Skip to content
State Democracy Defenders Action at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

State Democracy Defenders Action

STATE DEMOCRACY DEFENDERS ACTION, d/b/a democracy defenders action is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization which was formed on may 24, 2023 and located in the district of columbia.

$1.3M
Granted FY2024still arriving
9
Grants FY2024still arriving
3
States reached
$500k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead

Read this first · the figures below need context

80% of State Democracy Defenders Action’s FY2025 grant dollars went to Global Impact, not to grantees.

Its money now reaches organizations through that sponsor, which does not report who recommended each grant. FY2025 names 6 organizations directly, so a portfolio cannot be read from it. Everything below is therefore FY2024, the last year State Democracy Defenders Action named its own grantees at scale: 8 organizations, $1M. It is dated, not current.

Organizations named directly on the return

3
’23
8
’24
6
’25

Amber years are those where most dollars went to a sponsor.

01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2023 to 2025.

International$2.0MPublic Benefit$1.6MCrime & Legal$250kCivil Rights$135kPhilanthropy$25k
02FY2024 · 9 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • $10k–50k6 grants · $150k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $221k
  • $250k+2 grants · $900k
$25,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$9.3M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
DEFEND DEMOCRACY PROJECT$500,000
FUND FOR STATES$400,000
DEMOCRACY 21$220,500
WORKING FAMILIES ORGANIZATION$25,000
SIXTEEN THIRTY FUND$25,000
CENTER FOR COMMUNITY CHANGE$25,000
ALL VOTING IS LOCAL ACTION$25,000
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION$25,000
CTR AMERICAN PROGRESS ACTN FD$25,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY23–25) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 13%. 86% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 13%THE VOTER PROJECT: $50k → 22%DEFEND DEMOCRACY PROJECT: $500k → 10%AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION: $25k → 17%WORKING FAMILIES ORGANIZATION: $25k → 20%GLOBAL IMPACT SOCIAL WELFARE: $2.0M → 14%FORWARD PAC INC: $25k → 10%FAIR FIGHT ACTION INC: $20k → 14%FUND FOR STATES: $400k → 14%DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF WISCONSIN OPERATIONS SEGREGATED FUND: $12k → 10%LOWELL AND ASSOCIATES: $250k → 14%CTR AMERICAN PROGRESS ACTN FD: $25k → 14%CENTER FOR COMMUNITY CHANGE: $25k → 14%DEMOCRACY ALLIANCE: $18k → 14%DEMOCRACY 21: $221k → 14%DEMOCRACY 21: $159k → 14%DEMOCRACY 21: $137k → 14%LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN CITIZENS INC: $25k → 14%ALL VOTING IS LOCAL ACTION: $25k → 14%SIXTEEN THIRTY FUND: $25k → 14%ALL VOTING IS LOCAL ACTION: $10k → 14%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
American Civil Liberties Union Fund of the District of Columbia

Preservation of civil liberties through litigation and public education.

—
2
Democracy Works Inc

The organization's mission is to leverage web-technologies to improve civic engagement and voter education.

Civil Rights
3
Center for Political Accountability

The Center's mission is to bring transparency and accountability to corporate political spending. The Center sees this as ending the pervasive secrecy that hides corporate political activity from shareholders and the public.

Public Benefit
4
The Campaign Legal Center Inc

The nonpartisan campaign legal center advances democracy through law at the federal, state and local levels, fighting for every american's rights to responsive government and a fair opportunity to participate in and affect the democratic…

Crime & Legal
5
All Voting Is Local

All voting is local (avl) focuses its nonpartisan programming in three core ways: 1) fighting voter suppression against american citizens and opening up pathways to registration and voting - at every turn and for eligible voters; 2)…

Civil Rights
6
Defend the Vote Action Fund

To sustain and support the prioritization of comprehensive voting rights and democracy reform legislation at all levels of government.

—
7
Fairvote Action

Fairvote action campaigns for better elections for all. we win voting reforms that make democracy more functional and representative for every american.

