Imagine North Carolina First is a state-focused funder prioritizing civic engagement, voter protection, and civic education—with a strong emphasis on Black-led and community-based organizations in North Carolina. They provide sizable, often repeated grants to groups that run voter participation, election protection, nonpartisan get-out-the-vote work, and civic programming, while occasionally supporting allied civic infrastructure outside NC. Grants commonly support core operations and nonpartisan programming rather than narrow program pilots, signaling an emphasis on sustaining field capacity ahead of elections.
Imagine North Carolina First’s recent giving is anchored by a $3,000,000 grant to State Engagement Fund for non-partisan programming, alongside repeated seven-figure support for North Carolina civic groups. The pattern shows a funder built around election-adjacent civic work rather than a broad issue mix: voter participation, civic education, election protection, and nonpartisan get-out-the-vote activity. In 2025, the foundation also backed NC A Philip Randolph Institute with $2,300,000 for non-partisan programming and Progress North Carolina with $1,859,000 for operations, indicating sustained support for organizations that help maintain civic capacity over time. Other large awards went to NC Citizens for Protecting our Schools, North Carolina Association of Educators, NC Black Alliance, and Rally NC. The grantees suggest a focus on organizations that can organize, educate, and mobilize communities at scale. Across the recent grants list, the foundation repeatedly funds groups working in North Carolina civic infrastructure, with some support extending to allied efforts outside the state.
A central theme is voter participation and nonpartisan turnout work. The foundation gave $1,000,000 to North Carolina Association of Educators for nonpartisan get out the vote, $560,000 to Unifour One for nonpartisan get out the vote, and $525,000 to Democracy North Carolina for nonpartisan get out the vote. It also supported NC Black Alliance with $705,000 for nonpartisan get out the vote. Another major area is civic engagement and coalition activity. El Pueblo received $400,000 for civic engagement, while Carolina Federation Fund received $225,000 for civic engagement. Election protection is another recurring line of support, including $225,000 to Forward Justice for election protection and $225,000 to Southern Coalition for Social Justice for election protection. The grants point to a funder that supports both turnout work and the legal and organizing infrastructure around it.
Typical grant size is sizable: the 25th percentile is $85,500, the median is $150,000, and the 75th percentile is $226,250. The recent grants list also shows repeated support to the same organizations across 2023 and 2025, including NC Citizens for Protecting our Schools, NC A Philip Randolph Institute Inc, and Progress North Carolina. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-off awards. The foundation is a public charity, and the grant descriptions frequently point to operations, non-partisan programming, and other broad support rather than narrowly defined pilots.
$19.6M
$864K
$16.1M
$17.6M
Most grants fall between $86K and $226K, with a median of $150K.
25th Percentile
$86K
Median
$150K
75th Percentile
$226K
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Concentrated, strategic giving: relatively few large grants and many repeat investments in core grantees. Funding skews toward operational and multi-grant support for state and community-based organizations, with heavier weighting to North Carolina but some directed to complementary national/state infrastructure. Grants are programmatic and capacity-focused (nonpartisan civic engagement, election protection) rather than small, one-off project grants.
Notable grantees: NC Citizens for Protecting Our Schools, NC A Philip Randolph Institute Inc, Progress North Carolina, State Engagement Fund, Democracy North Carolina
Grantmaking is concentrated in North Carolina, which accounts for 80% of grants by recipient location. Raleigh appears often, including State Engagement Fund, NC A Philip Randolph Institute Inc, Progress North Carolina, NC Black Alliance, and North Carolina Association of Educators. Other North Carolina cities include Durham, with Blueprint NC and Carolina Federation Fund, Greensboro, with Unifour One and Down Home North Carolina, and Morrisville, with Democracy North Carolina and Forward Justice. Outside North Carolina, the list includes a smaller number of grants to New York-based and other out-of-state recipients, but the recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based.
The recent grants show support for civic engagement, voter participation, election protection, and nonpartisan get-out-the-vote work. Recipients include statewide civic groups, education organizations, and legal advocacy groups, with several awards described as funding operations or non-partisan programming.
The foundation’s typical grant sizes are relatively large: the 25th percentile is $85,500, the median is $150,000, and the 75th percentile is $226,250. Recent awards also include several seven-figure grants.
Yes. The recent grants list includes repeated awards to NC Citizens for Protecting our Schools, NC A Philip Randolph Institute Inc, and Progress North Carolina across 2023 and 2025, which suggests ongoing relationships with some recipients.
Most grants go to North Carolina recipients, with 80% of grants landing in the HQ state. Raleigh is especially prominent among recipient cities, followed by Durham, Greensboro, and Morrisville.
