Get Involved

As the most established civic engagement and voting rights collaborative fund in the country, SIF’s growth during its first decade and track record engender confidence and commitment among its donor members and the larger field.

SIF’s creative and entrepreneurial approach melds donors’ individual goals and priorities with a larger and cohesive long-term strategy that is more than the sum of its parts.

SIF is one of the few donor democracy collaboratives that prioritize BIPOC communities and other disenfranchised and underrepresented constituencies—and uses a racial equity/justice lens—in efforts to increase civic participation, reduce voter suppression and support policy reforms that engage and empower BIPOC communities.

As established leaders in the civic engagement, voting rights and philanthropic fields, SIF’s program staff provide detailed and strategic analyses of the state and national landscape for donors, including a dedicated “donor portal” and mapping that identifies where funding will have the most impact.

SIF offers peer-to peer-learning for members who participate in regular conference calls and meetings to discuss emerging issues, strategic plans and specific funding recommendations.

SIF brings more resources to critical issues by leveraging and aligning the investments of state and national donors and other collaborative funds.

SIF’s flexible and responsive funding mechanism allows national funders to not only make more targeted grants in multiple geographies but to do it rapidly and responsively—something for which most larger foundations aren’t structured.

Through their SIF membership, national funders have the chance to support state-level work that they may not know about or be able to fund directly and state funders are able to see how the efforts they’re supporting are part of a national movement.