Briefly
Program description
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) awards more than 2,000 grants each year to support projects of non-governmental groups abroad.
The grants support projects focused on:
- advancing democratic goals;
- strengthening democratic institutions.
The programme operates in more than 100 countries.
Main Information
Eligibility
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) funds only nongovernmental organizations, which may include civic organizations, associations, independent media, and other similar organizations.
NED encourages applications from organizations working in diverse political environments, including:
- nascent democracies;
- countries undergoing democratic transitions;
- semi-authoritarian countries;
- highly repressive societies.
Key participation restrictions include:
- NED does not fund projects proposing programmes implemented in the U.S. or other established democracies. However, organizations based in those countries may receive support for work in eligible countries and regions.
- Individuals, governmental bodies, and state-supported institutions, such as public universities, are not eligible for grants.
- All proposed projects must be consistent with NED’s general purposes as outlined in its Statement of Principles and Objectives.
Supported Activities
NED is interested in proposals from local, independent organizations for nonpartisan programmes that seek to:
- promote and defend human rights and the rule of law;
- support freedom of information and independent media;
- strengthen democratic ideas and values;
- promote accountability and transparency;
- strengthen civil society organizations;
- strengthen democratic political processes and institutions;
- promote civic education;
- support democratic conflict resolution;
- promote freedom of association;
- strengthen a broad-based market economy.
All proposed projects must be consistent with NED’s general purposes, as outlined in its Statement of Principles and Objectives.
Roadmap
The programme provides the following key proposal submission deadlines and Board of Directors meeting dates:
- September 21, 2026 — proposal submission deadline; Board of Directors meeting on January 22, 2027.
- January 27, 2027 — proposal submission deadline; Board of Directors meeting on May 7, 2027.
- June 28, 2027 — proposal submission deadline; Board of Directors meeting on September 10, 2027.
Proposals submitted after the deadline will be considered at the following Board meeting.
How to Apply
To apply for a grant, the applicant should:
- Complete the required forms and prepare a narrative proposal describing the project.
- Submit the completed forms and proposal by email or secure communication to the appropriate address based on the region where the project will take place:
- Africa: AFRICAPROPOSALS@NED.ORG
- Asia: ASIAPROPOSALS@NED.ORG
- Eurasia: EURASIAPROPOSALS@NED.ORG
- Europe: EUROPEPROPOSALS@NED.ORG
- Latin America & the Caribbean: AMERICALATINA@NED.ORG
- Middle East & North Africa: MENAPROPOSALS@NED.ORG
- Global projects (taking place in more than one country not in the same region): GLOBALPROPOSALS@NED.ORG
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Applications may also be submitted by post. In this case, all application materials should be sent to:
National Endowment for Democracy
Attn: Grant Proposals
1201 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20004 USA
Evaluation Criteria
Funding decisions are made three times a year by the NED Board of Directors.
The Board considers the following factors:
- how well the programme fits within NED’s overall priorities;
- its relevance to the specific needs and conditions of the particular country;
- the applicant’s democratic commitment and experience.
Required Documents
To participate in the programme, the applicant must prepare and submit an application containing all required components.
- Use the updated application forms.
NED has updated the forms and converted them to PDF. Old versions of the forms will not be accepted. - Complete the Organizational Profile Form.
This form provides basic information about the organisation. - Complete the Application Proposal Form.
The form collects project-specific information. - Prepare the Proposal Narrative.
The project narrative should be prepared in accordance with the Proposal Guidelines, in English or the applicant’s local language. It should describe the project. - Prepare the Proposal Budget.
The budget should provide the financial description of the project to be implemented with NED funds and correspond to the activities described in the Proposal Narrative. The Microsoft Excel Budget Template should be used whenever possible and attached to the online application. - Provide registration documents, if applicable.
The applicant should provide a Certificate of Registration or other documentation demonstrating the organisation’s legal status. For an unregistered organisation, this documentation is not required; instead, the applicant should explain by email why the organisation is not registered and indicate the status of any pending registration application.
Legal Terms
NED maintains high standards of transparency and accountability. Its Public Disclosure Policy reflects these values while recognising its Duty of Care obligations in response to real-world risks faced by its partners.
NED discloses information to:
- fulfil statutory requirements and congressional oversight;
- demonstrate responsible stewardship of public funds;
- promote collaboration and coordination across the democracy support field;
- amplify the impact of grants when it is safe and appropriate to do so.
NED publicly shares grantee or partner information only when doing so is consistent with their security, consent, and the objectives of their work. NED does not publish names, locations, or project details that could endanger individuals operating in hostile environments.
NED follows strict internal protocols to protect personally identifiable information and continuously reviews and improves these practices in response to evolving threats and statutory guidance.
Transparency and Accountability
NED shares extensive information about its grantmaking through its Annual Report, strategic overviews, and grant listings, all available on its website.