A New Path to a Thriving Democracy.
Defend democracy now. Renew America for generations.
We work where democratic systems are breaking down. We convene subject matter experts across silos to design and catalyze solutions that strengthen democratic resilience now, while building lasting capacity for the future.
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For most of our lives, we assumed democracy was durable. That assumption is wrong.

American democracy is actually a recent experiment. It’s fragile. And it’s being dismantled, deliberately, structurally, and faster than most institutions can respond.

2016 was a wake-up call. 2024 demonstrated the fragility. Today we are nearing a breaking point, where democracy no longer describes America.

WHAT A WEAKENED DEMOCRACY COSTS US
The baseline dignity that gives each person a sense that their voice matters and their future is theirs to shape.
The distortion of what people can know and trust.
The hollowing out of institutions meant to serve the public.
The possibility that elections continue but cease to matter.
And with it, the very foundation on which democracy rests.

IFPG’S WORK

Defending democracy. Renewing America.

Democracies have not yet built the innovation infrastructure required to meet modern systemic threats.

IFPG serves as R&D for Democracy. We build the research, experimentation, and scaling capacity that democracy currently lacks.

We work across the most impactful levers in the democratic system—strengthening institutions, revitalizing belief in democracy, and realigning governance to work for all Americans.

We win today. We strengthen democracy for generations.
HOW WE WORK
From research to adoption at scale.
We work through a four-step model that turns diagnosis into scalable action.
01
Diagnose
We map where the system is most susceptible to change, identifying the specific levers where targeted work produces outsized impact.
02
Deep Research
We commission and conduct primary and secondary research on each lever. Every project is grounded in evidence, not assumption.
03
Convene and Prototype
We bring together technologists, academics, organizers, and policy experts to ideate and prototype solutions in rapid sprints. The strongest move forward to testing.
04
Adoption at Scale
We back what works, connecting solutions to the partners and resources needed to carry the work into the world.

Explore current projects →

WHERE WE WORK
Democracy is a system of five interconnected pillars. We work across all of them.
When any one weakens, the whole weakens. This principle guides our work.
01
Narrative and Shared Belief
A majority sees democracy as the system that protects their interests and identity. When this weakens, cynicism grows and authoritarians exploit the fracture.
02
Free and Meaningful Elections
Elections that are free, open, and honest, where votes choose who leads. When this weakens, power stops being accountable.
03
Trust in Information and Institutions
The ability to know what is real and find the truth. When this weakens, misinformation spreads and shared reality collapses.
04
Policy that Protects People
Laws and rules that safeguard democratic participation. When this weakens, rights erode and the system is reshaped for partisan gain over public good.
05
Institutions that Deliver
A public sector that works and earns trust through performance. When this weakens, services fail and people lose faith in government and in each other.

Explore current priorities →

EARLY PROOF OF IMPACT

IFPG engages across the system for impact.

500+

practitioners, policymakers, and funders engaged

through IFPG convenings and briefings

17

universities, 40+ organizations convened across democracy’s five pillars

to diagnose where targeted work produces outsized impact

6

strategic reports on key democratic levers

including Othering, Public Trust, Pathway to Power, and the Impact of Ads in Presidential Elections

2

original analytic models shipped to the field

the Double Negatives Model and the Cost per Electoral Vote Model

BROAD SUPPORT

We aren’t alone in believing this work matters.

AMERICANS AGREE WE HAVE A PROBLEM

69%

of Americans say America used to be a good example of democracy, but is not anymore, including a majority in both parties.

Pew Research Center, Survey of U.S. adults conducted March 23–29, 2026.

“Elections are one of the greatest investments societies make in democracy. But winning an election and strengthening democracy are not automatically the same goal.”

Danielle Allen, Harvard University

“Protecting our democracy requires more than fright and outrage.”

Steven Levitsky, Co-author of How Democracies Die

Page S. Gardner leading a working session

WHO WE ARE

A network model for impact.

Page S. Gardner, FOUNDER

Page S. Gardner founded and led the Voter Participation Center and the Center for Voter Information for two decades. She pioneered the identification of unmarried women as a decisive but overlooked demographic — reshaping how campaigns are run. Her work earned the 2020 American Political Science Association Award for evidence-based policy.

She built IFPG on a deliberate model: a small, proven core team, supported by a network of senior practitioners spanning all five pillars of democracy. Low overhead. Diverse expertise. Cross-sectoral teams that develop solutions only possible through shared understanding.

The philanthropy gap is closing. IFPG is leading the way.

For decades, democracy philanthropy concentrated on election cycles—producing wins that did not hold and investments that expired every two years. The infrastructure that makes democracy resilient was systematically underfunded. IFPG was built to close that gap.

We are building the systems approach democracy has always needed—one that delivers near-term impact while compounding over time.

$15B+
invested in electoral cycles in 2020 & 2024—wins that didn’t hold
<1%
of US philanthropy invested in democratic infrastructure—our goal: 5x by 2028

Join us in taking democracy funding to 5x its current level by 2028.

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