Democracy is stronger when we invest in it together.
We are building new mechanisms to support the organizations strengthening the future of American democracy. Inspired by the principles of index investing, these funds bring together a curated portfolio of nonpartisan groups working to protect rights, strengthen elections, uphold democratic institutions, and expand civic participation across the country. They answer the question: what can we do?
Democracy philanthropy, simplified.
Thousands of nonprofits are working to strengthen democracy - protecting voting rights, defending the rule of law, and pushing back on threats to our fundamental freedoms and constitutional checks and balances. Every one of these efforts matters. But with so many worthy organizations and so much urgency, knowing where to plug in is hard.
One contribution, broad impact.
Just as investors use index funds to gain exposure across an entire market, donors can use the Democracy Index Funds to reach across the democracy ecosystem in a single gift.
- Support a diversified portfolio rather than a single organization.
- With the Democracy Index Funds, donors can apply proven investment logic to charitable giving.
- Give once, fund across the ecosystem.
The Ecosystem Effect
No single organization can strengthen democracy alone. And no single solution can solve the challenges we face. It takes everything - from bedrock institutions and legal protections to the movements and communities that mobilize around them.
Every part of the ecosystem plays a distinct role - and needs money to move forward. An underfunded area leaves the whole system more vulnerable. Diversified giving builds the infrastructure democracy depends on.
Capital that works as hard as the mission.
Separately, we are in the early stages of considering the organization and offering of interests in an investment vehicle (the “Hedge Fund”) through which we will explore how to generate liquidity for urgent issues. While the particulars still need to be determined, it's expected that it will be managed with the same conviction: that focused, values-aligned investment can multiply what’s available to protect democracy.
