Each year, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) makes more than 2,000 grants to support the projects of nongovernmental groups abroad who are working to advance democratic goals and strengthen democratic institutions in more than 100 countries.

• 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, and highly repressive societies.

• NED does not fund democracy-related projects proposing a program implemented in the U.S. or other established democracies but does support organizations based in those countries that work on eligible countries and regions.
• NED does not make grants to individuals, governmental bodies, or state-supported institutions such as public universities.

For questions about eligibility criteria, please contact the email addresses noted in the Need Help section below.  All proposed projects must be consistent with NED’s general purposes as outlined in the NED Statement of Principles and Objectives. ]

NED is interested in proposals from local, independent organizations for nonpartisan programs 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 the NED Statement of Principles and Objectives.

For more information on the types of programs NED supports in each region, please see Where We Work.

Decisions are made three times a year by the NED Board of Directors. The Board considers the following factors:

• how a program fits within the Endowment’s overall priorities,
• its relevance to specific needs and conditions in a particular country,
• the democratic commitment and experience of the applicant.

Upcoming Board of Directors meeting dates and proposal submission deadlines are as follows:

NED is now accepting grant applications through our new online portal. You can access the portal through this link, which will take you to a page where you can select your application language.

You will be asked to provide the information about your organization and your application proposal. The information is listed in the Organizational Profile Form and Application Proposal Form below. You will also be asked to upload documents containing your Proposal Narrative, Proposal Budget, and Certificate of Registration (if applicable). The guidelines and templates for these documents are below.

Applications must include the following items:

Organizational Profile Form
This contains basic organizational information. Organization Profile Form

Application Proposal Form
This contains project specific information. Application Proposal Form

Proposal Narrative
Please follow the PROPOSAL GUIDELINES to prepare in advance the Proposal Narrative in English or your local language. The narrative should describe the project.

Proposal Budget
This is the financial description of the project you would like to conduct with NED funds and should correspond to the activities in the Proposal Narrative. Please follow the PROPOSAL GUIDELINES for additional instructions and use the Microsoft Excel BUDGET TEMPLATE whenever possible. You will attach this file to your online application.

Registration Documents (if applicable)
Please include your Certificate of Registration or other documentation showing the legal status of your organization. If your organization is not registered, this documentation is not required. Instead, please include an explanation as to why your organization is not registered and the status of any pending applications for registration.

To apply for a grant, please access the online portal through this link, which will take you to a page where you can select your application language. If you have any questions, please email the appropriate address based on the region in which your 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 (takes place in more than one country not in the same region): globalproposals@ned.org

If you need help submitting your proposal, you may contact NED staff who can provide assistance specific to your region:

• 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 (takes place in more than one country not in the same region): GLOBALPROPOSALS@NED.ORG

Organization Profile Form

Application Proposal Form

Proposal Guidelines

Budget Template and Sample

NED’s Duty of Care and Public Disclosure Policies

Scam Advisory: Recent reports indicate that individuals are posing as the NED on email and social media.  Read more.