Melissa Spatz
Director, Piper Fund
For more information on the Money in Politics Reform initiative, please contact:
Our nation is at peril—its foundations shaken by daily assaults that undermine the fundamental pillars of our democracy. The ever-growing influence of money in politics has enabled corporate and wealthy donors to create systemic barriers to civic engagement that limit the voices of underrepresented communities in our political process. To create a healthy democracy that works for everyone, Piper Fund builds power to offset the influence of moneyed interests by investing in and strengthening the efforts of community-based organizations to drive intersectional democracy reforms.
From Seattle to Washington DC, we have learned that local reforms—centered in the needs and priorities of those communities most impacted by money in politics—have the greatest opportunity to build sustained power.
Piper’s grantees have won the most significant public financing, contribution limits, ethics, and disclosure victories, including small-donor programs and cutting-edge policy innovations to remove barriers to political participation and expand the electorate. While Piper Fund’s maximized investments focus primarily on municipal and state-level reforms, building the capacity and leadership of locally-driven coalitions for broader impact, they also support efforts to inform and drive change nationally, such as a public awareness campaign around the Freedom to Vote Act. We proactively identify needs and provide strategic support. Beyond grantmaking, we convene national funders and allies to align their work, learn from each other about innovations in the field, and build a collective long term vision for democracy.
Piper regularly commissions analyses and comprehensive research to identify shifts in the landscape, evaluate potential reform efforts, targeted messaging and communications strategies.
For more information on the Money in Politics Reform initiative, please contact: