The Democracy and Power Innovation Fund (DPI Fund) is a left-of-center research and organizing group that collaborates on advocacy towards building a “progressive multiracial democracy” through “multiracial democratic practice” and “organized power.” ¹

The DPI Fund was founded in 2019 as a fiscally sponsored project of the Rockefeller Family Fund. ^{2 3}

Background

The Democracy and Power Innovation Fund (DPI Fund) was founded in 2019 as a fiscally sponsored project of the Rockefeller Family Fund. The Fund collaborates with funders and partner groups to organize “strategy and practice, understanding and measuring power, and values and identities within communities of color.” ¹ The group also claims to advocate for building a “progressive multiracial democracy” through “multiracial democratic practice” and “organized power.” ¹

Activities

The Democracy and Power Innovation Fund supports research on organizing strategy and works with state-based organizing partners to develop research projects and programs to increase participation among Black, Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI), and Native American voters. ^{4 5 1}

In 2024, DPI Fund took part in a national study “of the Black electorate which…analyzes segments or values clusters of the Black community.” ⁴ The Fund collaborated with the New Georgia Project, POWER Interfaith in Pennsylvania, and Detroit Action Education Fund. ⁴

The DPI Fund operates an “Organizing Lab” that collaborates with community groups to “support the collection and analysis of organizing data” in order to improve messaging and outreach for “bases” or “people and communities with political agency.” ^{6 7}

Partners

According to its website, listed partner organizations of the Democracy and Power Innovation Fund (DPI Fund) include the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, One Pennsylvania, Make the Road Nevada, Civic TN, North Carolina Black Alliance, North Carolina Asian Americans Together, We the People Michigan, Voces de la Frontera, POWER Interfaith (Pennsylvania), PICO California, Ohio Organizing Collaborative, the New Georgia Project, Missouri Organizing and Voter Engagement (MOVE) Collaborative, Mississippi Votes, ISAIAH (Minnesota), Florida Rising Together, Faith in Florida, Detroit Action Education Fund, Color of Change, Black Leaders Organizing Communities (Wisconsin), and Arizona Center for Empowerment. ⁸

Funding

As of 2026, listed funding parters of the Democracy and Power Innovation Fund (DPI Fund) include the Freedom Together Foundation, the NoVo Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Resilient Democracy, the Fresh Sound Foundation, the Heising-Simons Foundation, the Libra Foundation, the Merck Family Fund, and the Raikes Foundation. ⁹

Leadership

As of 2026, Julie Fernandes is the managing director for the Democracy and Power Innovation Fund (DPI Fund). She also works as the “Associate Director for Democracy” at the Rockefeller Family Fund. Prior to Rockefeller, she worked as the advocacy director for voting rights and democracy at the Open Society Foundations, the Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy during the Clinton Administration. ¹⁰

1. “Home.” Democracy and Power Innovation Fund. Accessed March 5, 2026. https://www.dpifund.org.
2. “Democracy.” Rockefeller Family Fund. Accessed March 5, 2026. https://www.rffund.org/democracy.
3. “Contact.” Democracy and Power Innovation Fund. Accessed March 5, 2026. https://www.dpifund.org/contact.
4. “Black Values Research.” Democracy and Power Innovation Fund. Accessed March 5, 2026. https://www.dpifund.org/black-values-research.
5. “Research.” Democracy and Power Innovation Fund. Accessed March 5, 2026. https://www.dpifund.org/research.
6. “DPI Organizing Lab.” Democracy and Power Innovation Fund. Accessed March 7, 2026. https://www.dpifund.org/research-topics/dpi-organizing-lab.
7. “Webinars.” Democracy and Power Innovation Fund. Accessed March 7, 2026. https://www.dpifund.org/webinars.
8. “Who We Are.” Democracy and Power Innovation Fund. Accessed March 6, 2026. https://www.dpifund.org/who-we-are.
9. “Who We Are.” Democracy and Power Innovation Fund, accessed March 19, 2026. https://www.dpifund.org/who-we-are#funders
10. “Julie Fernandes.” Democracy and Power Innovation Fund, accessed March 19, 2026. https://www.dpifund.org/people/julie-fernandes