The UK Democracy Fund, a pooled fund hosted by JRRT since 2019 with contributors including Barrow Cadbury, JRCT, Blagrave, Unbound Philanthropy, Paul Hamlyn and Porticus, proved the model: a KCL evaluation credits it with around 746,000 voter registrations before the 2024 general election. It disburses low single-digit millions. OSF's European retreat in 2023-24 removed a major funder and left openDemocracy nearly insolvent, Luminate narrowed its focus, and charity-law caution around political activity keeps most foundations out entirely.
Voter registration, electoral integrity, civic information and democratic reform work in the UK depend on a handful of family trusts. One funder's strategy review can collapse a whole sub-field, and election-security and information-integrity pressures are rising.
A pooled UK democracy fund at £20m or more a year with ten-year commitments, structured with charitable and non-charitable arms on the JRRT template so it can fund neutral participation infrastructure and reform campaigning alike. Anchor commitments would come from three or four large foundations with tech philanthropy alongside.
// Build now: First artefact: expanded JRRT-template pooled fund with charitable and non-charitable arms; foundation anchors are fundraising targets, not permission gates.
UK democracy work depends on a few family trusts vulnerable to single strategy reviews, the pooled vehicle is proven and unowned, and integrity pressures rise now.