About State Democracy Project
To improve American democracy by encouraging increased citizen participation and more responsive government institutions at the local, state and federal levels; to incubate and fiscally sponsor grassroots initiatives, especially those rooted in historically marginalized communities.
Focus Areas
civic engagementgrassroots organizingcapacity buildingfiscal sponsorshipcommunity education
Who They Fund
Black men (targeted civic engagement)voters / eligible electorate (general and in Arkansas)state-level reform fellows / organizerspublic school students and local school communities in Arkansas
Funding Style
fiscal sponsorship / sponsored projects
About State Democracy Project
State Democracy Project concentrates its largest grants on state-level democracy infrastructure, with a 2025 award of $29,888,301 to Working Families Power for state reform fellowships and sponsored projects. That scale is unusual even within a broad national portfolio and points to a funder that supports organizations doing long-horizon political and civic work, not just short program grants. Another major 2025 grant went to Pro Democracy Campaign in Foxboro, Massachusetts for explicit 501(c)(3)-eligible charitable purposes described in the grantee’s proposal, reinforcing the foundation’s emphasis on state reform and electoral capacity. The foundation also funded Black Men Build in Brooklyn for work to engage, educate, and organize Black men on local and national political and social issues. Across its recent grants, State Democracy Project backs organizations that combine civic engagement, grassroots organizing, capacity building, and fiscal sponsorship. Its stated purpose is to improve American democracy by encouraging greater citizen participation and more responsive government institutions at the local, state, and federal levels, while incubating and fiscally sponsoring grassroots initiatives rooted in historically marginalized communities.
What State Democracy Project Funds
A clear thread in the recent grants is nonpartisan civic and electoral work. State Democracy Project gave $100,000 to Ohio Organizing Collaborative for nonpartisan voter engagement and $50,000 to Wisconsin Democracy Campaign for voter protection. It also supported One Arizona with $50,000 for nonpartisan voter engagement. Another theme is organizing among specific communities. Black Male Initiative of GA received $400,000 through the We Choose Us campaign with Pro-Democracy Center, and Black Men Build received $366,685 for work to engage, educate, and organize Black men on local and national political and social issues. The foundation also funds public-interest education and state reform efforts. Grassroots Arkansas received $137,984 to build representative democracy, world class community schools, and culturally relevant public education in Arkansas, while New Georgia Project received $1,000,000 for the We Choose Us campaign with Pro-Democracy Center.
How State Democracy Project Gives
Grant sizes are wide-ranging: the 25th percentile is $31,850, the median grant is $100,000, and the 75th percentile is $427,053. The pattern includes both very large sponsored-project awards and many smaller, issue-specific grants. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Working Families Organization, Be a Hero Education Fund, Pro Democracy Campaign, and Un-pac Action, which suggests recurring support rather than one-off funding alone. State Democracy Project is a Public Charity and does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Several grants are described as state reform fellowships, sponsored projects, or project-specific charitable activities, indicating programmatic and fiscal-sponsorship-oriented giving.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$46.9M
Total Assets
$5M
Total Revenue
$50.1M
Total Expenses
$48.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $32K and $427K, with a median of $100K.
25th Percentile
$32K
Median
$100K
75th Percentile
$427K
Geographic Reach
National18 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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