Common Cause Education Fund

Common Cause Education Fund harnesses the power of philanthropy to create a truly representative democracy that answers to the people, not the powerful. Using research, public education, citizen engagement, policy development and litigation, we advance national, state, and local efforts to strengthen our democracy.

Common Cause Education Fund is proud to have a perfect four-star rating from Charity Navigator and the Guidestar Gold Seal of Transparency. Our tax identification number is 31-1705370. 

Click here to make a contribution to Common Cause Education Fund

HOW IS COMMON CAUSE EDUCATION FUND DIFFERENT FROM COMMON CAUSE?

Common Cause was founded in 1970 to be a nonpartisan people’s lobby for democracy. A core element of that mission is to advocate for laws and policies to build a stronger democracy for all. Since Common Cause lobbies on behalf of the public interest in state legislatures, in Congress, and on ballot initiatives, it is registered as a 501(c)4 non-profit with the IRS and contributions to the organization are not tax-deductible.

Common Cause Education Fund was founded in 2000 as an affiliated 501(c)3 charitable organization, and shares staff and offices with Common Cause. Common Cause Education Fund can only conduct limited lobbying activity, but uses many other tools to advance democracy reform, including research, public education, litigation, and voter protection. Contributions to Common Cause Education Fund are fully tax-deductible. Our tax identification number is 31-1705370.

TWO ORGANIZATIONS. ONE SHARED MISSION.

Just like Common Cause, Common Cause Education Fund is a people-powered engine for change with 1.5 million members and supporters hailing from all fifty states. Our 25 state offices are led by on-the-ground organizers, lawyers, and experts — merging local, state, and federal democracy work and winning results. We are a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.

As a supporter, you make our work possible. Because of you, we’re able to:

PROTECT THE VOTE

• We recruit, train, and deploy Election Protection volunteers — we recruited more than 50,000 watchdogs across 40 states between 2020 and 2022. For 2024, we’re on track to exceed that.

FIGHT VOTER SUPPRESSION

• In Georgia, we’re recruiting and training community volunteers to monitor the State Elections Board and targeted local election boards in 12 counties. These volunteers will be the canary in the coal mine to alert Election Protection advocates and attorneys – and the media – when and if any attempts to sabotage election results arise.

FIGHT BACK IN THE COURTS

• The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in our favor by rejecting a dangerous attempt to destroy our democracy in our Moore v. Harper case. Neal Katyal (Acting Solicitor General of the United States under the Obama Administration) said, “My role representing Common Cause was a particular privilege for me because Common Cause has inspired me for literally decades now, with its nonpartisan mission of standing up for the right to vote.”

COMBAT DEMOCRACY DISINFORMATION

• In California, we delivered two new laws to address unregulated AI’s threat to democracy. The first keeps misleading deepfakes out of campaign ads and election communications close to Election Day, protecting candidates and election officials while respecting the First Amendment. The second places requirements on large online platforms to remove or label deceptive digital content related to elections.

PROTECT MAIL BALLOTS

• In Pennsylvania, we’ve secured important victories to protect voters from having their voices silenced, a problem that disproportionately affects Pennsylvania’s Black and Latino voters. Following our advocacy, Dauphin and Allegheny counties adopted strong notice and cure policies, allowing voters to fix clerical errors so their votes can be counted. And Allegheny County created satellite elections offices that allow voters to vote early in person using an over-the-counter mail ballot request.

ACTIVATE THE YOUTH VOTE

• In North Carolina, we brought together close to 5,000 young people to flex their civic muscles during our arts and music festival in Raleigh. Ten-time Grammy Award-nominated singer and actress Janelle Monáe headlined an all-star lineup of performers. Young people and grassroots activists took to the stage to express why this new generation of voters must use the power of their ballot.

DELIVER FAIR MAPS

• After a decade long campaign of public education and grassroots mobilizations, we delivered fair state legislative maps that reflect the true and nearly even partisan preferences of Wisconsin voters and will provide stability and certainty for voters about their new state legislative voting districts through 2024 and beyond.