North Main Street Fund is overwhelmingly focused on supporting democratic participation and progressive electoral infrastructure, channeling large grants to organizations that mobilize voters, defend state-level democracy, and expand civic access. Its giving favors national and state-focused civic engagement groups and legal/policy networks rather than direct service providers, suggesting a strategic interest in protecting and expanding voting rights and progressive political power.
Highly concentrated, large-dollar grants to a small set of national and state-focused civic organizations; few grants overall with most dollars going to a single flagship grantee, indicating prioritized, strategic investments rather than broad, distributed philanthropy.
A single 2025 grant of $15,363,815 to Forward Action Fund shows the scale and direction of North Main Street Fund’s giving: it backs large civic and electoral infrastructure rather than small, dispersed awards. The foundation’s recent activity centers on democratic participation, voter turnout, election protection, and state-level democracy defense, with grants routed to organizations that work on civic access and progressive political infrastructure. Another major 2025 award, $2,628,136 to State Democracy Defenders Fund, reinforces that pattern by supporting a group focused on democracy defense from Concord, New Hampshire. North Main Street Fund also makes substantial support available to voter-focused intermediaries and policy-oriented networks, including Workmoney Inc., which received $957,500 in 2025 for primary-purpose, non-lobbying activities. Across the recent grants list, the funder’s approach looks strategic and institutional: it favors organizations positioned to influence participation systems, legal protection, and capacity-building for broad civic engagement. The recipient roster is entirely U.S.-based, and the grants point to a consistent preference for general purpose or primary-purpose support within a democracy-centered portfolio.
North Main Street Fund’s clearest theme is democratic participation. In 2025, it gave $15,363,815 to Forward Action Fund for primary-purpose, non-lobbying activities, indicating support for large-scale voter mobilization infrastructure. It also supported state democracy defense through a $2,628,136 grant to State Democracy Defenders Fund in Concord, New Hampshire. Civic access appears in another 2025 award: Workmoney Inc. received $957,500 for primary-purpose, non-lobbying activities, placing economic and civic engagement work within the funder’s broader portfolio. The foundation also backed voter-access and election-related capacity through $750,000 to Every Eligible American in 2024 and $25,000 to Leadership Conference Education Fund in 2025. These grants suggest a focus on organizations that operate at the systems level, especially where voting access, participation, and democratic safeguards intersect.
The recent grants cluster tightly around a single size: the median grant is $750,000, with the 25th and 75th percentiles also at $750,000. That reflects a highly concentrated pattern, even though one grant is much larger. The foundation’s giving is recurring across years, with grants appearing in both 2024 and 2025. It operates as a Public Charity and makes general grantmaking awards rather than program-related investments; it also does not fund individuals. The grant descriptions are consistently framed as primary-purpose or non-lobbying support, and the available data does not indicate an application process.
$19.4M
$3.1M
$27.1M
$26.5M
Most grants fall between $750K and $750K, with a median of $750K.
25th Percentile
$750K
Median
$750K
75th Percentile
$750K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in DC.
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Notable grantees: Forward Action Fund, State Democracy Defenders Fund, Every Eligible American, Communities United Action Fund, Leadership Conference Education Fund
Grant recipients are entirely in the United States. Washington, DC appears repeatedly in the recent list, including recipients there in 2025 and 2024, while Concord, New Hampshire and Milwaukee, Wisconsin also appear among the named recipient locations. The foundation gives most often in DC, even though its headquarters are in Concord, NH. No recipient grants in the recent list go to New Hampshire organizations as a share of total giving, despite one Concord grantee.
It primarily supports organizations working on democratic participation, voter turnout, election protection, state-level democracy defense, and civic access. The recent grants also include support for progressive political infrastructure and advocacy networks through primary-purpose or non-lobbying awards.
The grant-size distribution is tightly clustered at $750,000. The 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile are all $750,000, which indicates that many awards are made at the same level.
Yes. The recent grants list includes awards in both 2024 and 2025, including a 2024 grant to Every Eligible American and multiple 2025 grants to other recipients.
It gives most often in Washington, DC. The recent grants list includes several DC-based recipients, including Forward Action Fund, Communities United Action Fund, Every Eligible American, and Leadership Conference Education Fund.
The grant purposes are consistently listed as primary-purpose, non-lobbying activities or primary-purpose general grant support. The foundation is a Public Charity, does not fund individuals, and does not make program-related investments.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FORWARD ACTION FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $15,363,815 | 2025 | PRIMARY PURPOSE, NON-LOBBYING ACTIVITIES |
| STATE DEMOCRACY DEFENDERS FUND | CONCORD, NH | $2,628,136 | 2025 | PRIMARY PURPOSE, NON-LOBBYING ACTIVITIES |
| WORKMONEY INC | MILWAUKEE, WI | $957,500 | 2025 | PRIMARY PURPOSE, NON-LOBBYING ACTIVITIES |
| COMMUNITIES UNITED ACTION FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $400,000 | 2025 | PRIMARY PURPOSE, NON-LOBBYING ACTIVITIES |
| INCLUDUS FUND | MCLEAN, VA | $50,000 | 2025 | PRIMARY PURPOSE, NON-LOBBYING ACTIVITIES |
| LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE EDUCATION FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $25,000 | 2025 | PRIMARY PURPOSE, NON-LOBBYING ACTIVITIES |
| EVERY ELIGIBLE AMERICAN | WASHINGTON, DC | $750,000 | 2024 | PRIMARY PURPOSE GENERAL GRANT |
FORWARD ACTION FUND
$15,363,815PRIMARY PURPOSE, NON-LOBBYING ACTIVITIES
STATE DEMOCRACY DEFENDERS FUND
$2,628,136PRIMARY PURPOSE, NON-LOBBYING ACTIVITIES
WORKMONEY INC
$957,500PRIMARY PURPOSE, NON-LOBBYING ACTIVITIES
COMMUNITIES UNITED ACTION FUND
$400,000PRIMARY PURPOSE, NON-LOBBYING ACTIVITIES
INCLUDUS FUND
$50,000PRIMARY PURPOSE, NON-LOBBYING ACTIVITIES
LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE EDUCATION FUND
$25,000PRIMARY PURPOSE, NON-LOBBYING ACTIVITIES
EVERY ELIGIBLE AMERICAN
$750,000PRIMARY PURPOSE GENERAL GRANT