Democracy
From voter suppression and structures rooted in a history of racism to a lack of government transparency and accountability, our democracy has been in crisis. In response, the Foundation has pivoted towards funding the urgent efforts of organizations working to dismantle unjust systems.
15%
of Scherman Foundation Giving in 2021
For several decades, the Foundation has funded a cadre of organizations that work to ensure open, ethical, and effective government under our former Government Transparency and Accountability program. This area primarily centered around whistleblowing to expose fraud, waste, and corruption in federal agencies, as well as advocacy to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly and that the government operates within its means.
This work has been more unfortunately relevant than ever in recent years, due to the Trump administration’s unrelenting attacks. In 2021, as the U.S. faced new threats to voting rights and assaults on democratic norms—and it became more evident that democracy reform is a racial justice issue—this was a larger, more urgent area of the Foundation’s focus. The program was renamed Democracy to encompass a wider but more intentional mission. We intend to both fund groups that are challenging racial inequity at the polls and elsewhere, and to do the self-examination and education required to identify and learn from those groups. This growing portfolio includes hard-hitting organizations dedicated to voter engagement and mobilization, from nation-wide efforts to targeted work in states like Georgia, where democratic assaults, especially on BIPOC communities, are more imminent.