Author Archives: Meredith Bird

Local Progress Policy Action

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Type of Activity: Project
Grantee: Local Progress Policy Action
Amount: $200,000 in 2023

What is Local Progress Policy Action?

Local Progress Policy Action is a 501(c)4 and a movement of local elected officials advancing racial and economic justice through all levels of local government. Local Progress Policy Action is comprised of elected leaders who build power with underrepresented communities, many of which they are a part of, and work to reshape what is possible in localities all across the country.

Why do we think this project is important? 

Democracy Fund Voice supports Local Progress Policy Action’s work to shift governing culture toward one that centers collaborative governance, provides tailored leadership and governance training opportunities for local elected officials, increases public awareness and understanding of the dangerous impacts of state preemption, and mobilizes local elected officials across localities and regions towards shared policy goals grounded in racial and economic justice.

How is Democracy Fund Voice supporting Local Progress Policy Action? 

In 2023, Democracy Fund Voice approved a one-year grant of $200,000 to Local Progress Policy Action.

Independent Strategic Research Collaborative Inc.

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Type of Activity: Project
Grantee: Independent Strategic Research Collaborative Inc.
Amount: $87,000 in 2023

What is Independent Strategic Research Collaborative Inc.?

Independent Strategic Research Collaborative Inc. (RC) is a trusted go-to research, strategy, messaging, and collaborative convening hub for progressive national, state, and local organizations working to realize the promise of a truly equitable, multi-racial democracy. RC generates and disseminates research, message guidance, and strategic approaches to address the pressing crises of the day and to put forward a long-term compelling progressive narrative for democracy.

Why do we think this project is important? 

RC initiates, coordinates, and disseminates compelling communications research and narrative guidance on key pro-democracy- and elections-related issues and events; criminal and civil prosecutions related to former prominent members of government and their allies; and monumental Supreme Court terms. RC has helped to ensure better coordination among key researchers, ensuring more streamlined and collaborative research proposals go into the field, and helping to build a more collegial and connected research community.

How is Democracy Fund Voice supporting Independent Strategic Research Collaborative Inc.?

In 2023, Democracy Fund Voice approved a one-year grant of $87,000 to Independent Strategic Research Collaborative to support organizational and strategic development.

Support for Rumbo

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Type of Activity: Project
Grantee: Iconico, LLC
Amount: $50,000 in 2023

What is Iconico?

Founded in 2016, Iconico has worked with organizations and communities of all sizes to incubate innovative campaigns and organizations that work to build power in low-income and communities of color.

Why do we think this project is important? 

Since Iconico was founded, its focus has been to build sustainable capacity in advocacy organizations in Arizona, and beyond, as well as long-term solutions for issues affecting communities. In the last five years, Iconico has incubated some of the most critical organizations in the building of durable progressive political infrastructure with BIPOC communities in AZ. Since then, they have identified a new gap that goes beyond the political landscape, and it presents a unique opportunity to start a conversation and a plan of action for the coming changes of America’s desert lands.

The world is constantly changing, and now more than ever we see rapid environmental changes in communities across the globe, especially those most impacted by heat, water scarcity, and migration. To meet this challenge, and continue building resilience within our communities, particularly with those most impacted by social inequities, Iconico is developing a climate adaptation project called Rumbo. Democracy Fund Voice’s support of this work will help Iconico assess the best places to add value in an area that needs capacity and focus.

How is Democracy Fund Voice supporting Iconico? 

In 2023, Democracy Fund Voice approved a one-year grant of $50,000 to Iconico, LLC, to support their Rumbo project.

 

Fix Our House

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Type of Activity: Project
Grantee: Fix Our House
Amount: $150,000 in 2023

What is Fix Our House?

Fix Our House is a bipartisan effort to make our politics more competitive and responsive through the adoption of proportional representation.

Why do we think this project is important? 

Fix Our House champions urgently needed reforms to pull politics out of its doom loop of polarization and dysfunction by offering America’s diverse electorate full and fair representation in the House of Representatives.

How is Democracy Fund Voice supporting Fix Our House?

In 2023, Democracy Fund Voice approved a one-year grant of $150,000 to Fix Our House.

Down Home North Carolina

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Type of Activity: General Operating Support
Grantee: Down Home North Carolina
Amount: $200,000 in 2023 over two years

What is Down Home North Carolina?

Down Home North Carolina is a 501(c)4 that aims to support, promote, and develop the common good and social welfare of working and poor rural North Carolina residents through civic engagement, leadership development, and educational events. Down Home North Carolina’s long-term vision is to support member-driven organizing that represents the multi-racial working class, working at the local level and together as a statewide coalition, in all 80 rural counties in North Carolina.

Why do we think this work is important? 

Democracy Fund Voice supports state-based power-building efforts, and Down Home North Carolina’s work has the potential to have a significant positive impact on building power in underfunded rural communities. North Carolina’s rural population (3.4M) is larger than that of any other state except Texas (3.8M), but few civic organizations primarily serve rural areas in NC. Down Home uses leadership development, strategic campaigning, multiracial movement building, and civic engagement to build infrastructure and power in rural places.

