Democracy Alliance

Democracy Alliance
Basic facts
Location:	Washington, D.C.
Affiliation:	Democratic
Top official:	Pamela Shifman, President
Founder(s):	Rob Stein
Year founded:	2005
Website:	Official website

The Democracy Alliance (DA) is a registered corporation in the District of Columbia that describes itself as "the country’s preeminent network of individual political philanthropists, labor unions, and foundations coming together to support catalytic initiatives that win elections, advance progressive policy reforms, and build power across our states."

Background

Rob Stein founded the Democracy Alliance in 2005. Stein had earlier worked on Bill Clinton's (D) presidential campaigns and in the Clinton White House, as well as at a private-equity firm. The group was originally an invite-only network of left-leaning donors with invitations sent to individuals who had given $200,000 or more to one of the organization's preferred groups.

As of September 2025, the DA described its strategy as revolving around four priorities:

“

Change the rules that the Right has rigged against our democracy Expand the electoral map to win beyond the current battleground states, so we’re not always one election loss away from catastrophe Support worker power and unions as core building blocks for democracy Invest in people like we want them to win, through power building, radical collaboration, and long-haul commitments–especially youth

”

Leadership

As of September 2025, the following individuals held positions of leadership within the Democracy Alliance:

• Pamela Shifman, president
• Sochie Nnaemeka, executive vice president
• Sanaa Abrar, director of partner program and community building
• Marsha Gonzalez, director of events and community engagement
• Hannah Riviere-Platt, chief of operations
• Suhayl Santana, chief of staff

Work and activities

Legislative and policy work

Opposition to the Trump administration

See also: Opposition to the Trump administration

• From November 13 to 16, 2016, the DA hosted a meeting of donors, partners, and supporters to discuss the 2016 election and develop strategies for future coalition building and elections. During the meeting, DA members outlined their intent to oppose Trump's policy initiatives through local- and state-level intersectional organizing. According to the conference agenda, DA members discussed "what it means to use an 'intersectional' approach for active resistance. ... Our investment in the states and marginalized communities is now more crucial than ever to hold conservatives accountable, keep the progressive community united, and bring the working class together again."
• At the DA's national donor summit in March 2017, DA President Gara LaMarche remarked on the organization's approach to opposing the Trump policy agenda, saying that resisting the Trump administration was about "the essential character of our country." LaMarche added:

“

We must take the fight to the states, and put our dollars where they are most needed. To paint the future in places where we have some power, like Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, and California, so that when we win back power in other places there is a roadmap for a better America. To keep and expand our gains in Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Mexico and North Carolina. To take back Ohio and Michigan and Florida and Wisconsin. To keep our eyes on the prizes of Arizona, Georgia and my beloved Texas, and down the line, southern states with now un-registered Black and Immigrant voters, and prairie and western states where proud progressive populist traditions can be reawakened.

”

• The DA held a fall investment conference from November 15 to 18, 2017. The conference agenda included sessions on the "Next Fights of the Resistance and the 2018 Midterms," "Aligning New and Traditional Resistance Energy to Win," and "Moving Beyond #Resistance-Learning from the Past, Mobilizing for the Future."

Progressive Infrastructure Map

As of 2014, DA partners could nominate two organizations each year for inclusion on the DA's Progressive Infrastructure Map. According to a confidential investment portfolio issued to partners in the spring of 2014, the Progressive Infrastructure Map included the following 172 organizations:

