Six years after $350 million in private grants, 29 states limit private money for election offices

Twenty-nine states now limit or ban private donations to the offices that run elections, according to a tally by the Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR) current to June 30, 2026. None of those limits existed before the 2020 election.

The laws are a response to 2020, when Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg committed up to $419.5 million to two nonprofits for that year's election, according to a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report updated April 20, 2026. The Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) received $350 million for election administration grants offered to every election office, and CEIR received $69.5 million for voter education offered to all 50 states and Washington, D.C. CEIR, which compiled the state list, was one of those two recipients.

When did the restrictions arrive?

Mostly in 2021 and 2022. The table is our count from CEIR's state-by-state exhibit, sorted by the year each state's restriction took effect.

Twenty-seven states acted by statute. In Louisiana and Wisconsin, voters approved constitutional amendments. The CRS report, citing the National Conference of State Legislatures, put the count at 29 as of July 11, 2025, the same figure CEIR reports a year later, though Tennessee and North Dakota, among others, have amended their laws since. That means 29 of 50 states, a majority, now restrict private money for running elections.

Do the bans stop all outside help?

No. Most carve out in-kind help. Common exceptions in CEIR's exhibit include donated space for a polling place, food for poll workers on Election Day and volunteer services. Texas does not ban gifts outright: contributions of $1,000 or more need the written consent of the secretary of state and the unanimous agreement of the governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker. Missouri lets its secretary of state accept and redistribute limited private donations in even-numbered years when appropriations fall.

How much private money is on offer this year?

Far less than in 2020. On July 3, 2026, CTCL's U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence announced a 2026 grant program with $2.5 million to give. Grants run from $5,000 for jurisdictions with 5,000 or fewer voting-age citizens to $50,000 for those with more than 250,000, and only offices "permitted to accept private funding" may apply. CTCL describes itself as a nonpartisan 501(c)(3).

By our arithmetic, $2.5 million is about 0.7% of the $350 million CTCL had for election office grants in 2020. It would cover 50 grants at the top size or 500 at the smallest. Whitney May, CTCL's chief program officer, said in the announcement that "so many offices want to do more to enhance their operations and build trust, but the funding just isn't available."

What does this mean for funders?

In our view, the space for direct grants to election offices is now set by state law, and in more than half the states it is restricted or shut. Funders who want to support the running of elections have to check each state's rules first, including its carve-outs for space, food and volunteers. Foundation money for democracy work was already small: Candid found that democracy grants are about 1.3% of foundation giving. Much of the civic help visible today is volunteer time, such as the groups training volunteers for polling places.