Center for the Study of Democratic Institution
ActiveCivil Rights & Advocacy
About Center for the Study of Democratic Institution
CSDI is dedicated to fostering dialogues and contributing to public health, education, democracy, and human rights by supporting public deliberation, scholarly publications, academic gatherings, and humanitarian projects to illuminate paths to progress for healthy democratic societies.
Focus Areas
democracy and civic dialoguepublic healthhigher education and scholarshipshumanitarian assistance and refugee supportarts and youth educationacademic research and convenings
Who They Fund
unspecified / general public or nonprofit organizations
Funding Style
unrestricted supportgeneral operating supportbroad/undefined funding
About Center for the Study of Democratic Institution
A $810,000 grant to The Music Center in Los Angeles stands out in the recent record, alongside repeated six-figure support for policy and research organizations in Washington, DC. That mix points to a funder that backs both democratic institutions and civic culture. Center for the Study of Democratic Institution uses general-purpose grants to support scholarly publications, academic gatherings, research institutes, public deliberation, public health, education, human rights, and humanitarian projects. The foundation’s recent giving includes multi-year support for the Atlantic Council of the US Inc, Brookings Institution, and New America Foundation, each receiving recurring grants across 2023 to 2025. It also funds universities and other academic institutions, including Johns Hopkins University, while maintaining a separate stream for arts and youth education in Los Angeles. Humanitarian and refugee-related support appears as another consistent thread, tied to organizations serving public health and human rights goals. Robert J Abernethy leads the foundation, which operates as a regular funder and does not fund individuals. Its grantmaking combines institutional support, convenings, scholarship, and community-facing programs rather than a single-issue program model.
What Center for the Study of Democratic Institution Funds
The foundation’s clearest thematic emphasis is on democracy and policy discourse. It gave $400,000 in 2025 to Atlantic Council of US, $209,569 in 2025 to Brookings Institution, and $200,000 in 2025 to New America Foundation, all for general purpose support tied to research and public dialogue. Academic and scholarly work is another major lane. Johns Hopkins University received $165,000 in 2024 and $145,000 in 2025, reflecting support for higher education and research-linked institutions. Humanitarian and refugee assistance also appears in the recent grants. International Refugee Assistance Program received $100,000 in 2023, $100,000 in 2024, and $100,000 in 2025, showing repeated support across years. In Los Angeles arts and youth education, the foundation gave $132,000 in 2024 to Los Angeles Philharmonic Association for general purpose support.
How Center for the Study of Democratic Institution Gives
Typical grant size sits at $25,000 at the 25th percentile, $57,500 at the median, and $107,500 at the 75th percentile, with several large institutional grants above that range. The recent record shows recurring support rather than one-off gifts: Atlantic Council of US, Brookings Institution, New America Foundation, Johns Hopkins University, International Refugee Assistance Program, Woodrow Wilson International Ctr for Scholars, Democracy A Journal of Ideas, and Truman Center for National Policy each appear in multiple years. Center for the Study of Democratic Institution is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals. Unsolicited applications are not part of the listed programs.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$3M
Total Assets
$20.7M
Total Revenue
$2M
Total Expenses
$3.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $25K and $108K, with a median of $58K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$58K
75th Percentile
$108K
Geographic Reach
National5 states funded
About 37% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
Robert J Abernethy
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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