Click to view all 172 groups
350.org Advancement Project The Agenda Project Alliance for Justice AlterNet America Votes American Bridge 21st Century American Constitution Society American Independent News Network American Sustainable Business Council Americans for Responsible Solutions Americans United for Change Analyst Institute The Atlas Project Auburn Seminary Ballot Initiative Strategy Center Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice Black Civic Engagement Fund BlueGreen Alliance Brave New Films Brennan Center for Justice The Bus Federation Campaign for America's Future Catalist Catholics United Center for American Progress Center for Community Change Center for Economic and Policy Research Center for Media and Democracy Center for Political Accountability Center for Popular Democracy Center for Responsible Lending Center for Social Inclusion Center for Story-based Strategy Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Citizen Engagement Laboratory Climate Reality Project Coalition to Stop Gun Violence Code for Progress Color of Change	Common Cause Common Purpose Project Constitutional Accountability Center Corporate Action Network Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington Democracy for America Democracy Initiative Democracy Now Democracy: A Journal of Ideas Demos Drug Policy Alliance Economic Innovation Institute Economic Policy Institute Emerge America EMILY's List Energy Action Coalition Enroll America Environment America Fair Elections Legal Network Fair Share Alliance Faith in Public Life The Foundation for the Future Free Press Free Speech for People Free Speech TV Freedom to Marry Friends of Democracy Fund for the Republic Gamaliel Foundation Gamechanger Networks Generational Alliance GetEQUAL Green Corps Green For All Head Count Inc. Hip Hop Caucus House Majority PAC Human Rights Campaign I Vote Institute for Research & Education on Human Rights Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy J Street Justice at Stake Know Your Care Latino Engagement Fund Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Leadership Center for the Common Good	Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights League of Conservation Voters League of Young Voters Main Street Alliance Majority PAC The Management Center MapLight Mayors Against Illegal Guns The Media Consortium Media Matters for America Mi Familia Vota Midwest Academy MomsRising Mother Jones Movement Advancement Project NAACP NARAL Pro-Choice America The Nation National Council of La Raza National Democratic Redistricting Trust National Domestic Workers Alliance National Employment Law Project The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force National Immigration Forum National People's Action National Popular Vote National Security Network New America Media New American Leaders Project New Leaders Council New Media Ventures New Organizing Institute NextGen Climate Action NRDC The Opportunity Agenda Organizing for Action People for the American Way PICO National Network Planned Parenthood Priorities USA Action Progressive Campaign Change Committee Progressive Congress Progressive Majority Progressive States Network ProgressNow Project New America	Project Vote Public Campaign Public Citizen Race Forward Rainforest Action Network Rebuild the Dream ROC United Rock the Vote Roosevelt Institute Scholars Strategy Network Sierra Club Small Business Majority Sojourners Southern Poverty Law Center Southern Progress Fund State Engagement Initiatives State Voices Student PIRGs Sunlight Foundation The Texas Future Project Third Way Truman National Security Project UltraViolet United for a Fair Economy United Republic U.S. PIRG USAction Voices for Progress Voter Participation Center VoteVets.org Voto Latino Washington Monthly Wellstone Action Women's Equality Center Working America Young Democrats of America Young Invincibles Youth Engagement Fund YP4 and YEO Network

Secretary of State Project

See also: Secretary of State Project

The Secretary of State Project was launched in 2006 to support Democratic candidates for secretary of state. Its formation was motivated by what its founders viewed as partisan activity by Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris (R) in 2000 and Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell (R) in 2004. "We were tired of Republican manipulation of elections," said cofounder Michael Kieschnick. "It seemed like lots of decisions were made by people who were pretty clearly political operatives."

During a panel discussion at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, DA announced that it had approved the Secretary of State Project as a grantee.

The table below presents election results for candidates backed by the project in 2006 and 2008.

Secretary of State Project candidates, 2006 and 2008
State	Election Year	Candidate	Margin of Victory
Iowa	2006	Michael Mauro	7.4%
Minnesota	2006	Mark Ritchie	4.9%
Nevada	2006	Ross Miller	8.1%
New Mexico	2006	Mary Herrera	8.4%
Ohio	2006	Jennifer Brunner	14.6%
Colorado	2006	Ken Gordon	(defeated)
Michigan	2006	Carmella Sabaugh	-14.2% (defeated)
Missouri	2008	Robin Carnahan	26.2%
Montana	2008	Linda McCulloch	1.1%
Oregon	2008	Kate Brown	5.2%
West Virginia	2008	Natalie Tennant	30%

Notable endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope. Know of one we missed? Click here to let us know.

Finances

Ballotpedia was unable to locate details about Democracy Alliance's finances.

See also

• What is an influencer?

External links

• Democracy Alliance website