Democracy 21 is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to making democracy work for all Americans.
Democracy 21, and its education arm, Democracy 21 Education Fund, work to eliminate the undue influence of big money in American politics, prevent government corruption, empower citizens in the political process and ensure the integrity and fairness of government decisions and elections. The organization promotes campaign finance reform and other related political reforms to accomplish these goals.
Our Focus
Democracy 21 provides the public and media with the latest information and analysis on money and politics and campaign finance reform efforts. The organization’s activities include:
- Promoting campaign finance reforms, including the creation of a new public financing system for presidential and congressional races to empower citizens by providing multiple public funds to match their small contributions, ending secret money in federal elections by enacting new campaign finance disclosure laws, curbing the role of Super PACs in federal elections and creating a new system to effectively enforce the campaign finance laws;
- Working to develop technological breakthroughs by which the internet and social media can be used to empower tens of millions of citizens to make small contributions online and fundamentally change the way campaigns are financed;
- Bringing lawsuits and filing briefs to defend the constitutionality of the nation’s campaign finance laws and to ensure the laws are effectively interpreted and enforced;
- Participating in administrative proceedings and filing complaints to press administrative agencies and enforcement bodies to properly administer and enforce the laws;
- Promoting other government integrity reform measures, including lobbying, ethics and transparency laws and rules; and
- Serving as a watchdog to hold federal office holders accountable for violating campaign finance laws and ethics rules and for misusing public office for personal gain.
Our Funders
Our funders have included the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Opportunity Fund, FThree Foundation, the Open Society Foundations, the Carnegie Corporation, the Joyce Foundation, the Brennan Center for Justice, Pew Charitable Trusts, the Cloud Mountain Foundation, and a number of committed individual donors.
