About Center for American Progress
The Center for American Progress is an independent, nonpartisan policy institute that is dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through bold, progressive ideas, as well as strong leadership and concerted action. Our aim is not just to change the conversation, but to change the country.
Focus Areas
Climate change and clean energyEducation (K-12 and higher education)Immigration policyDemocracy and voting rightsEconomy and economic justiceHealth and public healthRacial equity and justiceNational security and foreign policyArtificial intelligence and technology policyHousing
Who They Fund
nonprofit organizations (charitable/educational)general public/audiences reached by public education
About Center for American Progress
Center For American Progress gives at a high level to public education and advocacy work, with a three-year pattern of very large grants to its affiliated Action Fund: $4.61 million in 2023, $4.2 million in 2024, and $3.6 million in 2025. That recurring support shows a funding style centered on sustained policy communications rather than isolated one-off awards. The foundation also backs other nonprofit policy organizations working on charitable education activities, including the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Center for Law and Social Policy, and the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality, each at $613,750 in 2023. Smaller awards extend the same pattern to civic and issue-education groups such as The Partnership Project, Community Change, and Foreign Policy for America Foundation. Across the recent grant list, the foundation’s dollars flow to organizations tied to policy analysis, public education, and advocacy campaigns, which aligns with its stated interest in progressive ideas and concerted action. The recent grants suggest a funder that uses restricted project support to reinforce organizations already active in public-facing policy work.
What Center for American Progress Funds
Public education and advocacy are the clearest through line in the recent grants. Center For American Progress gave $4.61 million in 2023, $4.2 million in 2024, and $3.6 million in 2025 to its Action Fund for public education and advocacy. In climate-related work, it supported The Partnership Project twice, with $350,000 in 2023 and $250,000 in 2024, both labeled support for charitable education activities. Environmental justice also appears through grants to West Harlem Environmental Action and GreenLatinos, including $110,000 to WE ACT in 2023 and $40,000 to GreenLatinos in 2024. The foundation also funded public education on foreign policy with a $7,500 grant in 2025 to Foreign Policy for America Foundation. These examples point to issue advocacy, civic education, and nonprofit-led outreach as recurring uses of its grants.
How Center for American Progress Gives
Typical grants cluster around six figures, with a p25 of $40,800, a median of $150,000, and a p75 of $613,750. The recent record also shows a few much larger awards in the multimillion-dollar range, concentrated in the foundation’s own policy-advocacy ecosystem. Recurrence is common: several recipients appear in multiple years, including The Partnership Project, Center for Earth Energy and Democracy, and the foundation’s Action Fund. The funder is classified as a regular funder, not a donor-advised fund, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Grants in the recent list are framed as restricted support for charitable education, public education, and advocacy campaign work.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$4.1M
Total Assets
$84.5M
Total Revenue
$37.4M
Total Expenses
$48.3M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $41K and $614K, with a median of $150K.
25th Percentile
$41K
Median
$150K
75th Percentile
$614K
Geographic Reach
Regional6 states funded
About 60% of grants go to recipients in MN.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
DEANNA NESBURG
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