About Article Iv
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.
Focus Areas
State ballot measure campaigns to change election rules (e.g., referenda and initiative campaigns)Ranked-choice voting campaigns and statewide adoption effortsIndependent redistricting / anti-gerrymandering projects and open-primaries initiativesVoter access and turnout organizing in key states (including support to local civic groups and branches of national civil-rights organizations)Support for national election-reform organizations that run state campaigns (e.g., FairVote/FairVote Action, Better Elections)
Giving Approach
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.
About Article Iv
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.
What Article Iv Funds
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.
How Article Iv Gives
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.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$69.5M
Total Assets
$3.6M
Total Revenue
$52.5M
Total Expenses
$77.4M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $35K and $250K, with a median of $100K.
25th Percentile
$35K
Median
$100K
75th Percentile
$250K
Geographic Reach
National28 states funded
About 4% of grants go to recipients in MD.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
George Wellde III
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