Civic Right Fund

Strengthening the trusted institutions, principled leadership, and local and state infrastructure necessary to build strong elections and a healthier civic culture.

What does Civic Right Fund invest in?

We prioritize general support to state and local nonprofit entities that:

  • Engage audiences who can impact the policymaking process, legal process, or collective civic culture.

  • Promote policies, behaviors, and norms that are the backbone of a free, fair, and trusted election system.

  • Pursue innovative ideas aimed at improving civic culture more broadly.

  • Civic Right Fund seeks to support the durable national network of organizations promoting good elections and civic infrastructure work at the state and local levels. We look to incubate efforts by new and existing nonprofits, projects, and think tanks to promote responsible elections- and civics-related policies and values.

    Examples Include:

    • A new (or small existing) state nonprofit that is creating a sustainable infrastructure to promote trust in elections and broader democratic principles.

    • A think tank which has begun to make elections or civics a part of its broader programming.

  • Civic Right Fund supports the development and implementation of fresh ideas to improve elections and build civic culture at the state and local levels.

    Examples Include:

    • Piloting fellowships, mentoring opportunities, and other efforts to leverage former elections administrators and policymakers to support and advise current officials.

    • Cultivating networks of election officials who actively promote democratic principles in their jobs.

    • Investing in public education on the benefits of participating in primary elections.

  • Civic Right Funds understands that on occasion, unanticipated and time-sensitive opportunities arise. We reserve funding to support emergent situations that demonstrate positive impact across the elections ecosystem.

    Examples Include:

    • Specific litigation needs around election-related efforts.

    • Time-sensitive communications support around elections or related policy initiatives.

Civic Right Fund is a separate entity from Civic Right.

Both initiatives work toward a shared objective of strengthening civic culture in America.

Civic Right Fund Grantees

  • Promoting Idaho's Election Integrity

    Idaho | Truth in Media Foundation

    The grant supports the Truth in Media Foundation, in partnership with the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office, to create election-related content for The Ranch Podcast, train all 44 county clerks on effective social media use, produce content for counties in need, and establish a unified statewide content-sharing system. The project aims to combat misinformation and educate Idahoans about their election system, its safeguards, and its integrity.

  • Re-engaging Skeptical & Disengaged Americans to Strengthen Democracy

    Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty | Wisconsin

    Supporting the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty in launching a targeted public opinion research and message development initiative aimed at restoring civic trust among disengaged and skeptical segments of the populace. The effort seeks to re-engage Americans around democratic principles—rule of law, limited government, and trust in elections—through focus groups, a statewide survey experiment, and a practical messaging toolkit.

  • Federalism: The Immune System of Elections

    Sutherland Institute | Utah

    The grant supports the Sutherland Institute in persuading audiences that federalism is essential to a trustworthy election process. By engaging policymakers and the populace across the Mountain West, the project will promote policies that preserve local authority in election administration and demonstrate how distributing responsibilities across federal, state, and local officials strengthens security, prevents fraud, and builds public trust.

  • Building Civic Culture in Rural Minnesota Through Civics Education

    YMCA Center for Youth Voice | Minnesota

    The grant supports the YMCA Center for Youth Voice in establishing a “Minnesota Civic Seal,” a new initiative to recognize and encourage civic participation among high school students. The Center will partner with five rural high schools to bolster teacher champions of civic principles and support students in learning about and applying them in their communities.

  • Supporting Conservative Election Professionals

    League of Conservative Election Professionals | National

    To support a new initiative, LCEP advances a conservative, professionalized infrastructure to promote democratic integrity across state and local election ecosystems. It provides a Fellow to the League to help address the "brain drain" in election administration and serve as a credible resource for conservative officials who may feel alienated in broader pro-democracy discussions.

  • The Wyoming Warning

    Wyoming FREE | Wyoming

    The grant supports Wyoming FREE (Fair Reliable Ethical Elections) in highlighting Wyoming as a cautionary case study on the dangers of closed primaries and their rapid impact on democratic norms and policy. Through a white paper, narrative collection, civics education efforts, and more, the project will also advance public understanding of the importance of primary election participation.

  • Consolidating Special Elections & Primary Election Engagement

    Mountain States Policy Center | Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming

    The grant supports the Mountain States Policy Center in addressing lagging participation in the democratic process across Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming. Through research, legislative briefings, media, and grassroots outreach, MSPC will produce a case-study report, engage hundreds of civic leaders and legislators, and deliver targeted educational content to more than 150,000 residents.

  • State Elections Scorecard

    Joseph Rainey Center | National

    The grant supports the Joseph Rainey Center in creating, publishing, and maintaining a data-driven Election Integrity Scorecard that evaluates states on both security measures and accessibility metrics. Designed to guide conservative policymakers, the scorecard will provide empirical evidence for balanced reforms, highlight successful models, and serve as a resource for defending sensible policies against partisan attacks.