How is Democracy Fund Voice supporting Down Home North Carolina? 

In 2023, Democracy Fund Voice approved a two-year grant of $200,000 to Down Home North Carolina.

Committee on States

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Type of Activity: Project
Grantee: Committee on States
Amount: $253,000 in 2023 over two years

What is the Committee on States?

Committee on States is a 501(c)4 organization with a mission to create, nurture, and sustain a community of state-based progressive investors and institutional partners throughout the country.

Why do we think this project is important? 

Democracy Fund Voice supports efforts to strengthen state and local organizing groups to build power, grow capacity in grassroots organizing, and increase engagement in communities. Committee on States plays a key role in aligning and empowering state and local organizations with increasing funding. This grant will help support the Committee on States’ convening power and internal organizational growth.

How is Democracy Fund Voice supporting Committee on States? 

In 2023, Democracy Fund Voice approved a two-year grant of $253,000 to Committee on States to build its internal capacity.

 

Multi-entity Infrastructure Building

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Type of Activity: Project
Grantee: Center for Empowered Politics
Amount: $300,000 in 2023 over three years

What is the Center for Empowered Politics?

The Center for Empowered Politics (CEP) is a capacity builder, field builder, and project incubator focused on people of color-led organizations, movement infrastructure, particularly around racial justice, organizing, and power building strategies.

Why do we think this project is important? 

CEP works to close critical gaps in local movement infrastructure and to support better coordination around organizational capacity development for grassroots people of color-led organizations. These needs must be addressed with greater and more coordinated direct investment to movement organizations. This requires cross-pollination of ideas and operational practices between regions and states, and resources to support the long-term development of these structures that can reduce movement reliance upon cyclical and inconsistent funding practices.

Democracy Fund Voice supports work to strengthen infrastructure that serves organizers’ interests, including supporting projects that enable organizations to conduct more sophisticated multi-entity work that ultimately allows for the development of more sustainable fundraising models. CEP equips grassroots organizational leaders with the skills, resources, and technical expertise to conduct multi-entity work, and partners with state-based organizations to develop sustainable local and statewide back-end operations hubs that increase alignment and create efficiencies within local movements.

How is Democracy Fund Voice supporting the Center for Empowered Politics? 

In 2023, Democracy Fund Voice approved a three-year grant of $300,000 to the Center for Empowered Politics in support of their Multi-entity Infrastructure Building project.

Center for Ballot Freedom

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Type of Activity: Project
Grantee: Center for Ballot Freedom
Amount: $200,000 in 2023

What is the Center for Ballot Freedom?

A fiscally sponsored project of Tides Advocacy, the Center for Ballot Freedom is a unique structural reform initiative led by a cross-partisan coalition focused on reviving and relegalizing fusion voting in order to solve our nation’s polarization problem.

Why do we think this project is important? 

Fusion voting is one of many promising reforms that could counteract the dominant winner-take-all dynamic in our elections by empowering new voices, new ideas, and new parties to emerge—and in the process, increasing healthy competition in our political system.

How is Democracy Fund Voice supporting the Center for Ballot Freedom? 

In 2023, Democracy Fund Voice approved a one-year grant of $200,000 to the Center for Ballot Freedom.

AZ AANHPI Advocates

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Type of Activity: Project
Grantee: AZ AANHPI Advocates
Amount: $200,000 in 2023 over two years

What is AZ AANHPI Advocates?

Arizona Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Advocates (AZ AANHPI Advocates), a fiscally sponsored project of Arizona Wins, has a mission to empower and engage the Arizona AANHPI community, encouraging civic engagement and educating the community on relevant public policies, to facilitate the creation of an equitable society and inclusive democracy.

Why do we think this project is important? 

Democracy Fund Voice supports work to strengthen and expand the movement for an inclusive, multi-racial democracy with a focus on POC power and leadership. AZ AANHPI’s year-round organizing work contributes to building power among Arizona AANHPI communities by focusing on voter participation, educating the community on voting rights, removing barriers to voting, engaging in litigation against voter suppression laws, increasing voting access, and leadership development in the Arizona AANHPI community.

How is Democracy Fund Voice supporting AZ AANHPI Advocates? 

In 2023, Democracy Fund Voice approved a two-year grant of $200,000 to AZ AANHPI Advocates.

Strengthening Democracy Research

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Type of Activity: Project
Grantee: Advance Democracy
Amount: $200,000 in 2023

What is Advance Democracy?

Advance Democracy (ADI) is an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts public-interest research and investigations. Taken as a whole, ADI’s efforts help create a more just, democratic, and environmentally responsible society.

Why do we think this project is important? 

Democracy Fund Voice support’s ADI research efforts to serve the pro-democracy field through the provision and synthesis of information for organizations working toward a more just and inclusive multiracial democracy.

How is Democracy Fund Voice supporting Advance Democracy (ADI)? 

In 2023, Democracy Fund Voice approved a one-year grant of $200,000 to Advance Democracy to support their Strengthening Democracy Research project.