About Us

Demand Progress Education Fund is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. It houses operations that, until mid-2022, took place as a project of New Venture Fund.

– We educate our members and the general public about matters pertaining to the democratic nature of our nation’s communications infrastructure and governance structures, and the impacts of corporate power over our economy and democracy.

– We mobilize our members and the public to engage with executive branch agencies with jurisdiction over these matters, and to confront corporate bad actors.

– We engage in research, outreach to the media, educational programming, and occasional litigation related to these areas of concern.

Areas of Focus

Internet Freedom

We work to protect an internet that affords the public the ability to communicate freely online, without unjust interference from corporations or governments.

Human & Civil Rights

We strive to protect human and civil rights, online and off, in the United States and throughout the world.

Corporate Power

We seek to reduce the corrupting influence of corporate interests in policy-making, break up and regulate concentrations of corporate power, and reform the financial system — so our democracy and economy work for everyone.

Democracy & Open Government

An open, accountable, and sufficiently-resourced government is essential for a well-functioning democracy — and smart use of technology is key to making our modern democracy work.

 

FOIA Team

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    Daniel Schuman
    Policy Director
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    Daniel Schuman leads Demand Progress Education Fund’s efforts on issues that concern government transparency, accountability, ethics, and reform; protecting civil liberties; and strengthening the legislative branch. He has testified before Congress, been interviewed by major publications, and is a nationally recognized expert on federal transparency, accountability, and congressional capacity. Daniel co-founded the Advisory Committee on Transparency; the Congressional Data Coalition; created the First Branch Forecast; built EveryCRSReport; and co-directs FutureCongress. He previously worked as policy director at CREW; policy counsel at the Sunlight Foundation; and as a legislative attorney with the Congressional Research Service. Daniel graduated cum laude from Emory University School of Law.

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    Ginger McCall
    Legal Director
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    Ginger McCall has worked on government transparency and privacy issues both inside and outside of government. She has served as Deputy Associate Chief Counsel for Information Law at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Attorney Advisor on Information Law issues at the Department of Labor. Ms. McCall was also Oregon’s first Public Records Advocate. She previously served as the Deputy Director (and Director of the Open Government Project) at the Electronic Privacy Information Center and as Federal Policy Manager at the Sunlight Foundation. Ms. McCall has twice served on the Federal Freedom of Information Act Advisory Committee, has been published in the New York Times and the Oregonian, and has taught a course on the Law of Open Government at Georgetown Law Center. Ms. McCall graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh and received her law degree from Cornell Law School.

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    Gabriela Schneider
    Communications Director for the Democracy Team
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    Gabriela Schneider has dedicated her career in strategic communications to advancing democracy and the social good. As Chief Communications Officer at Issue One and as Communications Director at the Sunlight Foundation, she shaped public awareness and media coverage of open government reforms, campaign finance and the rise of dark money spending in elections, and technological innovations catalyzing new forms of civic engagement. She began her career as a privacy advocate and grassroots coalition organizer. Gabriela earned her masters in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and bachelors in journalism from Lehigh University, where she proudly served as general manager of its radio station, WLVR.

Financials

The following financial disclosures list grants, donations, gifts, and payment for services received by the Demand Progress Education Fund as housed within our Fiscal Sponsor. Most of our funding is for general support of our work; funding for specific projects and programs generally are described as such.

Demand Progress Education Fund does not accept contributions from governments. On occasion we accept contributions from corporations for work that is aligned with our mission, such as that in opposition to mass government surveillance or in support of anti-monopoly efforts. Corporate donations generally represent no more than 5% of our income.

Financial Disclosure Information for 2021

  • Anonymous — ($550,000)
  • Democracy Fund — To support the First Branch Center ($175,000)
  • Hewlett Foundation — To support progressive personnel and regulatory efforts ($100,000)
  • Arca Foundation — ($50,000)
  • Center for Economic and Policy Research — To support the Progressive Talent Pipeline ($38,500)
  • Hull Family Foundation — ($30,000)
  • Yelp — ($30,000)
  • Athena Coalition — To support the regulation of tech monopolies ($21,000)
  • Lincoln Network — For a joint project with the First Branch Center ($16,500)
  • New Venture Fund — Reimbursement ($12,500)
  • Calyx Institute — ($7,500)
  • JM Kaplan Fund — ($1,000)

Financial Disclosure Information for 2020

  • Ford Foundation — ($625,000)
  • Anonymous — ($600,000)
  • Schwab Charitable — Support the BillMap Project ($350,000)
  • Todd Park — Support the Digital Democracy Project ($200,000)
  • Way to Win — ($125,000)
  • William and Flora Hewlett Foundation — Support the First Branch Center ($125,000)
  • Democracy Fund — Support the First Branch Center ($85,000)
  • Media Democracy, Education Fund — To support online rights ($70,000)
  • Ploughshares Fund — To support progressive foreign policy work ($60,000)
  • Arca Foundation — ($50,000)
  • Wallace Global Fund — ($50,000)
  • Issue One Action — To support the report Article One: Rebuilding our Congress ($30,000)
  • Lincoln Network — To support research on Legislative Branch science and technology ($30,000)
  • Center for Economic and Policy Research — Support the Progressive Talent Pipeline ($21,000)
  • Fidelity — ($15,000)
  • NVF Reimbursement — ($12,500)
  • Proteus — ($7,000)