Article IV is primarily a campaign-focused funder of state-level democratic reform and voting-access efforts, directing very large, outcome-driven gifts to ballot measures, ranked-choice voting campaigns, independent redistricting and primary/open-primary initiatives. Its grants mix independent expenditure/civic advocacy groups and state grassroots ballot committees, with repeated multi-grant support for the same campaigns and national organizations that specialize in electoral reform. While most dollars target election-system reform, the foundation also makes smaller, targeted gifts to civil rights and community organizing groups in battleground states.
Highly concentrated, high-dollar, outcome-oriented giving: a small number of very large grants to state ballot campaigns and advocacy groups, frequent repeat funding to the same campaigns and intermediary reform organizations, with most grants tied to specific state contests or campaign cycles rather than broad general operating support.
Article IV’s largest recent gifts all went to state ballot and election-reform campaigns, including $18.38 million to Vote Yes on 3 in Las Vegas, $18.175 million to Montanans for Election Ref in Helena, and $10.15 million to Citizens Not Politicians in Columbus. That pattern is consistent across its recent portfolio: the foundation backs campaigns tied to voting rules, redistricting, open primaries, and ranked-choice voting, often at a scale large enough to affect statewide outcomes. The grant list shows repeated support for the same efforts across multiple years. Oregon Ranked Choice Voting received funding in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Citizens Not Politicians was funded in 2024 and 2025; and Alaskans for Better Elections also appears in both 2024 and 2025. Article IV also supports national election-reform organizations such as FairVote Action and Common Cause, alongside state-based committees and advocacy groups working on ballot measures. Although the foundation’s giving is centered on election-system change, it also includes targeted support for civil-rights and organizing groups tied to those campaigns, such as NAACP Las Vegas Branch 11 and Southern Nevada Building T.
Article IV focuses heavily on state ballot measures that change election rules. It gave $18.38 million to Vote Yes on 3 in Las Vegas for general support and $18.175 million to Montanans for Election Ref in Helena for general support, both part of statewide campaign work. Ranked-choice voting is another clear theme. The foundation supported Oregon Ranked Choice Voting in Corvallis with $6.465 million in 2025 and $1.125 million in 2024, and it also funded Utah Ranked Choice Voting in Heber City with $400,000 in 2023. Open-primaries and redistricting work also appear in the recent grants. Idahoans for Open Primarie in Boise received $2.22 million in 2025, while Citizens Not Politicians in Columbus received $550,000 in 2024 and $10.15 million in 2025. Alongside those campaign groups, Article IV also funded FairVote Minnesota in Saint Paul and FairVote Action in Silver Spring.
Article IV’s typical grant size is $35,000 at the 25th percentile, $100,000 at the median, and $250,000 at the 75th percentile, but its recent portfolio includes several multi-million-dollar campaign grants. The pattern is strongly repeat-based: Oregon Ranked Choice Voting, Citizens Not Politicians, Alaskans for Better Elections, Ballot Access Mississippi, Wyoming FREE, and FairVote Minnesota each appear more than once across the recent grant list. The foundation’s grants are recorded as general support or unrestricted-style support, including core support and other general-support awards. It does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
$69.5M
$3.6M
$52.5M
$77.4M
Most grants fall between $35K and $250K, with a median of $100K.
25th Percentile
$35K
Median
$100K
75th Percentile
$250K
About 4% of grants go to recipients in MD.
George Wellde III
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Notable grantees: Vote Yes on 3, Montanans for Election Reform, Citizens Not Politicians, Oregon Ranked Choice Voting / FairVote, Better Elections / FairVote Action
Article IV gives nationwide, with every listed recent grant going to a US recipient. The largest concentration by state count is Maryland, though the recent list also shows heavy activity in Nevada, Ohio, Alaska, Oregon, and Montana. City-level grants include Las Vegas, Columbus, Anchorage, Corvallis, and Helena, with repeated awards to groups in Anchorage, Columbus, and Corvallis. Recipients in the foundation’s HQ state of Virginia account for 4% of grants.
Its recent grants center on state ballot measures and election-rule change, especially ranked-choice voting, open primaries, independent redistricting, and ballot-access efforts. Examples in the recent list include Vote Yes on 3, Montanans for Election Ref, Idahoans for Open Primarie, and Citizens Not Politicians.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Oregon Ranked Choice Voting in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Citizens Not Politicians in 2024 and 2025; Alaskans for Better Elections in 2024 and 2025; and FairVote Minnesota in 2024 and 2025.
Its typical grant size is $35,000 at the 25th percentile, $100,000 at the median, and $250,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent list also shows much larger campaign gifts, including several awards in the multi-million-dollar range.
By grant count, Maryland is the top state in the dataset, while Virginia accounts for 4% of grants. The recent grants themselves are spread across multiple states, including Nevada, Ohio, Alaska, Oregon, and Montana.