—
8
States United Action

States united action is a nonpartisan section 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization with a mission to protect our elections and our democracy. (continued on schedule o)states united action advances election protection, holds democracy violators…

Civil Rights
9
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation Inc

As noted in its articles of incorporation, the mission of the aclu foundation is "to encourage, sponsor, and facilitate the cultivation and diffusion of knowledge and understanding of the various civil liberties and civil rights which are…

Civil Rights
10
Fair Elections Center

Fair elections center (fec) is a national, nonpartisan voting rights and election reform organization dedicated to safeguarding the future of our democracy through innovative efforts focused on voting rights and civic engagement. the…

Civil Rights
11
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Iowa

The foundation works to defend and promote the constitution of the united states, focusing especially on the first, fourth, fifth, sixth, eighth, and 14th amendments. the foundation also works to defend and promote the constitution of the…

Civil Rights
12
Verified Voting Foundation

Strengthen democracy for all voters by promoting the responsible use of technology in all elections.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Center for Community Change Action; the most unlike its peers is The Voter Project. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

12 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 12 of the 17 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

2
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
12/12
Grantees still filing
4/12
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Global Impact: $1,967,848 · InternationalGlobal ImpactDEMOCRACY 21: $516,422 · OtherDEMOCRACY 21DEFEND DEMOCRACY PROJECT: $500,000 · OtherDEFEND DEMOCRACY PROJECTLOWELL AND ASSOCIATES: $250,000 · OtherLOWELL AND ASSOCIATESThe Voter Project: $50,000 · Other+4 more: $97,000 · Other+4 moreFUND FOR STATES: $400,000 · Public BenefitFUND FOR STA…CENTER FOR COMMUNITY CHANGE ACTION: $25,000 · Public BenefitCENTER FOR C…CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS ACTION FUND: $25,000 · Public BenefitCENTER FOR A…ALL VOTING IS LOCAL ACTION: $35,000 · Civil RightsWORKING FAMILIES ORGANIZATION INC: $25,000 · Civil RightsSIXTEEN THIRTY FUND: $42,500 · EnvironmentLULAC INSTITUTE INC: $25,000 · PhilanthropyFAIR FIGHT ACTION INC: $20,000 · Education
International$1,967,848Other$1,413,422Public Benefit$450,000Civil Rights$60,000Environment$42,500Philanthropy$25,000Education$20,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetGlobal Impact: $1,967,848 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetDEMOCRACY 21: $516,422 over 3y, 73% of budgetFUND FOR STATES: $400,000 over 1y, 100% of budgetThe Voter Project: $50,000 over 1y, 2.8% of budgetSIXTEEN THIRTY FUND: $42,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetALL VOTING IS LOCAL ACTION: $35,000 over 2y, 4.2% of budgetWORKING FAMILIES ORGANIZATION INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCENTER FOR COMMUNITY CHANGE ACTION: $25,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetCENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS ACTION FUND: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

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 Society Action F…National Education As…Sixteen Thirty FundTides FoundationDemocracy Fund Voice …NEO Philanthropy Acti…American Federation o…America VotesTides AdvocacyOur Children Our Futu…Fund for a Better Fut…Our American Future A…
Open Society Action Fund IncNY19.8× affinity7 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Open Society Action Fund Inc · National Education Association of the United States · Sixteen Thirty Fund · Tides Foundation · Democracy Fund Voice Inc · NEO Philanthropy Action Fund Inc · American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees · America Votes · Tides Advocacy · Our Children Our Future · Fund for a Better Future Inc · Our American Future Action

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization State Democracy Defenders Action funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from State Democracy Defenders Action. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%3%5%8%10%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–10%
    typical government reliance, FY20–25
    How this is measured
    Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

    On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 17 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

    How this is measured
    Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

    Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on State Democracy Defenders Action’s filings →

    More from the funding graph

    The unnamed billions
    grants reported with no recipient in the public record
    The regranting layer
    51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
    The DAF merry-go-round
    $9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
    The endowment market
    who holds foundation money, and what just moved
    The camps
    funders cluster by geography, not ideology
    By state
    where grant money is based, and what stays home