Philanthropy and the 2024 election: A special newsletter

Hi All,

Philanthropy has been a major player in the 2024 election cycle, often operating behind the scenes and attracting little attention from mainstream media. On paper, there are clear lines between political and charitable giving. In practice, those lines are vague and have grown steadily blurrier in recent years. An ever larger number of funders are putting their thumb on the electoral scale—using tactics that IP first discussed in a 2016 piece about the many ways that “charitable” donations can influence voting outcomes.?

How you feel about all this tax-subsidized political spending likely has much to do with your ideology and what examples you fixate on. Liberals fume at the millions of dollars that right-wing funders give for voter suppression efforts and, most recently, to help bankroll a bigger, more sophisticated “Stop the Steal” effort for this election. Conservatives love to complain about how progressive foundations engage in an end-run around IRS rules to turn out base Democratic voters, often covering their tracks with?intermediaries.?

I won’t pretend to be neutral in this back-and-forth. There isn’t a moral equivalency between trying to prevent people from voting?and encouraging the least represented groups in America to participate. Clearly, though, the porous?rules around elections and philanthropy are yet another example of a fraying nonprofit regulatory regime.?

Let’s leave that sticky challenge for another day. Today, on the eve of the closest presidential race in memory, here’s a look at recent IP coverage of what funders are doing in this election, from supporting civic engagement to backing efforts to fight disinformation and reduce polarization.?

What We’re Covering?

A push to give early for election work. But was it enough? After years of complaints from voter groups that funding flowed too late in election cycles, making it difficult to plan field programs, many leading democracy funders pledged to get grants out the door by April—and then followed through. The “All by April” campaign attracted over 200 signatories and rallied $155 million in commitments, including many smaller funders, as IP’s Mike Scutari reported. This surge?helped to allay fears that giving to grassroots groups would fall short of 2020 levels, although many such groups have still reported large funding gaps in recent weeks.?

The funders focused on the states. The Building for Democracy Education Fund has been moving resources to state-level grassroots groups ahead of the election. It’s “supported by well-known players in the pro-democracy philanthropy world, including the JPB Foundation, the Democracy Fund, and Tides,” IP’s Sarah Henry reported. Meanwhile, the State Infrastructure Fund—a longtime donor collaborative housed at NEO Philanthropy—is also deeply engaged in supporting grassroots electoral work this year, buoyed by funding by MacKenzie Scott, among other notable donors.??

Efforts to connect the dots and support electoral work. With so many groups working in the voting space, there’s growing attention to pooling resources and keeping better tabs on who’s doing what. IP recently looked at the important role of The Movement Cooperative, which provides access to collectively purchased data and software resources. We also wrote about another infrastructure group, Clean and Prosperous America, which tracks the funding shortfalls of some 450 civic groups—many of them small startups—working on key races in battleground states, districts, and elections.

Grants to engage AAPI voters. Asian Americans are the fastest-growing slice of the electorate, but their turnout rates still lag behind whites. IP’s Martha Rameriz reported on how the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund supports groups working to activate these voters. This collaborative grantmaker is now in its 10th year and draws support from some of philanthropy’s biggest names.?

What philanthropy is doing to fight disinformation. Disinformation poses a major threat to fair and secure elections. Martha Ramirez profiled funders fighting back against disinformation—and explained what’s wrong with Mark Zuckerberg’s cry of “censorship” when it comes to mitigating misinformation on social media.???

The many different types of funders supporting democracy initiatives. It’s not just “democracy funders” making democracy-related grants in this election cycle. We’ve been covering why funders such as the global feminist funder Foundation for a Just Society and LGBTQ funder the Gill Foundation are stepping up.?

“How we get out of just being in a defensive posture and think about the kind of democracy we want to create.” Those are the words of Mike Berkowitz, executive director of the Democracy Funders Network, who spoke with Mike Scutari about what’s animating funders in the election’s final stretch. “We cannot revitalize American democracy election cycle by election cycle,” Berkowitz said, even if funders do need to respond to what feels like an unrelenting series of immediate threats. The JPB Foundation also calls for pro-democracy giving that’s long-term and not solely focused on elections. Sarah Henry spoke with Arianna Jimenez, JPB’s SVP for democracy, gender, and racial justice.?

Whatever happens in this election, philanthropy will still have a lot to contend with—whether it’s supporting movements to protect rights and the planet, policy advocacy, or addressing the ongoing threats of polarization (which philanthropy has played a role in creating, according to critics) and disinformation, both of which, unfortunately, will still be with us after Election Day.?

Plus:?

• DJs at the Polls, sponsored by Focus for Democracy Fund, aims to get out the vote by bringing some joy to polling places.?
• The funders supporting the next generation of elected officials.
• Our earlier coverage of efforts to build Latino political power.
• Past insider looks at key funding intermediaries Way to Win, Movement Voter Project,?Arabella Advisors, and the Democracy Alliance.
• A deep dive into the ever-blurrier lines between 501(c)(3)s and 501(c)(4)s, and the growing politicization of philanthropy.?

What We’re Reading?

• The Democracy Futures Project, from the Brennan Center??
• Imagining Better Futures for American Democracy, from Democracy Funders Network?
• The Election Looks Like an Intramural Squabble Between Billionaires, by David Wallace-Wells (NYT)?

More IP Knowledge on the Eve of the U.S. Election

• IP's guide to Democracy and Civic Life funders in Grant Finder
• State of American Philanthropy: Giving for Democracy and Civic Life?
• IP's recommendations to donors who want to strengthen democracy

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Thanks for Reading!

David Callahan

Founder & Editor