Effective Democracy

* Please note that for January 2024, the Effective Democracy application process will be by invitation only.

 

Gaia Fund values the democratic principles that govern and guide our country’s political process: fair elections, representation for all, and equal opportunity for political participation.

Preserving these principles is a Gaia Fund priority. The disproportionate influence of corporate and individual wealth in American politics poses a threat to those principles and our representative democracy. With this in mind, the Fund supports programs that offer solutions to this threat, preserving a “one person, one vote” system that allows every voice to be heard equally.

GAIA FUND CONSIDERS REQUESTS FOR INITIATIVES THAT PROMOTE:

  • Small donor and public financing of political campaigns
  • Full disclosure of the sources of money in political campaigns and reasonable limits on campaign contributions and expenditures
  • Renewal of Constitutional values that support political equality and that protect the Constitutional rights of human beings rather than empowering corporations with human rights.

The geographic focus is national, but the Fund may, on occasion, consider local or state programs operating in California. State or local programs operating outside of California are rarely considered.