and uplifting the wisdom of our #AllbyApril grantee democracy-building nonprofits:

Read the full article about resourcing democracy-building nonprofits at Borealis Philanthropy.