Public Wise Awards Over $1M in Grants to Promote Democracy and Stop Election Deniers from Entering Public Office

Leading voting rights organization continues its investments in local grassroots groups focused on building community power and strengthening democracy 

MEDIA CONTACT: Mariel Adams, mariel.adams@berlinrosen.com
Danielle Carrasquero, danielle.carrasquero@berlinrosen.com  

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Public Wise, a voting rights organization which works to secure a government that reflects the will and protects the rights of the people, announced today it awarded $1,222,000 in grants in the first and second quarters of 2024 to organizations working to advance democracy and build collective power among communities.

“Democracy faces a pressing threat at every level of government,” said Christina Baal-Owens, Executive Director of Public Wise. “That’s why we need a comprehensive voter engagement strategy that reaches deep into local communities and ensures that no one is left behind this election cycle. Public Wise is continuing its investments in grassroots organizations doing just that who recognize the immense threat we face in election deniers continuing to seek public office up and down the ballot.”

The unrestricted funds were awarded to 26 grassroots organizations across the country, including Public Wise’s target states of Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Grantees include:

• $50,000 for Democracy North Carolina, a nonpartisan organization that uses research, organizing, and advocacy to strengthen democratic structures, build power among disenfranchised communities, and inspire confidence in a transformed political process that works for all
• $50,000 for Fair Count, a grassroots effort to build long-term electoral power in communities who have been historically overlooked to support their rural outreach programs and bilingual civic education efforts
• $100,000 for America Votes, a progressive organizing hub working with 400 national and local partners to build a representative democracy
• $10,000 for Democracy Sentry, an organization dedicated to ensuring that when a pro-democracy majority next controls the White House and both houses of Congress, it will immediately enact the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
• $50,000 for DownHome North Carolina, an organization that works to build power with poor and working-class people in North Carolina’s small towns and rural communities 
• $25,000 for Entertain Impact, an alliance which specializes in leading awareness and advocacy campaigns that encourage civic participation and build a more inclusive democracy
• $50,000 for League of Conservation Voters: Chispa AZ, an effort to organize within Latinx communities to grow political power and civic engagement for environmental justice in Arizona, as a program of the League of Conservation Voters
• $50,000 for Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA), an organization led by changemakers fighting for social, racial, and economic transformation 
• $75,000 for Mi Familia Vota, working to build Latino political power and protect democracy  in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Nevada, Texas and North Carolina by expanding the electorate, strengthening local infrastructures and voter engagement
• $150,000 for National Redistricting Action Fund, dedicated to harnessing the power of the power and courts to dismantle Wisconsin’s undemocratic electoral maps
• $50,000 for One Pennsylvania, a grassroots movement that empowers empower Black communities through voter education, endorses candidates, and prioritizes leadership development
• $50,000 for Our Voice Our Vote, a member-led organization committed to advocating for sustainable progressive public policy,  holding their elected officials accountable and centering Black communities in Arizona
• $25,000 for Poder Latinx, a civic and social justice organization dedicated to building political power for the Latinx community to support their canvassing capacity and youth programming in key battleground states 
• $50,000 for Rural Arizona Action (RAZA), which seeks to create more equitable and just systems through advocacy, accountability, and leadership training in rural Arizonan communities 
• $50,000 for Generation Vote, an intersectional, youth-led movement fighting for the right to vote and a democracy that works for all, to invest in their membership recruitment and expansion of GenVote teams in their priority states

• $50,000 for Sheriffs for Trusting Communities, a group working to ensure sheriffs across the country reflect just, equitable values, to engage in more sheriff elections in 2023 and 2024
• $50,000 for Siembra NC, a grassroots organization working to organize the Latine community across North Carolina
• $50,000 for Vote Rev. Action Fund, which designs and quickly mainstreams field-tested civic engagement innovations with and for nonprofits that amplify the power of historically disenfranchised communities
• $25,000 for Arizona Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders Advocates  (A3NHPI), a state-wide organization striving for equity and justice by building power through community directed organizing, increasing civic engagement, and empowering young leaders
• $25,000 for America’s Future Project Action Fund, which focuses on local and state-level strategies to change the policy landscape for diverse families and communities across America
• $50,000 for North Carolina Asian Americans Together in Action (NCAAT in Action), which is committed to supporting equity and justice for all by building political power among AAPIs (Asian American Pacific Islanders) and allies in North Carolina through voter education, progressive advocacy and leadership development
• $25,000 for Drag Out the Vote, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works with drag performers to promote participation in democracy
• $25,000 for Grita Canta Vota, a grassroots nonpartisan campaign dedicated to registering and mobilizing the Latino community for long-term engagement through music 
• $50,000 for National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), a group building power with AAPI women and girls and advocating for reproductive justice, for their local elections programming in Georgia, Florida and Texas
• $25,000 for Arizona Native Vote (ANV), a non-partisan organization dedicated to building tribal and rural political power by working with community members to increase voter registration and civic engagement
• $12,000 for Black Wall USA, a Pennsylvania-based Black progressive non-profit organization comprised of like-minded individuals who seek to combat and overtake the systemic racism that has taken root in America

Public Wise awarded more than $1.8 million  in 2023, more than $2.5 million in 2022, and more than $2.25 million in 2021, which included grants to the National Redistricting Action Fund, American Oversight, and The Fair Elections Center. Public Wise has previously awarded funding to America Votes, National Redistricting Action Fund, League of Conservation Voters: Chispa AZ, Sherriffs for Trusting Communities, Our Voice Our Vote, Mi Familia Vota, the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, Generation Vote, and Poder Latinx.

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About Public Wise

Persistent and unyielding in our commitment to a just multiracial democracy, Public Wise fights to secure a government that reflects the will and protects the rights of the people. We accomplish this through education, research, organizing, funding, and partnerships that support more voting and more equitable representation.