Giving Compass' Take:
- Elizabeth Dale discusses the vital lessons that the movement to fund democracy is learning, including improving collaboration and visibility.
- How can funders be mindful of the timing of their gifts in terms of election cycles to ensure maximum impact?
- Learn more about best practices in philanthropy.
- Search our Guide to Good for nonprofits in your area.
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Philanthropy has always been a pillar of civil society. But in recent years, a surging number of funders are making investments in the very threads that tie together the U.S. social fabric, such as voting rights and access, free and fair elections, an informed citizenry, and civil public discourse. In other words, philanthropy is investing heavily in the movement to fund democracy.
Researchers and journalists noted that interest in U.S grantmaking to democracy-related 501(c)(3) nonprofits began increasing during the 2016 presidential election cycle when there was evidence of election interference activity from Russia (Daniels, 2024, para.4; Griffin et al., 2024). “Foundations, fiscal sponsors, donor-advised funds, and other grantmakers spent $9.7 billion on democracy efforts in 2022, nearly twice the total from 2018” (Lindsay, 2024a, para. 15). While totals from the 2024 election cycle are not available as of this writing, all indications are that the upward trend of democracy funding continued in 2024, especially with toxic polarization in a deeply divided America at an all-time high (Council on Foundations, 2024).
According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, there hasn’t been much analysis of the pro-democracy movement — “its funding, its key players, its challenges and opportunities,” let alone its true impact on healing our divides (Lindsay, 2024a, para. 5). But we are beginning to see major efforts to improve how these countless disparate players approach and coordinate the work.
Eight years on from the turning point that was 2016, we’re seeing this subsector move past some of its early growing pains and towards a more sophisticated, coordinated, and responsive approach to action.
The Movement to Fund Democracy Works on Its Own Timeline
Most nonprofits and foundations are used to setting their own timelines — for grant cycles and evaluations, for major events and milestones. But organizations entering the democracy space — be they civic groups, foundations, or nonprofit media — must contend with the opposite dynamic. Democracy has its own timelines — election cycles, voter registration deadlines, etc. — that democracy funding and programs must be responsive to. Ensuring that funding is both steady and received in time to make an impact are important criteria for funders to consider and plan for.
Read the full article about the movement to fund democracy by Elizabeth Dale at Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy.