Nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations are a cornerstone of our democracy and play a critical role in ensuring that our elections are free, fair, and representative. These civic groups work to reduce barriers to voting, combat misinformation, and protect the rights of Americans throughout the election process. They help recruit poll workers, organize nonpartisan voter registration drives, support local election officials, and work to ensure that the diversity of our electorate is represented in our election process. These dedicated pro-democracy organizations connect voters to the ballot and help protect the integrity of our election system. As funders and donors, we hear the same thing from our grantee partners after every election cycle:

The money came too late.

This is particularly true for smaller, grassroots organizations and for groups led by and based in communities of color.

As pro-democracy funders and donors, we know early resources are essential for groups on the ground. It allows organizations to plan confidently, hire and train staff, develop better messaging and tactics, and lock-in lower-cost rates for many expenses. Early money enables groups to support communities during primary elections to identify concerns that need to be addressed ahead of November. As more and more jurisdictions allow for early and mail-in voting, nonprofits have even less time to plan their programs and need resources sooner. Further, nonprofits that are funded earlier are better prepared to put late money to more effective use.

We know that our own grantmaking timelines and practices are at the heart of the challenge. So, this year, we’re doing something about it. We’re pledging to make commitments earlier and to move funds sooner. We’re going to move all we can by the end of April.

Each of us – whether a foundation, a pooled fund, a donor network, an individual donor, a donor advisor, or other philanthropy professional – has committed to review our own election-related gifts, move faster wherever possible, and encourage our partners across philanthropy to do the same. This could look like:

• Make all or most of our grant commitments by the end of April.
• Make grant or donation payments by the end of April.
• Move up disbursements of multiyear grants that had been scheduled for later in the year.
• Streamline processes, especially for renewal grants.
• Provide general support grants, which are helpful to grantees and often faster for us.
• Trust our grantees and leaning on trusted peers’ diligence.

Actions will look different for each of us. Some of us will be able to make all of our grant commitments by the end of April. Others will be able to streamline renewal processes or will find other ways to ease the burdens of our grantee partners. Those of us who are donor advisors or funder networks will encourage our partners to adopt these practices. We will be challenging ourselves and sharing ideas with each other.

This is not intended to discourage donors from addressing needs that are identified later in the cycle, but rather to encourage our peers across philanthropy to not wait to fund the critical and urgent work that must be supported now. We realize this effort isn’t enough to address the systemic funding challenges that the field faces, including the boom-and-bust cycle of election-year funding, but we hope it’s a start.

We call on our philanthropic peers to join us. Make the pledge to provide early support to the organizations that help uphold our democracy. Move election funds faster wherever possible and encourage your networks to do the same. Our grantees and our democracy will be stronger for it.