Democracy and Power Fund Announces Final Round of 2009 Grants

The Open Society Institute U.S. Programs' Democracy and Power Fund announces its third and final round of grants for 2009. A total of $5,380,000 was awarded to 24 organizations that address the fund's 5 priority funding strategies.

The organizations awarded grants in this funding cycle include:

• Arab American Institute Foundation, for its work to advance the integration, civic education, and non-partisan political participation of Americans of Arab descent, and to support the "Yalla Vote" project to inspire voter participation from Arab American communities nationwide;
• Faith in Public Life, a national strategy center advancing faith in the public square as a positive and unifying force for justice, compassion, and the common good;
• Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, to support the development and dissemination of new ideas for more just economic policies and to build a new generation of young advocacy leaders through campus-based chapters across the United States;
• Voto Latino, for its innovative work to inform and motivate civic participation among Latino youth through the use of art, culture, and the latest technologies to promote positive change; and
• Youth Engagement Fund and Table, to support the organization's leadership in bringing together diverse youth organizations to  coordinate non-partisan voter engagement efforts in communities and on campuses throughout the U.S.

The Democracy and Power Fund supports organizations that engage critical constituencies, nurture new leaders, and generate innovative ideas and solutions that address threats to democracy.

"Democracy and Power Fund grantees reflect the core mission of the Open Society Institute to build a vibrant and tolerant democracy where government is accountable to its citizens," said Bill Vandenberg, program director for the fund. "Through advocacy, organizing, developing new leaders, identifying innovative policies, and inspiring non-partisan voter engagement, OSI grantees are shaping public policy and advancing social justice in these tough economic times."

View a complete list of Democracy and Power Fund grantees.