About Common Cause Education Fund
Common Cause Education Fund harnesses the power of philanthropy to create a truly representative democracy that answers to the people, not the powerful. Using research, public education, citizen engagement, policy development and litigation, we advance national, state, and local efforts to strengthen our democracy.
Focus Areas
Voting & Fair RepresentationMedia & TechnologyAnti-Corruption & AccountabilityCivil Rights & Civil LibertiesElection protectionPublic educationLitigation
Who They Fund
voters / general electoratein-person voters at polling placeselection administrators and poll workers (indirectly)
Funding Style
rapid-response / time-limited support
About Common Cause Education Fund
Common Cause Education Fund’s clearest recent pattern is election protection work centered on North Carolina. In 2025, the funder made a $150,000 grant to NC for the People in Durham for election protection work during the November 2024 election, alongside a cluster of $50,000 grants to organizations such as Young Peoples Alliance Education Fund, NC League of Conversation Voters Foundation, and League of Women Voters of NC. That mix shows a funder that backs field-based democracy work at multiple organizational sizes, from state civic groups to local community organizations. The grants also point to a practical approach: support for organizations that can help voters, monitor elections, and respond during election periods. Beyond North Carolina, the foundation extended the same election-protection theme to groups in New York, California, Georgia, and Ohio, indicating a regional footprint rather than a single-state focus. The leadership listed is Virginia Kase Solomon, and the foundation’s public grantmaking fits its stated emphasis on representative democracy, public education, policy development, and litigation.
What Common Cause Education Fund Funds
Election protection is the most visible cause area in the recent grants. Common Cause Education Fund gave $150,000 to NC for the People in Durham for election protection work during the November 2024 election, and repeated the same purpose across many North Carolina groups. Voter outreach and civic participation also appear in grants to You Can Vote in Durham and the League of Women Voters of NC in Raleigh. The foundation’s support for community-based electoral work extends beyond one state: Minkwon Center for Community Action in Flushing received grants of $20,000 and $10,000 for the same election-protection purpose, while Inquiring Minds of New York City Inc in Brooklyn received $15,000 and $10,000. A separate thread is campus-linked support in North Carolina, including Western Carolina University Research Administration in Cullowhee, Livingston College in Salisbury, and the UN of North Carolina at Asheville.
How Common Cause Education Fund Gives
Typical grants cluster around a $10,000 p25, $25,000 median, and $50,000 p75 range, with a larger $150,000 award at the top of the recent list. The pattern is project-specific and time-limited, with repeated 2025 grants all carrying the same election-protection purpose tied to the November 2024 election. Recurrence is visible in several recipients that appear more than once, including Inquiring Minds of New York City Inc, Minkwon Center for Community Action, and Ohio Voice. The organization does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. Based on the grant descriptions, support is directed to operating election-protection efforts rather than open-ended general philanthropy.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$945K
Total Assets
$31.3M
Total Revenue
$25.1M
Total Expenses
$17M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $50K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$50K
Geographic Reach
Regional5 states funded
About 0% of grants go to recipients in NC.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
VIRGINIA KASE SOLOMON
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