The Southern Poverty Law Center has announced a ten-year, $100 million reinvestment from its endowment in support of civic engagement initiatives in the Deep South.

The reinvestment in SPLC’s Vote Your Voice program through 2032 will more than triple the organization’s support for non-partisan voter outreach, democracy advocacy, and civic engagement efforts from the $30 million pledged in 2020. Administered by the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, the Vote Your Voice program awards grants to organizations working in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi to establish year-round efforts that inform communities about state and local policy matters and ways to better engage lawmakers, build voter engagement that ensures a fairer 2030 redistricting process and outcomes, and innovate to build additional capacity and advance work vital to democracy. In addition, the grants will help train a new generation of political leaders and leading partner organizations in the South and enable nonprofits to expand their fundraising base through philanthropy networks and maximize their reach.

Launched in August 2020 with twelve grantees, the Vote Your Voice program currently provides support for the long-term infrastructure of fifty-five organizations working to boost voter turnout and increase public awareness around issues that impact communities.

“Our Vote Your Voice program began as a robust effort to increase voter registration and turnout, particularly in communities of color who would most benefit from a true inclusive democracy in the South,” said SPLC president and CEO Margaret Huang. “However, to ensure a government exists that truly is ‘by the people, and for the people,’ we must expand our efforts to push against the anti-democratic statements and actions of many state and local officials in the Deep South. We are thankful for the hard work of all of our grant partners; these organizations’ successes help to empower voters whose rights have been violated for too long.”

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