Philanthropy as a Catalyst for Voter Engagement

To achieve our shared goals of healthier, thriving, and equitable communities, our voters must reflect our communities. As funders, conveners, collaborators, and catalyzers, foundations can inspire and support voter engagement work that builds a more inclusive and equitable democracy and ensures local communities are heard in our democratic process. Whether your mission is healthier environments, improving social determinants of health, or increased investment in arts education, foundations have a role to play in prioritizing voter engagement in your work.

This fall, Nonprofit VOTE will unveil its latest resource — the Philanthropy for Voter Engagement Toolkit — to help foundations foster a philanthropic system that consistently supports and resources voter engagement among their grantees and broader community.

Toolkit topics include:

• how foundations can leverage capacity and skills building for their grantees on nonpartisan voter engagement;
• communications campaigns by foundations to elevate voting in their communities
• shifts toward trust-based philanthropy that provide direct funding to grantees to focus on voter engagement;
• how to support ecosystem building for collaborative voter engagement programs; and
• funder collaboratives that align and maximize funder engagement.

Learn about updated tools and resources to support your foundation as you explore or expand your voter engagement work, including common strategies and specific case studies, and FAQs to help your foundation support voter engagement to deliver more effectively on your mission and strengthen the communities you serve.