Dedicated to strengthening democracy through evidence-based donor advising, evaluating and supporting cost-effective election programs, and regranting funds to high-impact, evidence-based organizations.
Focus for Democracy Fund centers its giving on evidence-based election programs that it identifies, vets, and regrants to high-priority recipients. The largest recent award was $1,000,000 to Tides Foundation for general support, showing how much of its grantmaking flows through intermediaries rather than direct program-specific awards. That approach fits a funder organized around donor advising, cost-effective program evaluation, and regranting to nonprofit and, where lawful, partisan work. The foundation’s recent grants also include general support for Accelerate Change Inc., Notley Impact, Hopewell Fund, and Working America Education Fund, suggesting an emphasis on flexible funding for organizations working in democracy-related fields. Its stated focus areas include democracy strengthening, voter turnout, election program evaluation, and scaling evidence-based election programs in competitive races. The combination of regranting and strategic funding points to a funder that prioritizes selecting and channeling resources to programs it views as high-impact within elections and voter participation. As a public charity, it operates with a grantmaking model built around evaluation criteria rather than open solicitation. Its philosophy tags point to general operating support, core operating support, and organizational sustainability, which aligns with the general-support pattern visible in the recent grants list.
In election work, Focus for Democracy Fund supports evidence-based programs aimed at voter participation, turnout, and election protection. Its strategic funding program is built around competitive states and districts, including presidential, Senate, House, gubernatorial, state legislative, and statewide races such as Secretary of State. That narrow political geography shows a preference for campaigns and races where turnout and persuasion tactics can be measured. The foundation also funds organizations that help move resources into the field. It gave $25,213 to Hopewell Fund for general support and $22,151 to Working America Education Fund for general support, both of which sit within a broader regranting ecosystem. A further part of its work is donor advising and evaluation. The funder identifies cost-effective election programs, then recommends support for nonprofit 501(c)(3) and, where appropriate, 501(c)(4) or PAC programs. That structure ties its cause areas to a screening process based on evidence and program priorities rather than a broad open-grant model.
$0
$11.3M
$24.6M
$13.4M
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The recent grant sizes range from a median of $32,160 to a 75th percentile of $41,195, with a p25 of $25,213. One grant dominates the recent list at $1,000,000, while the remaining awards are much smaller general-support grants. All five recent grants went to U.S. recipients, and the top grant appears to be routed through a regranting vehicle. The pattern suggests a mix of large intermediary funding and smaller operating support to aligned organizations. The foundation’s stated structure emphasizes regranting, donor advising, and evaluation of programs, and its public charity status fits a model focused on channeling resources rather than making individual awards. Unsolicited applications are not part of the listed grant programs.
Recent grants landed with organizations in San Francisco, Boston, Austin, and Washington, DC. The strongest concentration is in the United States, which accounts for 5 grants and 100% of the recent recipient-country distribution. Although the foundation is headquartered in Washington, DC, its recent giving is not limited to the District; only one of the five recent grants went to a DC-based recipient. The program descriptions also point to competitive states and districts across the U.S., rather than a single local market.
It backs evidence-based election and democracy work, including voter turnout, voter participation, election protection, and program evaluation. Its strategic funding program also targets competitive states and districts in major races such as presidential, Senate, House, gubernatorial, state legislative, and statewide offices.
No. Both listed grant programs are described as identifying, vetting, and recommending funding for specific evidence-based election programs, rather than accepting open submissions.
Among the recent grants shown, the median grant is $32,160, with the 25th percentile at $25,213 and the 75th percentile at $41,195. One $1,000,000 grant sits far above the rest of the distribution.
It does both, but the recent record shows a strong intermediary pattern. The largest recent grant was $1,000,000 to Tides Foundation, and several other recent awards were general support grants to organizations that sit within a regranting or infrastructure ecosystem.
The recent grants all went to U.S. recipients, with organizations in San Francisco, Boston, Austin, and Washington, DC. Its strategic program description also points to competitive states and districts across the United States.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TIDES FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $1,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ACCELERATE CHANGE INC | BOSTON, MA | $41,195 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NOTLEY IMPACT | AUSTIN, TX | $32,160 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HOPEWELL FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $25,213 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WORKING AMERICA EDUCATION FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $22,151 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
TIDES FOUNDATION
$1,000,000GENERAL SUPPORT