Washington, D.C. · Public charity
National Endowment for Democracy
Ned has a singular mission - advancing democracy in support of freedom around the world. Our targeted, demand-driven small grants program responds to the needs of local ngos that defend human rights, strengthen independent media and civic education, and empower women and youth in a manner that enables them to establish credibility as…
- $247M
- Granted FY2025(still arriving)
- 65
- Itemized grants FY2025
- 78
- Organizations funded FY2024
- 24%
- First-time grantees FY2024
- Itemized, FY2025
- $118M
- The rest is grants the schedule does not break out
- Median grant, FY2025
- $156,667
- Largest grant, FY2025
- $33,255,283
- Organizations funded a year
- 49 to 81
- FY2018 to FY2024
- States reached, FY2025
- 12
- Total assets, FY2025
- $165M
How open it is to new grantees
In FY2024, 24% of the organizations National Endowment for Democracy funded were first-time grantees, receiving 2% of its grant dollars.
New vs renewed · share of each year
In FY2024, 98% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $2.5M went to new ones.
Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant
How this is measured
The numbers by year
| Fiscal year | Organizations funded | To those organizations | First-time grantees |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025still arriving | 65 | $118M | 9% |
| FY2024 | 78 | $150M | 24% |
| FY2023 | 75 | $156M | 16% |
| FY2022 | 76 | $134M | 18% |
| FY2021 | 67 | $92M | 13% |
| FY2020 | 49 | $21M | 4% |
| FY2019 | 75 | $83M | 8% |
| FY2018 | 81 | $84M | 17% |
What it funded, over time
Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.
Where its grants go
Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.
Which US states its grants reach
Top grantees
Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.
| Grantee | Total granted | Years | Share of their budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Center for International Labor Solidarity | $210,948,527 | 9 | 56% |
| International Republican Institute | $209,969,897 | 9 | 33% |
| National Democratic Institute for International Affairs | $209,480,616 | 9 | 27% |
| Center for International Private Enterprise Inc | $194,866,514 | 9 | 89% |
| China Digital Times Inc | $7,135,878 | 9 | 61% |
| Freedom House | $5,824,898 | 9 | 2% |
| Directorio Democratico Cubano Inc | $4,873,353 | 8 | 80% |
| The Project on Middle East Democracy Inc | $4,092,625 | 7 | 65% |
| The International Institute on Race Equality and Human Rights | $3,086,549 | 9 | 26% |
| Scholars at Risk Inc | $2,866,812 | 8 | 23% |
Show all 185 grantees
Where it is load-bearing
National Endowment for Democracy supplied at least a quarter of the budget for 52 of its grantees at some point. The chart plots its 136 largest grantees; load-bearing ones sit top left.
Tap a dot to name the grantee.
How this is measured
Co-funders
Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.
Open a dossier: Foundation to Promote Open Society · Open Society Institute · Wellspring Philanthropic Fund Inc · The Ford Foundation · Humanity United · Freedom House · Internews Network · National Democratic Institute for International Affairs · Open Society Action Fund Inc · Rockefeller Brothers Fund Inc · New Venture Fund · John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation
How this is measured
About National Endowment for Democracy
- How much does National Endowment for Democracy give?
- National Endowment for Democracy reported 65 itemized grants totaling $118,484,607, out of $246,664,357 in total grant expense reported on the return in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 49 and 81 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2024.
- What does National Endowment for Democracy fund?
- By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2025, its largest causes are International (49%), Public Benefit (21%), Civil Rights (21%).
- Who are National Endowment for Democracy's largest grantees?
- By total granted over FY2017 to FY2025: American Center for International Labor Solidarity ($211M), International Republican Institute ($210M), National Democratic Institute for International Affairs ($209M).
- Does National Endowment for Democracy fund new organizations?
- In FY2024, 24% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
- Which funders back the same organizations as National Endowment for Democracy?
- Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include Foundation to Promote Open Society, Open Society Institute, Wellspring Philanthropic Fund Inc.
- Where is National Endowment for Democracy based?
- National Endowment for Democracy is based in DC.
Play a game based on National Endowment for Democracy’s filings →