Rural Democracy Grantees

Supporting rural people in rural America

Rural Democracy supports the ongoing transformative work of hundreds of groups and local leaders in rural communities across the country.

By joining national funding with growing local and state-level funder networks, we support groups to build power, create governing majorities, back local candidates running for office, and win elections. We invest deeply in places where rural voters can shape their communities, protect core freedoms, and create momentum for local, state, and federal change. We pair grants with capacity-building support in fundraising, leadership, communications, safety, organizing practice, and data. Our grants build lasting organizations and effective partnerships that elect people closest to the issues and the solutions in their communities.

Our grantees are on the frontlines of election protection in rural communities. They work year-round to ensure voting is safe, secure, and accessible, that rural voters can get reliable information, and that every ballot is fairly counted and certified. Many of these organizations build bridges across divides, uniting people who do not always agree to work side by side on practical solutions like better schools, safer communities, and fairer economic rules.

Rural Democracy is building capacity in three areas to support rural electoral victories and strong local leadership.

Grantee Stories

Increasing Civic Engagement and Organizing

We support grantees to register voters, develop leaders, and mobilize them to participate in elections and civic life. Our organizing support amplifies the voices and political power of rural people. We know that when rural communities get organized, we can create changes that have national impacts.

Rural Democracy Network

Bolstering Communications

Our network performs influential research, develops effective communications, and delivers messages that resonate. Our grantees combat misinformation in rural areas while amplifying the work being done to improve the lives of the people who live here.

Advocating for Meaningful Policy and Implementation

Rural Democracy grantees research, create, and support policies that make a difference in the lives of rural people and communities. Their education campaigns ensure that rural people can advocate for policy that benefits their communities. And they provide robust implementation programs to maximize benefits for rural people.

Success

Our grantees have had tremendous success increasing the number of people participating in elections and civic decision-making. We’ve seen the formula for success: year-round organizing over multiple years with focus and scale.

Rural Democracy provides grantees the tools to meet the needs specific to rural areas, and financial support to increase the scale of their work. We support groups to increase civic engagement, register people to vote, and increase voter turnout while educating people about opportunities to engage on the issues they care about. Groups in the network develop new leaders, lift up compelling local voices, and engage local governments to unify around shared civic goals.

Our network embodies the rural ethos: we help each other. In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Up North Advocacy Education Fund helped residents pass a 20.5 million school bond, securing long-overdue upgrades for rural students. In Kotzebue, Alaska (population 3,000), 75 residents packed a town hall organized through our Federal Policy Cohort to push back on federal cuts to programs rural people rely on, signing petitions to Congress and joining a growing volunteer network. We know that rural people can improve our outcomes when we have the right tools and support.

Rural Democracy Funds

RDI grants build power in small cities, towns, and rural areas and strengthen broad-based, multi-racial coalitions. Our civic engagement and multi-issue advocacy work includes the 501(c)(3) Heartland Fund and 501(c)(4) Rural Victory Fund. Rural Youth Voter Fund, part of the Rural Democracy program, mobilizes rural young people, who are among the least contacted voters of any demographic group.

Grantmaking Criteria

We evaluate Rural Democracy grant requests based on the following criteria.

Geographic Fit: Is the work deeply rooted in rural areas, small cities, and towns? Is the organization committed to building power in these communities for the long term? Is the work in a Rural Democracy priority state?
Impact: Would RDI’s investment have a high impact on civic and/or community outcomes? We are interested in scaling up new organizations and projects as well as funding long-standing organizations.
Racial Equity: Does the organization have an anti-racist analysis and commitment? Is racial equity incorporated into the organization’s leadership, staff, and membership?
Collaboration: Is the organization connected to broader networks of civic infrastructure? Is the work uplifting rural priorities in state-wide, regional, or federal efforts?
Strategic Alignment: Does the organization work on priority issues for rural communities, including democracy, economic justice, narrative change and communications, and policy change?
Leadership: Does the organization have strong leadership? Does the organization have a theory of change or realistic plan to achieve key goals?
Learning and Movement Analysis: Is the organization generating knowledge or tools that will benefit other groups in the Rural Democracy network?

Grantmaking Examples

Our nonpartisan 501(c)(3) grants fund:

Leadership development and training
Nonpartisan deep canvassing and relational organizing
Nonpartisan civic engagement and get-out-the-vote
Multi-issue organizing and policy change
Communications: messaging, media, platforms
Grassroots organizing and community education

Our 501(c)(4) grants fund work that will impact legislative and political outcomes:

Candidate development and leadership pipeline work
Deep canvassing and relational organizing
Voter persuasion efforts
Lobbying, ballot measures, and issue advocacy
Political research and message development

Funding requests may include:

Existing local projects with proven track records
High-potential new civic engagement programs
National or state organizations with programs based in rural areas
Media platforms that reach rural communities (e.g., a communications hub)
Experiments – new ways to engage rural communities
Organizational support, tools, training, and leadership development

We are prioritizing funding for our existing network and are not accepting letters of interest for prospective new grantees for our Rural Democracy program.