Democracy 21 (D21) Education Fund is the research and education arm of the left-of-center political advocacy group Democracy 21. ¹

D21 and D21 Education Fund were founded by activist Fred Wertheimer in 1997 to advocate for left-of-center views on campaign finance and government transparency and accountability. ² Wertheimer and his organization have been involved in campaign finance legislation, including helping develop the For the People Act ³ which would require states to expand early voting, same-day voter registration, mail-in voting, and ballot harvesting and compel the use of so-called independent commissions to draw legislative districts. ⁴

Background

The Democracy 21 (D21) Education Fund was founded in 1997, along with Democracy 21, by activist Fred Wertheimer  to address campaign finance and government transparency and accountability. ⁵

Funders

Funders of the D21 Education Fund have included many left-of-center grantmaking organizations including the Hopewell Fund, ⁶ the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Opportunity Fund, the Open Society Foundations, Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Brennan Center for Justice. ⁷

Financials

In 2020 the D21 Education Fund received $381,880 in revenues, including $380,512 in grants and contributions. Total expenses were $551,071, including $307,412 in compensation and benefits. ⁸

Leadership

Fred Wertheimer is founder and president of D21 and the D21 Education Fund. ⁹ Previously, he was president of Common Cause, a left-progressive advocacy group that focuses on campaign finance, voting policy and government accountability. ¹⁰ Wertheimer has been involved in working with Congressional Democrats on campaign finance legislation for more than 40 years. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has described Wertheimer as providing “exceptional leadership to hold government and Congress to the highest ethical standard.” ¹¹

Nick Ucci is board chair. ¹² Previously, he was executive vice president and chief operating officer at People for the American Way (PFAW), a left-of-center advocacy group. ¹³

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2. “Our History.” Democracy 21 – About. Accessed April 2, 2022. https://democracy21.org/about-us/our-history
3. “Our History.” Democracy 21 – About. Accessed April 2, 2022. https://democracy21.org/about-us/our-history
4. “H.R.1 – For the People Act of 2021.” Congress.gov. Accessed April 2, 2022. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1
5. “Fred Wertheimer.” Just Security. Accessed April 1, 2022. https://www.justsecurity.org/author/wertheimerfred/
6. “Democracy 21 Education Fund.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed April 2, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text_search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=democracy+21+education+fund
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8. Democracy 21 Education Fund. Return of Private Foundation. (Form 990-PF – Part I). 2020.
9. “Staff.” Democracy 21 – About. Accessed April 2, 2022. https://democracy21.org/about-us/staff
10. “Our Work.” Common Cause. Accessed April 2, 2022. https://www.commoncause.org/our-work/
11. “Fred Wertheimer.” Rules of the Senate. Accessed April 2, 2022. https://www.rules.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/BIO_Wertheimer.pdf
12. “Board of Directors.” Democracy 21 – About. Accessed April 2, 2022. https://democracy21.org/about-us/board
13. “About Us.” People for the American Way. Accessed April 2, 2022. https://www.pfaw.org/about-us/