About

• Introduced to the world at TED2022 and with funding catalyzed by The Audacious Project, the Alliance is a five-year, $80 million program to envision, support, and celebrate excellence in U.S. election administration.

• Launched in April 2018, The Audacious Project is a collaborative funding initiative that’s catalyzing social impact on a grand scale. Housed at TED, the nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, and with support from leading social impact advisor The Bridgespan Group, The Audacious Project convenes funders and social entrepreneurs with the goal of supporting bold solutions to the world’s most urgent challenges. The funding collective is made up of respected organizations and individuals in philanthropy, including the Skoll Foundation, Virgin Unite, The Valhalla Charitable Foundation, ELMA Philanthropies and more. The Audacious Project works with the Science Philanthropy Alliance to identify and vet high-quality basic science projects. Each year The Audacious Project supports a new cohort. The 2021-2022 recipients are The Center for Tech and Civic Life, ClimateWorks: Drive Electric, Code for America, Glasswing International, The International Refugee Assistance Project, myAgro, Noora Health, The Tenure Facility, and Woodwell Climate Research Center.

All U.S. local election departments were invited to be a Center for Election Excellence. The inaugural cohort was selected based on their:

• Excitement and willingness to participate in the program
• Commitment to improve upon practices and procedures aimed at enhancing the voter, poll worker, and staff experiences
• Commitment to being part of a learning cohort, sharing materials among cohort members, and providing input into the future of the program

All U.S. local election departments were invited to be a Center for Election Excellence. Local election departments let the Alliance know if they were interested in being a Center by Friday, May 6, 2022. After a verification and review process, some election departments were asked for additional information and received an invitation to an informational session.

The Centers for Election Excellence program is a way for local election offices across the nation to come together and:

• Identify what’s working well in their offices
• Respond to opportunities for improvement
• Share knowledge, experience, and best practices
• Support each other throughout the 2024 election and beyond

The majority of the time commitment will focus on finding practical solutions to the election office’s most pressing problems.

As part of the Alliance, Centers will receive training, mentorship, and resources, and serve as a support system for each other and election departments across the country.

Centers will participate in co-creating values and standards of election excellence which will be rolled out to jurisdictions nationwide, uplifting and advancing the profession of election administration in the years to come.

Centers for Election Excellence

• Focus on the entire election office
• Custom support for each Center
• 2 years of in-depth support

Other programs

• Focus on training individual people
• Generalized support
• Shorter timelines

What is one example of an improvement an election official wishes they could make to better serve their voters, but don’t have enough time, staffing, resources, or technology? Local election officials are the expert on what their voters need, and the Alliance will work with each Center to fill in the gaps. This could look like redesigning a form so it’s more likely a voter will successfully complete it or updating an election website so it is mobile-friendly and answers voters’ top questions.

This program is designed for what election departments need, when they need it. We’ll begin with the election office’s unique challenges and goals, then provide them with customized resources, coaching, and implementation support. Finally, they will have access to a support system of other Centers across the country who are equally committed to excellent election administration.

Where permitted, jurisdictions approved for the Center for Election Excellence program have access to funding to advance their non-partisan goals related to improving the voting experience.

Grant amounts are awarded based on jurisdiction size, cover a 2-year period, and CEEs may choose to accept less than the full grant amount.

• More than 1,000,000 registered voters – $3,000,000

• 250,001 – 1,000,000 registered voters – $2,000,000

• 100,001 – 250,000 registered voters – $1,500,000

• 25,001 – 100,000 registered voters – $500,000

• 5,001 – 25,000 registered voters- $125,000

• Fewer than 5,000 registered voters – $50,000

Note: Grant population tiers are derived from the size categories included in the Stewards of Democracy research by the Democracy Fund.

Participating in this program will make the work of election officials easier, not harder. The focus is on practical support — what they need, when they need it — so participation can be scaled up or down depending on their schedule. For example, if a poll worker management system would help their operations run more smoothly, we’ll get it up and running.

In general, Centers can expect a 2-year period of engagement from the Alliance. The majority of the time commitment will focus on finding practical solutions to the office’s most pressing problems. They can also expect to spend time connecting with the cohort of Centers and reflecting on how to improve the Alliance program.

Election officials deserve a warm, welcoming community of support where their hard work is encouraged and celebrated. The Centers will receive guidance and resources to help tell their story, combat misleading information, and keep their teams safe.