Type of Activity: Project
Grantee: Common Defense Civic Engagement
Amount: $100,000 in 2022

What is Common Defense Civic Engagement?

Founded in 2016, Common Defense is the nation’s largest grassroots organization of US military veterans and the only one that invests in the leadership of its members through training and deployment in campaigns that connect directly to their history of service, including voting rights, climate justice, and anti-militarism.

Why do we think this project is important?

Building on the deep organizing model of voting rights work launched in 2021, Common Defense leverages the moral authority of the veteran voice using messages that underscore the threat of the disinformation undermining our democracy, and instills faith in our democratic systems from our country’s most revered and trusted messengers. The voter education, base building, and coalition work with allied organizations conducted in 2022 has allowed Common Defense to center the veteran voice in the ongoing fight for voting rights, racial justice and immigrant rights, including the passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act.

How is Democracy Fund Voice supporting Common Defense Civic Engagement?

In 2022, Democracy Fund Voice approved a one-year grant of $100,000 to Common Defense Civic Engagement to support their Veterans for Democracy campaign.

Type of Activity: Project
Grantee: Shared Ascent Fund
Amount: $30,000 in 2020

What is the Shared Ascent Fund?

Shared Ascent Fund is a nonprofit designed to provide sustained support for efforts to confront the growing threat to our democracy. This work cannot succeed without advancing economic, racial, and gender equity. Shared Ascent Fund assists skillful leaders and organizations as they strive to move beyond the zero-sum economics and politics that impoverish communities and deepen divides.

Why do we think this project is important?

In order to defend the ability of 501(c)(3) organizations to share resources with their partner 501(c)(4) organizations without jeopardizing the tax status of the (c)(3) organizations, Shared Ascent Fund mobilized a congressional response to the IRS’s private letter rule 134894-18.

In January 2020, the U.S. Internal Revenue (IRS) released a private letter ruling that could undermine the ability of 501(c)(3) organizations to share resources, including office space and employees, with their partner 501(c)(4) organizations without jeopardizing the tax status of the (c)(3) organizations.

Through this project, the Shared Ascent Fund defended this long-established, legally sound practice, which has been integral to the growth and effectiveness of nonprofit advocacy. As is the case now, the (c)(3) and (c)(4) organizations would continue to observe the legal formalities of their separate incorporations and separate financials to avoid violating their different lobbying and electoral rules. The existing legal structures have allowed non-profit organizations to pursue outcomes that serve the public interest on a range of priorities that are core the future of an open and just democracy.

How is Democracy Fund Voice supporting Shared Ascent Fund?

In 2020, Democracy Fund Voice approved a grant of $30,000 to Shared Ascent Fund.

Type of Activity: Project
Grantee: NILC Immigrant Justice Fund
Amount: Updated to $200,000 in 2021 — originally approved as $100,000 in 2020

What is the NILC Immigrant Justice Fund?

In 2013, the National Immigration Law Center created an affiliate organization, the NILC Immigrant Justice Fund (NILC IJF), to advocate more directly for federal immigration reform policies that provide a road to U.S. citizenship for all aspiring citizens. IJF’s work is guided by a mission focused on building immigrant power, and advancing smart, effective, and fair immigration policy by executing civic engagement campaigns.

Why do we think this project is important?

Despite devastating attacks on immigrants’ lives and livelihoods over the last four years, immigrants and immigration are all too often the last issue on the policymaking agenda. IJF and its sister organization, the National Immigration Law Center, litigates in court and lobby with allies in state houses and Congress to advance immigrant justice. Last year, IJF relaunched its political arm, and developed the 2020 Project to advance smart, effective, fair immigration policy by: 1) shifting how immigration is covered by the media; 2) transforming the way policymakers and political influencers talk about immigrants and immigration; and 3) building enough political power to hold leaders accountable.

The civic engagement strategies of NILC-IJF accomplished these goals including engaging and building their list of activists, preparing activists and voters for advocacy efforts in 2021 and beyond, continuing to produce social media ads using immigrant inclusive messaging to build broad support for immigrants, and continuing to engage the press to tell the story of an inclusive, thriving vision for the United States that includes a fair and humane immigration system.

How is Democracy Fund Voice supporting the NILC Immigrant Justice Fund?  

In 2020, Democracy Fund Voice made a grant of $100,000 to NILC Immigrant Justice Fund. In 2021 an amendment was approved to increase the amount of the grant by $100,000 for a total of $200,000.

Type of Activity: Project 
Grantee: Arizona State University
Amount: $60,000 in 2018

What is the 2018 Language Access Convening?

The annual Language Access for Voters Summit, hosted by Arizona State University, brings together election officials, advocates, and other experts to share ideas, techniques, and resources – all in service of meeting the needs of voters for whom English is a second language or those who simply prefer to communicate in a language other than English.

Why do we think this event is important?

This convening brings together multiple stakeholders around the issue of language access in elections. Legitimate election outcomes are predicated on a process that is free and fair for all qualified citizens. Accommodating different language needs is essential to ensure that elections are free in fact, and not just in theory.

How is Democracy Fund Voice supporting Arizona State University?

In 2018, Democracy Fund Voice approved a grant to Arizona State University in the amount of $60,000.

Type of Activity: Project
Grantee: NEO Philanthropy Action Fund
Amount: Updated to $600,000 in 2022

What is the Four Freedoms Action Fund?

The Four Freedoms Action Fund (FFAF) is a project of NEO Philanthropy Action Fund (NEO-PAF) that builds and supports a robust local, state and national infrastructure of immigrants’ rights organizations and leaders. The project conducted a post-2018 election mapping and analysis to determine and understand what legislative opportunities there are at the state level to support immigrant communities. Following completion of that mapping, organizations have identified those opportunities and are working to provide c4 support to effectively organize and advocate.

Why do we think this project is important?

We believe that diverse, bipartisan organizations and communities can work together for the common good. Bipartisan efforts are required in order to create safe and secure communities, develop a sense of shared national identity, and make space to defend constitutional norms under attack. Using the information gained from their mapping work, Four Freedoms Action Fund will collaborate with allies engaged in protection of targeted communities and employ communications tactics to advance positive norms at the national level.

How is Democracy Fund Voice supporting the Four Freedoms Action Fund?

In 2022 an amendment was approved to increase the amount of the grant by $150,000 for a total of $600,000, as well as to extend to the grant period through November 2023.

In 2019, Democracy Fund Voice approved a two-year grant of $300,000 to the Four Freedoms Action Fund. In 2021 an amendment was approved to increase the amount of the grant by $150,000 for a total of $450,000. A previous grant of $100,000 was made in 2018 by Democracy Fund Voice to conduct mapping of the 2018-midterm election and determine where there are legislative opportunities at the state level to support immigrant communities.

Type of activity: Project Grant
Grantee: TXBIZ Votes
Amount: $75,000 in 2018

What is TXBIZ Votes?

TXBIZ Votes provides non-partisan and unbiased information about where candidates and elected officials stand on issues important to Texas employees, industry sectors, and consumers.

 Why do we think this project is important?

We believe in solutions and institutions that work to support election administrators and improve processes. Election Administrators in Texas have to consistently deal with large amounts of paper registration forms. Online Voter Registration is a reform policy that greatly benefits the public, as well as state and local election officials, by streamlining the voting process. Currently, Texas is the largest remaining state without Online Voter Registration, and it has some of the lowest electoral participation and registration rates in the country.

How is Democracy Fund Voice supporting TXBIZ?

In 2018, Democracy Fund Voice approved a grant of $75,000 to support TXBIZ Votes’ ongoing state-based efforts to modernize elections in Texas.