The PA Alliance Foundation is primarily a civic engagement and democracy funder focused on voter engagement, election protection, and civic participation in Pennsylvania and allied regions. It concentrates support on organizations that run voter contact, early voting and ballot access programs, civic research/communications, and campus or youth engagement, with notable support for immigrant and community organizing groups. The foundation favors operational support and multi-year or repeat grants to groups that can drive turnout and protect elections rather than one-off program gifts.
PA Alliance Foundation’s recent grantmaking is defined by large, repeated support for voter engagement infrastructure. The biggest award in the data is $1,843,300 to The Voter Project Fund in 2023 for voter engagement, followed by repeated support for Project 26 Pennsylvania, Lead PA Institute, and Commonwealth Communications. That pattern points to a funder focused on turnout, election administration, and civic participation rather than broad philanthropic spread. Across the recent grants, the foundation backs organizations that work on vote-by-mail, early vote, election protection, communications, and campus or youth mobilization. Several grants are tied to Pennsylvania-based civic groups that appear more than once, suggesting ongoing relationships rather than isolated gifts. It also supports allied organizations outside Pennsylvania, including groups in Brooklyn, New York, and Washington, DC, when their work aligns with nonpartisan participation goals. The grant descriptions show a practical orientation: general operating support, staffing expansion, rural staffing, research, and program-specific voter outreach all appear in the portfolio. In several cases, the funding is aimed at building capacity for recurring civic work, such as ballot access, voter contact, and election defense. The foundation’s recent pattern is less about one-off campaigns than about sustaining organizations that can keep participation efforts running across election cycles.
A core area of support is voter mobilization. PA Alliance Foundation gave $595,000 to Project 26 Pennsylvania for general operating support, then added $120,000 for staffing expansion, $100,000 for rural staffing, and $75,000 for rural campus voter mobilization. It also backed The Voter Project Fund with $400,000 for vote by mail and $100,000 for general operating. The foundation also funds election protection and nonpartisan participation work. It awarded $100,000 to In This Together NEPA for election protection and $250,000 to Organize Pennsylania for non partisan work. Pennsylvania United received $91,000 for GOTV focused on Erie VBM and Allegheny rides to the polls, connecting turnout support with practical access. Communications and research are another theme. Commonwealth Communications received $200,000 for democracy defense communications & digital, $70,900 for Vote.pa, and $66,400 for the Megaphone Program. Project Keystone received $186,000 for Black voter research, showing that the foundation also supports data and messaging work tied to participation.
$4.7M
$2M
$7M
$6.3M
Most grants fall between $11K and $50K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$11K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$50K
MATT BARRON
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Concentrated civic-democracy strategy: a mix of several large, repeat multi-grant commitments to core statewide and national civic organizations plus many smaller operating grants to local and constituency-based organizers; predominately unrestricted/general operating support aimed at turnout and election infrastructure.
Notable grantees: The Voter Project Fund, Project 26 Pennsylvania, Commonwealth Communications, Working Families Organization Inc, Make the Road States Inc
Typical grants cluster around the middle of the portfolio rather than the extremes: p25 is $10,871, median grant size is $25,000, and p75 is $50,000. The recent list also shows larger operating and program awards layered onto the same organizations over multiple years, which suggests repeat relationships and multi-grant support within election cycles. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The available data also indicates an invite-only discretionary grantmaking model with no unsolicited request process.
Grants are concentrated in the United States, with 118 grants listed to US recipients. Pennsylvania dominates the portfolio: 70% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state, and many of those are in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Wilkesbarre, and Mountain Top. Outside Pennsylvania, the foundation has supported organizations in Brooklyn, New York, and Washington, DC, showing a regional scope that still centers Pennsylvania but reaches allied civic groups elsewhere.
The foundation supports organizations working on voter engagement, vote-by-mail and early voting, election protection, civic communications, Black voter research, campus and youth mobilization, and nonpartisan civic participation. Recent grantees include groups tied to these functions through general operating, staffing, research, and turnout-focused grants.
No. Its active program is discretionary grantmaking by invitation, and it does not maintain a formal application process or accept unsolicited grant requests.
The recent grant distribution shows a p25 of $10,871, a median grant of $25,000, and a p75 of $50,000. The portfolio also includes substantially larger awards for operating support, staffing, and turnout programs.
Pennsylvania is the main center of gravity, with 70% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. The foundation also funds organizations in Brooklyn, New York, and Washington, DC, but the overall scope is regional and centered on Pennsylvania civic participation.
