Promoting Electoral Reform and Democratic Participation
Where We Work
This initiative is based in our New York office and supports organizations working in the United States.
What We Fund
We focus on efforts to eliminate barriers to democratic participation in the United States by ensuring that the census, redistricting and elections systems are fair and inclusive. These efforts include:
- Increasing public understanding of the issues at stake
- Directly engaging excluded communities in reform efforts
- Supporting groups that work to strengthen and enforce the law
Our grant making focuses on the following five strategies:
- Public policy advocacy
- Stakeholder development and collaboration
- Impact litigation
- Strategic communications
- Targeted research
To Apply for a Grant
Follow these steps:
- Review the Initiative(s) most relevant to your work.
- Read our Grant Application Guide, which describes our grant-making process.
- If you determine that your work aligns with our priorities, submit a Grant Inquiry. (While we welcome submissions, please keep in mind that our funds are limited in relation to the large number of worthwhile inquiries we receive. In a typical year, less than 1 percent of unsolicited inquiries result in a grant.)
Please Note:
It is important that you use our grant inquiry form—and refrain from contacting program officers directly. Given the volume of inquiries we receive, this allows us to log, track and respond quickly to your application.
Fellowships
The vast majority of foundation grants go to organizations. We provide a very limited number of fellowship opportunities for individuals through the Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships Program, which aims to diversify the faculties of American colleges and universities.
The foundation does not have any other active fellowship opportunities at this time.
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