State Democracy Project (SDP)

The group was originally founded in 1997 as Public Campaign ³ by speech activist Nick Nyhart, who also founded the Public Campaign Action Fund. In 2014, the Public Campaign Action Fund changed its name to Every Voice, while Public Campaign became Every Voice Center. ³ By 2021, the group’s name changed again to State Democracy Project. ⁴

History

The State Democracy Project was founded in 1997 as Public Campaign, with the purpose of providing funds to “everyday Americans” who aim to “improv[e] democracy” but would be unable to organize political activist groups due to a lack of funds. ^{5 3} The group had originally been founded by speech activist Nick Nyhart, who also founded the Public Campaign Action Fund. In 2014, the Public Campaign Action Fund changed its name to Every Voice, while Public Campaign became Every Voice Center. ³ By 2021, the group’s name changed again to State Democracy Project. ⁴

Background

The State Democracy Project operates as a fiscal sponsor of left-of-center activist and voter-mobilization groups. It accepts pitches from organizers looking for fiscal sponsorship and actively encourages submissions, arguing that activists should not have to worry about finances and instead should be able to dedicate their focus to their political work. ¹

Activities

In January 2017, the State Democracy Project (SDP), as Every Voice, supported H.R 20, the Government By the People Act, when it was reintroduced into the 115th Congress by then-Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD), after previously being introduced in 2014 and 2015. The aim of the bill was to match small donor campaign contributions through public funds and providing a $25 tax credit for small donations to encourage contributions following the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010. ⁶ Other supporters of the legislation included the League of Conservation Voters, William J. Brennan Center for Justice, National Organization for Women, Common Cause, Public Citizen, NAACP, U.S.-PIRG, American Federation of State, County, & Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Consumer Watchdog, and Democracy 21. ³ The bill did not advance in the House of Representatives as of 2018. ⁷

Projects

As of 2024, State Democracy Project (SDP) was providing fiscal sponsorship for up to 13 activist groups and organizations. These included the Be a Hero Education Fund, Black Men Build, Columbus Stand Up, Firebrand, the Green New Deal Network, In Defense of Black Lives – Atlanta, Leaders of Kenosha, New Jersey Working Families Alliance, Pro-Democracy Center, Reclaim Rhode Island, Unemployed Workers United, United Ft. Worth, and Un-PAC. For tax status reasons, SDP makes sure to state that its funds do not go toward the electoral activities of its projects. ⁸

Financials

According to its 2023 990 form, the State Democracy Project (SDP) reported a revenue of $19,722,670, expenses of $17,024,385, and net assets of $2,961,059. ⁹

In 2022, SDP reported an income of $1,932,025, expenses of $2,456,576, and net assets of $262,774. ¹⁰

SDP claims to “strongly urges prospective donors” to donate to its fiscally sponsored projects instead. ¹¹

In 2015, when it was still Every Voice Center, the organization received a $225,000 donation from the MacArthur Foundation in 2015 for a 3-year duration. ¹² It also received $50,000 in 2016 from the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation. ¹³ The group also received a grant of $556,000 from the Jennifer and Jonathan Allan Soros Foundation.¹⁴

Grantmaking

The State Democracy Project (SDP) has provided funding to left-of-center advocacy groups and foundations. In 2022, SDP gave $1,401,949 to the Working Families Organization, $249,000 to the Be a Hero Education Fund, $292,525 to Tides Foundation, $100,000 to Un-PAC, $38,965 to Tides Advocacy, $34,605 to Pennsylvania Voice, $29,095 to Michigan Voices, $24,583 to the Hmong American Women’s Association, and $24,533 to Planned Parenthood of Michigan. ²

Leadership

As of 2024, Beth Schulman was serving as the executive director of the State Democracy Project (SDP). She previously worked for the Institute for Policy Studies, socialist magazine In These Times, the Advancement Project, and Every Voice. She describes her life’s work as “social justice advocacy” born out of the idea that there should be “no tolerance for rampant inequality and injustice.” ⁵

In 2024, its board of directors was comprised of Tamara Brunner, the chief strategist of the Center for Ballot Freedom; Dan Cantor, the co-founder of the Working Families Party; Rajan Narang, the principal of Shakti Campaigns; and Asa Shaw, the co-director of Black Men Build. ⁵