Voter Participation
Forecasted
Voter Participation supports organizations’ nonpartisan outreach, education, research, and advocacy to increase voting in Philadelphia and among Pennsylvania’s underrepresented communities.
Funder: William Penn Foundation
Due Dates (Anticipated): July 2027 (Proposals due)
Funding Amounts: $2.5 million total; up to $500,000 for 24 months; requests under $350,000 most competitive
Summary: Supports nonpartisan projects that increase voter participation in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania’s underrepresented communities.
Key Information: Voter registration activities are ineligible and must be excluded from project activities, results, and budgets.
Description
The William Penn Foundation’s Voter Participation objective, within its Democracy and Civic Initiatives program, supports nonpartisan work helping eligible Pennsylvanians understand how to vote and why participation matters. Supported approaches include outreach, organizing, voter education, advocacy, research, polling, communications, and journalism. The program prioritizes people regularly underrepresented in the electorate, including groups defined by race, age, income, educational attainment, disability status, and geography.
The objective seeks to increase turnout in Philadelphia’s 2031 general election above the 31% recorded in 2023 and bring turnout in Pennsylvania’s communities of color to the overall statewide level in the 2032 presidential election. Projects may address barriers such as skepticism about voting, inaccessible election processes, misinformation, and insufficient year-round support for trusted community messengers.