No. While North Carolina receives most of the grants, the recent list also includes recipients outside the state, such as Michigan Civic Education Fund in Madison Heights, Action For Climate Emergency in Charlestown, and New North Carolina Project Foundation in Washington, DC.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Engagement Fund | Raleigh, NC | $3,000,000 | 2025 | Funding Non-Partisan Programming |
| NC A Philip Randolph Institute Inc | Raleigh, NC | $2,300,000 | 2025 | Funding Non-Partisan Programming |
| Progress North Carolina | Raleigh, NC | $1,859,000 | 2025 | Funding For Operations |
| NC Citizens for Protecting our Schools | Raleigh, NC | $1,415,000 | 2025 | Funding Non-Partisan Programming |
| North Carolina Association of Educators | Raleigh, NC | $1,000,000 | 2025 | Funding For Nonpartisan Get Out The Vote |
| NC A Philip Randolph Institute Inc | Raleigh, NC | $795,000 | 2025 | Funding for Voter Participation |
| NC Black Alliance | Raleigh, NC | $705,000 | 2025 | Funding For Nonpartisan Get Out The Vote |
| Progress North Carolina | Raleigh, NC | $642,000 | 2025 | Funding various 501(c) 3 programs |
| Rally NC | Raleigh, NC | $625,000 | 2025 | Funding Non-Partisan Programming |
| Michigan Civic Education Fund | Madison Heights, MI | $600,000 | 2025 | Funding Non-Partisan Programming |
| Blueprint NC | Durham, NC | $600,000 | 2025 | Funding Non-Partisan Programming |
| Unifour One | Greensboro, NC | $560,000 | 2025 | Funding For Nonpartisan Get Out The Vote |
| Democracy North Carolina | Morrisville, NC | $525,000 | 2025 | Funding For Nonpartisan Get Out The Vote |
| The Democracy Project II | Raleigh, NC | $450,000 | 2025 | Funding Non-Partisan Programming |
| El Pueblo | Raleigh, NC | $400,000 | 2025 | Funding For Civic Engagement |
| North Carolina Asian Americans Together | Raleigh, NC | $350,000 | 2025 | Funding Non-Partisan Programming |
| Action For Climate Emergency | Charlestown, MA | $300,000 | 2025 | Funding for Non Partisan Programming |
| Down Home North Carolina | Greensboro, NC | $250,000 | 2025 | Funding Non-Partisan Programming |
| Progress North Carolina Action | Raleigh, NC | $250,000 | 2025 | Funding Non-Partisan Programming |
| Forward Justice | Morrisville, NC | $225,000 | 2025 | Funding For Election Protection |
| Carolina Federation Fund | Durham, NC | $225,000 | 2025 | Funding For Civic Engagement |
| Lead NC Institute | Raleigh, NC | $200,000 | 2025 | Funding For Operations |
| Common Cause | Raleigh, NC | $200,000 | 2025 | Funding For Election Protection |
| Hispanic Federation | New York, NY | $175,000 | 2025 | Funding For Voter Registration |
| Lead NC Institute | Raleigh, NC | $169,000 | 2025 | Funding for Operations |
| America Votes | Washington, DC | $150,000 | 2025 | Funding for Operations |
| The Democracy Project II | Raleigh, NC | $150,000 | 2025 | Grant for non partisan programming |
| America Votes | Washington, DC | $150,000 | 2025 | Funding for Operations |
| North Carolina Asian Americans Together | Raleigh, NC | $135,000 | 2025 | Funding for Nonpartisan Get Out The Vote |
| New Rural Project | Charlotte, NC | $125,000 | 2025 | Funding Non-Partisan Programming |
| Somos Siembra | Greensboro, NC | $125,000 | 2025 | Funding For Nonpartisan Get Out The Vote |
| Southern Coalition for Social Justice | Durham, NC | $125,000 | 2025 | Funding Non-Partisan Programming |
| NC League of Conservation Voters Foundation | Raleigh, NC | $100,000 | 2025 | Civic Engagement |
| Somos Siembra | Greensboro, NC | $100,000 | 2025 | Civic Engagement |
| Carolina Federation Fund | Durham, NC | $100,000 | 2025 | Civic Engagement |
| Mi Familia Vota | Phoenix, AZ | $70,000 | 2025 | Funding Non-Partisan Programming |
| Disability Rights North Carolina | Raleigh, NC | $60,000 | 2025 | Funding For Election Protection |
| North Carolina Association of Educators | Raleigh, NC | $60,000 | 2025 | Non-Partisan Programming |
| Alliance for a Just Society | Seattle, WA | $45,000 | 2025 | Funding for All Hands Brigade project |
| NC Citizens for Protecting our Schools | Raleigh, NC | $45,000 | 2025 | Funding various C3 programs |
| Siembra NC | Greensboro, NC | $43,000 | 2025 | Funding for C3 operations |
| Community News Center | Washington, DC | $38,000 | 2025 | Funding Non-Partisan Programming |
| NC Black Alliance | Raleigh, NC | $35,000 | 2025 | Funding Non-Partisan Programming |
| Hate Free Schools Coalition | Mebane, NC | $30,000 | 2025 | Funding Non-Partisan Programming |
| New Rural Project | Charlotte, NC | $28,000 | 2025 | Funding Non-Partisan Programming |
| NC Counts Coalition | Raleigh, NC | $25,000 | 2025 | Funding Non-Partisan Programming |
| Common Cause | Raleigh, NC | $20,000 | 2025 | Funding Election Protection |
| We Are Down Home | Greensboro, NC | $18,000 | 2025 | Funding Non-Partisan Programming |
| Poder NC Action | Raleigh, NC | $15,000 | 2025 | Funding Non-Partisan Programming |
| NC Counts Coalition | Raleigh, NC | $10,000 | 2025 | Funding for Hurricane Helene Relief |
NC Citizens for Protecting our Schools
$1,415,000Funding Non-Partisan Programming
North Carolina Association of Educators
$1,000,000Funding For Nonpartisan Get Out The Vote
Funding for Voter Participation
Rally NC
$625,000Funding Non-Partisan Programming
Unifour One
$560,000Funding For Nonpartisan Get Out The Vote
The Democracy Project II
$450,000Funding Non-Partisan Programming
The Democracy Project II
$150,000Grant for non partisan programming
Funding for Nonpartisan Get Out The Vote
New Rural Project
$125,000Funding Non-Partisan Programming
NC League of Conservation Voters Foundation
$100,000Civic Engagement
Somos Siembra
$100,000Civic Engagement
North Carolina Association of Educators
$60,000Non-Partisan Programming
NC Citizens for Protecting our Schools
$45,000Funding various C3 programs
Community News Center
$38,000Funding Non-Partisan Programming
Hate Free Schools Coalition
$30,000Funding Non-Partisan Programming
New Rural Project
$28,000Funding Non-Partisan Programming