The foundation’s recent awards are listed as general support, and its philosophy tags include general operating support, unrestricted support, and core/general support. It 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vote Yes on 3 | Las Vegas, NV | $18,380,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Montanans for Election Ref | Helena, MT | $18,175,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Citizens Not Politicians | Columbus, OH | $10,150,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Oregon Ranked Choice Votin | Corvallis, OR | $6,465,000 | 2025 | General support |
| No on 2 | Anchorage, AK | $4,900,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Yes on 117 | Portland, OR | $2,830,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Idahoans for Open Primarie | Boise, ID | $2,220,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Alaskans for Better Electi | Anchorage, AK | $615,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Conservative Majority Fund | Anchorage, AK | $500,000 | 2025 | General support |
| FairVote Minnesota | Saint Paul, MN | $500,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Wyoming FREE | Torrington, WY | $450,834 | 2025 | General support |
| Joseph Rainey Center for P | Washington, DC | $343,000 | 2025 | General support |
| North Dakota Citizens Prot | Fargo, ND | $324,433 | 2025 | General support |
| Ballot Access Mississippi | Ridgeland, MS | $307,781 | 2025 | General support |
| NAACP Las Vegas Branch 11 | Las Vegas, NV | $250,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Southern Nevada Building T | Las Vegas, NV | $250,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Common Cause | Washington, DC | $203,300 | 2025 | General support |
| FairVote Action | Silver Spring, MD | $200,000 | 2025 | General support |
| United Conservatives Polic | Alexandria, VA | $200,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Oklahoma United for Progre | Tulsa, OK | $200,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Ohio Progressive Collabora | Columbus, OH | $200,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Conservative Leadership fo | Ballwin, MO | $200,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Nebraskans for Better Gove | Norfolk, NE | $199,200 | 2025 | General support |
| Common Cause Education Fun | Washington, DC | $110,000 | 2025 | General support |
| FairVote Action | Silver Spring, MD | $100,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Missouri Conservative Valu | Jefferson City, MO | $100,000 | 2025 | General support |
| House Majority Forward | Washington, DC | $100,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Fix the System Wisconsin A | Middleton, WI | $100,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Rank the Vote Ohio | Stow, OH | $80,000 | 2025 | General support |
| ETERNAL VIGILANCE ACTION I | Canton, GA | $80,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Equality State Policy Cent | Laramie, WY | $75,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Represent Women Inc | Silver Spring, MD | $67,000 | 2025 | General support |
| RCV Maryland | Silver Spring, MD | $55,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Count MI Vote | Lansing, MI | $50,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Count MI Vote Education Fu | Lansing, MI | $50,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Connecticut Voters First | Stonington, CT | $50,000 | 2025 | General support |
| WIN Minnesota | Saint Paul, MN | $50,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Nebraska Votes | Lincoln, NE | $45,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Virginia Voters Project db | Chesterfield, VA | $36,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Platte Institute for Econo | Omaha, NE | $35,000 | 2025 | General support |
| NextUp Action Fund | Portland, OR | $35,000 | 2025 | General support |
| FairVote | Takoma Park, MD | $27,500 | 2025 | General suppoort |
| Utahns Protecting Our Cons | Salt Lake City, UT | $27,337 | 2025 | General support |
| Center for Civic Design I | Cambridge, MD | $25,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Democracy Journal | Washington, DC | $25,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Conservative Accountabilit | Boise, ID | $25,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Sightline Institute | Seattle, WA | $25,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Utahans for Responsive Gov | Salt Lake City, UT | $20,000 | 2025 | General support |
| FairVote Washington | Bothell, WA | $12,500 | 2025 | General support |
| Oregon Ranked Choice Votin | Corvallis, OR | $1,125,000 | 2024 | General support |
Vote Yes on 3
$18,380,000General support
Montanans for Election Ref
$18,175,000General support
Citizens Not Politicians
$10,150,000General support
Oregon Ranked Choice Votin
$6,465,000General support
No on 2
$4,900,000General support
Yes on 117
$2,830,000General support
Idahoans for Open Primarie
General support
Alaskans for Better Electi
$615,000General support
Conservative Majority Fund
$500,000General support
FairVote Minnesota
$500,000General support
Wyoming FREE
$450,834General support
Joseph Rainey Center for P
$343,000General support
North Dakota Citizens Prot
$324,433General support
Ballot Access Mississippi
$307,781General support
NAACP Las Vegas Branch 11
$250,000General support
Southern Nevada Building T
$250,000General support
Common Cause
$203,300General support
FairVote Action
$200,000General support
United Conservatives Polic
$200,000General support
Oklahoma United for Progre
$200,000General support
Ohio Progressive Collabora
$200,000General support
Conservative Leadership fo
$200,000General support
Nebraskans for Better Gove
$199,200General support
Common Cause Education Fun
$110,000General support
FairVote Action
$100,000General support
Missouri Conservative Valu
$100,000General support
House Majority Forward
$100,000General support
Fix the System Wisconsin A
$100,000General support
Rank the Vote Ohio
$80,000General support
ETERNAL VIGILANCE ACTION I
$80,000General support
Equality State Policy Cent
$75,000General support
Represent Women Inc
$67,000General support
RCV Maryland
$55,000General support
Count MI Vote
$50,000General support
Count MI Vote Education Fu
$50,000General support
Connecticut Voters First
$50,000General support
WIN Minnesota
$50,000General support
Nebraska Votes
$45,000General support
Virginia Voters Project db
$36,000General support
Platte Institute for Econo
$35,000General support
NextUp Action Fund
$35,000General support
FairVote
$27,500General suppoort
Utahns Protecting Our Cons
$27,337General support
Center for Civic Design I
$25,000General support
Democracy Journal
$25,000General support
Conservative Accountabilit
$25,000General support
Sightline Institute
$25,000General support
Utahans for Responsive Gov
$20,000General support
FairVote Washington
$12,500General support
Oregon Ranked Choice Votin
$1,125,000General support