The new funding brings the Foundation’s civic engagement investments to $16.4 million over the past two years.
October 5, 2026 (Los Angeles, CA) — The Weingart Foundation, a private grantmaking foundation that partners with communities across Southern California to advance racial and economic justice, today announced an additional $1,015,000 in rapid-response grantmaking to support voting rights and strengthen democratic participation. This timely release of funds responds directly to emerging needs and gaps voiced by grassroots organizations facing rapidly evolving election-related threats and voter suppression. Grantees are scaling volunteer efforts, and stepping up to protect BIPOC, Immigrant, and LGBTQ+ communities most vulnerable to efforts to delegitimize their civic participation.
“At Weingart, we know that democracy is strongest when everyday people are organized, informed, and able to freely participate.” said Joanna S. Jackson, President and C.E.O. of Weingart Foundation. “This additional funding is a direct response to what our community partners on the ground are telling us they need right now. Our partners are meeting this moment of uncertainty with solutions that are building leadership, coordination, and community infrastructure to defend and advance the fundamental right to vote now and for the long-haul. Now is the time to stand with our partners and reaffirm our commitment to growing who gets to belong in our democracy.”
The funding supports organizations engaged in election defense, voter engagement, and pro-democracy organizing initiatives. To compliment these efforts, Weingart Foundation also invested in Love Powers LA and California Election Protection Coalition; key organizations focused on election protections. A third of these grants fortify voter protection strategies in Orange County and the Inland Empire, regions that are especially vulnerable to election risk as noted by the Voting Rights Lab, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to securing and strengthening elections.
“Weingart’s investment enables us to design a multi-pronged approach to civic engagement alongside our community members and partners,” said Hilda Ortiz, Program Director, Latino Health Access. “We are particularly excited that this project engages intergenerational groups to co-design strategies that inform families, protect access to safety-net programs, understand and exercise our rights, and foster direct dialogue with elected officials. In times of growing disparities, the tendency can be to pull apart or isolate- but Weingart’s investment gives us the resources and flexibility to come together, strengthen our collective power, and build hope for the future.”
“Weingart Foundation’s additional support is helping us deepen collective ownership, agency, and hope across the Inland Empire by expanding our capacity to engage more faith communities through C.O.P.E.’s 100% Voting Congregations Civic Engagement Project,” said Pastor Samual Casey, Executive Director of Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (C.O.P.E.). “This investment is strengthening our collaboration with the San Bernardino and Riverside County Registrars of Voters while helping us equip congregations and engage a new generation of youth voters to protect and expand participation in free and fair elections this November and beyond.”
Weingart’s Free and Fair Elections grantees are working together and building an increasingly powerful civic engagement ecosystem across California. Most are implementing local efforts of We Are California’s Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop California campaign dedicated to safeguarding voting rights. Weingart partners are meeting looming challenges with innovative solutions, solidarity, and coordinated strategies that are bringing more people into the work of protecting participation in our democracy.
To see the full list of the recent Free and Fair Elections grantees, click here.
ABOUT THE WEINGART FOUNDATION
Founded in 1951 by Ben and Stella Weingart, the Weingart Foundation is a private grantmaking organization advancing racial, social, and economic justice for all in Southern California. Since its founding, the Foundation has granted over $1 billion in grants and loans to organizations, coalitions, and collaboratives, providing critical services and building power in communities most impacted by racial and socioeconomic injustice. In 2017, the Weingart Foundation committed to aligning its entire investment portfolio with its mission through mission-related and program-related investments that drive equity. The Foundation also partners with philanthropic, public sector, and community leaders to advance shared solutions that advance justice.