Grant awards to six dynamic initiatives to advance the money and politics movement
Voqal Fund, an initiative of Voqal, is pleased to announce its support of six new projects that leverage media and technology to get money out of politics. These six projects meet concrete needs in specific regions, seek to hold key political figures accountable, use technology to transform the organizing space in creative ways and more.
“The Voqal Fund believes in addressing the root causes of problems,” said Voqal president John Schwartz. “Our democratic institutions will not serve the public as long as monied interests can buy results.”
Voqal Fund’s money and politics grantees were awarded a total of $350,000 to address a myriad of issues related to the corrupting effect of money on politics.
The diversity of these projects reflects Voqal’s belief that a variety of approaches are necessary to untangle and expose the undue influence of outside money on the American political system.
The Civic*Celerator: Common Cause Hawaii, working in partnership with local programmers, will develop dynamic mobile applications to provide vital information about political candidates, their funders and independent political expenditures to the public.
Dark Money and the Courts: Mother Jones is launching a series of deep investigations into the hidden influence of political money on judicial elections and decision-making. The project will explore the impact of private, often undisclosed funds on the American judicial system bringing this critical issue into the larger public debate about money and politics.
What the Fork!? How Corporations are Controlling our Food and our Democracy: Making Contact, Food Democracy Now and the Center for Media and Democracy’s ALEC Exposed will create in-depth radio and print pieces to hold “big agriculture” accountable for sullying our dinner plates and our democracy.
Campaign Against the Corrupting Influence of Money in Kansas Politics: National People’s Action Campaign will build an online campaign that will seek to hold accountable a powerful political figure who has supported extreme immigration policies in an effort to protect the profitability of private prisons and the tax-payer-funded security enforcement industry.
Digital Bootcamp for Campaign Finance Organizers: The New Organizing Institute will conduct a new media and digital strategy training for organizations working to reform the campaign finance system. Participants will hone skills in the areas of mobile marketing, online advertising and advanced email management to scale up the reach and effectiveness of their work.
The Natural History Museum: Created by Not an Alternative, the Natural History Museum is an innovative climate change campaign that aims to disrupt the influence of both money in politics and of climate change deniers on cultural institutions (starting with the American Museum of Natural History).
This slate of grantees is part of a multi-year strategic commitment to get money out of politics. Voqal Fund is proud to support programs that will expand citizen engagement and increase the caliber, sophistication and reach of online activism. For more information on this work, please visit the links above, or contact us.
About Voqal Fund
Voqal Fund supports nonprofit organizations and individuals using media and technology to effect progressive social change and disrupt the status quo. Voqal Fund is an initiative of Voqal. For more information, visit voqal.org/initiatives/voqal-fund/.