The State Leadership Project is a sister network to the left-of-center Committee on States, a state-level counterpart to the Democracy Alliance. ¹ The State Leadership Project is a charitable organization supporting local, state-based donor networks and also funds civic engagement programs across the country. ²

Initiatives

Leading up to the 2024 elections, State Leadership Project joined other left-of-center organizations, including the Democracy Alliance Pooled Fund, Movement Voter Fund, and Way to Rise, to create the Building for Democracy Education Fund. The purpose of the Fund was to identify and contribute to “pro-democracy” initiatives, such as voter registration, ballot access, and voter education, ahead of the 2024 elections. Since its inception, the Fund distributed programming grants between $50,000 and $400,000 a piece, totaling more than $13 million across a dozen states. ¹

State Leadership Project is a signatory of Election Day Every Day, a philanthropic call to action. By signing, State Leadership Project pledged to begin planning its 2025 “democracy budget,” offer bridge funding to grantees “who are building long-term sustainable community power,” and provide multi-year support to organizations to contribute to a “more inclusive multiracial democracy.” Other left-of-center signatories include the Amalgamated Foundation, Arca Foundation, Bernard and Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust, Democracy Alliance, JPB Foundation, McKnight Foundation, and the Open Society Foundations. ³

Finances

In 2022, State Leadership Project reported total revenue of just over $7.5 million, total expenses of about $7.8 million, and net assets of a little over $3 million. ² In 2021, the organization reported total revenue of just over $7.6 million, total expenses of about $5.1 million, and net assets of a little over $3.2 million. ⁴

In 2022, the Merle Chambers Fund granted $850,000 to the State Leadership Project to “increase resources for state-based infrastructure supporting social change.” ⁵ The organization also received support from the left-of-center Heartland Fund in 2023. ⁶ The Katz Amsterdam Foundation awarded $200,000 to the State Leadership Project to “ensur[e] civic engagement” ⁷ in 2023 and granted an additional $100,000 to the organization in 2024. ⁸ In 2024, State Leadership Project received a $750,000 grant from the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation for “general operating and regranting support.” ⁹

The State Leadership Project also received support from the Chambers Initiative, a Colorado-based organization prioritizing grants to organizations “working to further democracy, equity, and women’s economic security.” ¹⁰ The organization also received a grant to further civic engagement and voter education from the left-leaning Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation. ¹¹

In 2022, the State Leadership Project has also awarded grants to several left-of-center organizations such as $50,000 to the Fair Elections Center, $46,000 to Fair Future NC, $225,000 to the Georgia Alliance Education Fund, $100,000 to the Kentucky Civic Engagement Table, and over $3.9 million to the Strategic Victory Fund. ²

Leadership

Erin Egan is the executive director of the State Leadership Project. ² She is also the executive director of the Committee on States.¹

1. Henry, Sarah. “Fill Gaps State-Based Democracy Funding.” Inside Philanthropy, October 10, 2024. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/inside-a-new-collaborative-strategy-to-fill-gaps-in-state-based-democracy-funding.
2. State Leadership Project, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022.
3. “Letter & Signers.” Election Day to Every Day, October 22, 2024. https://www.electionday-everyday.org/letter-and-signers/.
4. State Leadership Project, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2021.
5. “2022 Annual Report Grantees.” Merle Chambers Fund. Accessed December 16, 2024. https://chambersfund.org/annual-reports/2022-annual-report/.
6. “Heartland Fund Grantees.” Heartland Fund, November 1, 2024. https://heartlandfund.org/network/grantees/.
7. “Racial Justice Grants.” Katz Amsterdam Foundation, August 2, 2022. https://katzamsterdam.org/grants/racial-justice-grants/.
8. “Ensuring Civic Engagement Grants.” Katz Amsterdam Foundation, February 23, 2024. https://katzamsterdam.org/grants/ensuring-civic-engagement-grants/.
9. “Grant List.” Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, October 27, 2023. https://mrbf.org/grant-list/.
10. Chambers Initiative. “Giving Highlights.” Chambers Initiative, May 29, 2024. https://chambersinitiative.com/our-impact/giving-highlights/.
11. Naomi & Nehemiah Cohen Foundation. “NNCF – Civic Engagement.” NNCF.net. Accessed December 16, 2024. https://www.nncf.net/program-areas/civic-engagement.cfm.