The Defending Democracy Together Institute is a right-leaning 501(c)(3) advocacy group founded in Washington, D.C. in August 2018. Its leadership consists of Weekly Standard editor-at-large William “Bill” Kristol, Ethics and Public Policy Center senior fellow Mona Charen, and other conservatives.^[1] The group has taken positions in opposition to a number of initiatives by President Donald Trump, often through its project, Republicans for the Rule of Law; most prominently, it has supported continuing birthright citizenship and strongly supported the Justice Department investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election.^{[2] [3] [4]}

Defending Democracy Together is the 501(c)(4) counterpart of the Defending Democracy Together Institute. It also has a 527 super PAC, Defending Democracy Together Action Fund.

The Institute publishes The Bulwark, a center-right news and editorial website whose editorial board consists of many of the Institute’s board members, most notably Kristol and former talk radio host Charlie Sykes.^[5] It has also been described as a “nonprofit dedicated to incubating and assembling pro-democracy voices. . . created by conservatives uncomfortable with the flamboyant rhetoric that can come from President Trump.”^[6]

Funding

Defending Democracy Together has been criticizied for accepting at least $600,000 in two grants from Democracy Fund Voice, a 501(c)(4) group created and funded by left-wing mega-donor Pierre Omidyar.^[7] According to Democracy Fund Voice’s website, in May 2018 it “approved two grants to Defending Democracy Together: first in the amount of up to $100,000 over one year and then in the amount of up to $500,000 over one year” (image available here). ^[8]

The Institute was also awarded $150,000 from the left-leaning William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in September 2018. The grant was paid to the Institute through DonorsTrust, a right-of-center donor-advised fund provider (image available here).^[9]

Board of Directors

According to its incorporation filing, the Defending Democracy Institute’s board of directors consists of Bill Kristol, Charlie Sykes, and Sarah Longwell.^[10]