The Healthy Democracy Fund Is Building Power That Lasts Beyond the 2026 Midterms

Democracy doesn’t wait for a crisis to prove it’s worth funding. That’s the logic behind Tides’ Healthy Democracy Fund (HDF) heading into the 2026 midterms: build the infrastructure before the moment demands it, not scramble to fund it after. 

HDF pairs long-term investment with rapid-response grantmaking, helping organizations safeguard civic participation, strengthen community leadership, and respond quickly when new threats to democratic engagement emerge. Through HDF, donors support groups that protect elections, push back on misinformation, engage their communities through trusted local voices, and organize year-round.

Since HDF launched in September 2019, Tides Foundation donors have directed $76 million through the fund in 682 grants to 283 organizations working to defend the freedom to vote and expand civic participation. With new challenges emerging this year, HDF is still raising funds so grantee partners can keep this work going well beyond the midterms. 

Those challenges are already taking shape in communities and in the courts. In April, the Supreme Court in Louisiana v. Callais narrowed protections against discriminatory maps, weakening a legal tool communities have relied on for six decades. With fewer legal safeguards in place, year-round organizing is even more critical to making sure people’s voices are heard.

Houston in Action: Year-Round Civic Power in Texas

Houston is one of the most diverse cities in the country. More than 40% of its residents identify as Latine and more than 20% as Black, together making up a majority of the city. That makes it a place where new and infrequent voters can be reached at scale, and where communities of color carry real electoral weight.

Houston in Action, an HDF grantee partner, works through a network of faith leaders, attorneys, workers, and community advocates to strengthen regional networks that can shape public narratives, hold decision-makers accountable, and build long-term community power. Rather than let residents’ concern fade once the news cycle moves on, the organization is turning it into something more durable: sustained civic engagement, leadership development, and collective action. Door to door, on the phone, and in community meetings, Houston in Action connects residents to local civic, legal, and community organizations that will still be there long after the midterms end. 

National policy debates often center on a handful of places. Houston is where many of those policies play out in daily life, from jobs and schools to healthcare and housing. The 2026 midterms will help decide how well Houston’s communities are represented in the years ahead. 

How HDF Sustains Civic Infrastructure Beyond Election Day

After the midterms, HDF will continue investing in movement infrastructure for the long haul: grassroots organizing, coalition building, narrative change work, and multi-year funding, so communities have what they need to keep building democratic participation through 2027 and beyond. 

Houston in Action’s model shows what that looks like in practice, building community power that lasts past any single election. Similar year-round investments are underway elsewhere in HDF’s portfolio: Battle Born Futures engaging young voters in Nevada, Poder Latinx organizing with Latine communities, and the New Pennsylvania Project mobilizing Black voters and other voters of color across the state. 

One HDF grantee partner described what consistent, flexible funding has meant for their work: 

“It’s key to some of the more direct democracy work we’re attempting to do. Primary-purpose funding for organizations like ours is typically difficult to come by, so having that option available, and being able to move between funding sources, was great.”

Funder Coordination

As the political landscape shifts, HDF is focused on strengthening coordination among funders, movement leaders, and community organizations to advance a more inclusive, participatory democracy. This kind of coordination is what lets Houston in Action move fast when new obstacles arise, because the relationships and resources are already in place before they’re needed. 

Another HDF grantee partner put it this way: 

“HDF is a true listener, willing to structure grants and funding in the best accordance with grantee needs.”

The 2026 midterms are one moment in a longer project. What happens in Houston, and in the dozens of communities like it that HDF supports nationwide, will help shape whether more people have a real voice in the decisions that affect their lives, this year and well beyond it. 

Give to the Healthy Democracy Fund and back the organizers building civic power for the long term, not just for one election.