Yes. The recent grants list shows repeated support for several organizations across multiple years, including The Voter Project Fund, Project 26 Pennsylvania, Lead PA Institute, and Commonwealth Communications. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-time awards.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project 26 Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $595,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| The Voter Project Fund | Philadelphia, PA | $400,000 | 2025 | Vote By Mail |
| Working Families Organization Inc | Brooklyn, NY | $250,000 | 2025 | Early Vote |
| Pennsylvania United | Allegheny, PA | $250,000 | 2025 | Non Partisan |
| Organize Pennsylania | Pittsburgh, PA | $250,000 | 2025 | Non Partisan |
| Lead PA Institute | Philadelphia, PA | $221,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Commonwealth Communications | Philadelphia, PA | $200,000 | 2025 | Democracy Defense Communications & Digital |
| Project Keystone | Philadelphia, PA | $186,000 | 2025 | Black Voter Research |
| Project 26 Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $120,000 | 2025 | Staffing Expansion |
| The Voter Project Fund | Philadelphia, PA | $100,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Project 26 Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $100,000 | 2025 | Welcome Week Program |
| Project 26 Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $100,000 | 2025 | Rural Staffing |
| In This Together NEPA | Mountain Top, PA | $100,000 | 2025 | Election Protection |
| Working Families Organization Inc | Brooklyn, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | Non Partisan |
| Pennsylvania United | Allegheny, PA | $91,000 | 2025 | GOTV (Erie VBM & Allegheny Rides to the Polls) |
| Make The Road States Inc | Brooklyn, NY | $75,000 | 2025 | Non Partisan |
| Project 26 Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $75,000 | 2025 | Rural Campus Voter Mobilization |
| Commonwealth Communications | Philadelphia, PA | $70,900 | 2025 | Vote.pa |
| Make The Road States Inc | Brooklyn, NY | $70,000 | 2025 | Early Vote |
| Commonwealth Communications | Philadelphia, PA | $66,400 | 2025 | Megaphone Program |
| One PA for All | Pittsburgh, PA | $60,000 | 2025 | Early Vote |
| CASA de Maryland Inc | Hyattsville, MD | $60,000 | 2025 | Non Partisan |
| Commonwealth Communications | Philadelphia, PA | $56,000 | 2025 | Early Vote & GOTV Digital |
| The Voter Project Fund | Philadelphia, PA | $55,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Fairness WV Institute INC | Charleston, WV | $50,000 | 2025 | Non Partisan Voter Contact in LGBTQ+ Communities |
| Commonwealth Communications | Philadelphia, PA | $50,000 | 2025 | 866 Our Vote Digital |
| Center for Empowered Politics Education Fund | San Francisco, CA | $36,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Make The Road States Inc | Brooklyn, NY | $36,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| New PA Project Education Fund | Lemoyne, PA | $36,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Pittsburgh United | Allegheny, PA | $36,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| One Pennsylvania Activists United | Washington, DC | $36,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Alliance for Police Accountability | Pittsburgh, PA | $33,000 | 2025 | Early Vote |
| Working Families Organization Inc | Brooklyn, NY | $30,000 | 2025 | Election Protection |
| Public Accountability Initiative INC | Buffalo, NY | $30,000 | 2025 | Voter Engagement |
| Public Democracy America | Great Falls, VA | $27,500 | 2025 | Pittsburgh Souls to the Polls Transportation |
| Pennsylvania United | Allegheny, PA | $25,000 | 2025 | Democracy Protection & Expansion |
| 412 Justice | Pittsburgh, PA | $25,000 | 2025 | Early Vote |
| Abolitionists Law Center | Pittsburgh, PA | $25,000 | 2025 | Voter Registration |
| Casa San Jose | Pittsburgh, PA | $25,000 | 2025 | Early Vote |
| Alliance for Police Accountability | Pittsburgh, PA | $25,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Fair Elections Center | Washington, DC | $25,000 | 2025 | Campus Early Vote Programming |
| Fairness WV Institute INC | Charleston, WV | $25,000 | 2025 | Operating Expenses in Support of a Voter Staff Org |
| Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance | Philadelphia, PA | $25,000 | 2025 | Democracy Protection & Expansion |
| Working Families Organization Inc | Brooklyn, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | Democracy Protection & Expansion |
| Black Girls Vote | Towson, MD | $25,000 | 2025 | Party at the Mailbox and Early Vote |
| Pennslyvania Voice | Morrisville, PA | $24,600 | 2025 | Tablets |
| Promote the Vote | Philadelphia, PA | $21,000 | 2025 | Election Protection Hotline & Early Vote Programmi |
| ELCA--Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in PA | Camp Hill, PA | $20,000 | 2025 | Election Protection |
| One PA for All | Philadelphia, PA | $20,000 | 2025 | Advertising for Early Vote Events |
| Voter Empowerment Education & Enrichment Movement | Pittsburgh, PA | $20,000 | 2025 | Voter Engagement |
Project 26 Pennsylvania
$595,000General Operating
Lead PA Institute
General Operating
Commonwealth Communications
$200,000Democracy Defense Communications & Digital
Project 26 Pennsylvania
$120,000Staffing Expansion
Project 26 Pennsylvania
$100,000Welcome Week Program
Project 26 Pennsylvania
$100,000Rural Staffing
Project 26 Pennsylvania
$75,000Rural Campus Voter Mobilization
Commonwealth Communications
$70,900Vote.pa
Commonwealth Communications
$66,400Megaphone Program
Commonwealth Communications
$56,000Early Vote & GOTV Digital
Fairness WV Institute INC
$50,000Non Partisan Voter Contact in LGBTQ+ Communities
Commonwealth Communications
$50,000866 Our Vote Digital
Alliance for Police Accountability
$33,000Early Vote
Alliance for Police Accountability
$25,000General Operating
Fairness WV Institute INC
$25,000Operating Expenses in Support of a Voter Staff Org
Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance
$25,000Democracy Protection & Expansion
ELCA--Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in PA
$20,000Election Protection
Voter Empowerment Education & Enrichment Movement
$20,000Voter Engagement