Investing in Freedom: An Introduction to the National Endowment for Democracy

On behalf of the United States, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has been instrumental in supporting freedom and democracy around the world since its founding in 1983. NED was born from President Ronald Reagan’s visionary call during his 1982 Westminster Address to foster the “infrastructure of democracy” globally. His leadership, along with that of Congressman Dante Fascell, the then-chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, laid the bipartisan groundwork for the NED Act, creating a nongovernmental organization dedicated to advancing democratic values and institutions.

Established as part of President Reagan’s vision for a world in which democracy could thrive, NED was created to support grassroots movements working toward democratic governance, human rights, and the rule of law. NED and its four core institutes—the International Republican Institute (IRI), the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), and the Solidarity Center—have worked to strengthen democratic institutions by providing financial, technical, and moral support to non-governmental organizations around the world. These efforts align with the homegrown aspirations and goals of local groups striving for peaceful, stable democratic futures in their own countries.

Over the past four decades, NED has adapted its strategies and priorities to address evolving global challenges while remaining central to advancing U.S. values, national interests, and the universal aspiration for freedom. Democracies are more stable, less likely to harbor terrorism, and more reliable trade partners, making NED’s work critical to global security and economic stability.

 

Countering Authoritarianism at a Critical Moment

NED’s work extends the fundamental freedoms of democracy—freedom of speech, belief, association, and thought—that represent the highest aspirations of the American people. These freedoms are the cornerstones of a democratic society, enabling individuals to express their beliefs, organize for change, and engage in critical dialogue.

By empowering local activists and organizations, NED helps protect and promote these freedoms in some of the world’s most repressive environments. Whether combating censorship, supporting free elections, or advancing the rule of law, NED’s grants and initiatives directly contribute to the global fight for the rights and liberties that define democratic life. In doing so, NED not only defends freedom abroad but also upholds the core values that bind democracies together, reflecting the enduring commitment of the U.S. to a world in which the fundamental rights of all people are respected.

Democracy is under attack in every region of the world. With increasing restrictions on rights and freedoms, authoritarians are weaponizing technology to control populations, globalizing networks that pilfer state resources and distort free markets, capturing formerly independent media to advance their interests, and working in concert to reshape global norms to their authoritarian purposes. NED and the four core institutes work to address these challenges through innovative support that tackles the most pressing issues with speed, agility, and strategic focus.

NED offers grants that:

  • Champion Freedom:
    NED’s grantmaking advances fundamental democratic freedoms—speech, religious belief, association, and thought—by supporting grassroots movements, promoting free elections, combating censorship, reinforcing the rule of law, and ensuring governmental transparency and accountability.
  • Address the Challenge of Networked Adversaries:
    China, Russia, and Iran have strengthened their alliances in recent years, working to expand their influence globally. Their allies, including other autocratic regimes and proxy terrorist groups, collaborate to block the spread of democracy where it does not exist and weaken democratic institutions where they do. NED fosters a network of democracy advocates able to work in common cause to counter autocratic cooperation and defend freedom.
  • Counter Authoritarianism:
    The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is leading a coordinated global effort to suppress the free flow of information, undermine democratic values, and distort economies to advance its authoritarian agenda. NED programs empower local efforts to resist CCP influence wherever authoritarianism seeks to take root. By filling this vital space, NED helps prevent authoritarian powers from exploiting vulnerabilities, which could otherwise lead to greater instability worldwide and threaten U.S. interests closer to home.
  • Mitigate Threats to the United States:
    The most volatile global hotspots—where violence, ethnic conflict, and civil war erupt—are overwhelmingly non-democratic. These hotspots fuel migration and refugee crises, harbor terrorists, and sustain illicit drug production and trafficking. By supporting those on the frontlines of building safer, freer societies, NED helps to contain these threats, protecting American families and businesses from their far-reaching consequences.
  • Operate in the Toughest Environments:
    NED prioritizes work in the most authoritarian countries, including China, Russia, North Korea, Burma, Iran, Belarus, Sudan, Cuba, and Venezuela. The Endowment’s work takes a long-term perspective, working to lay the foundation for democracy and freedom when the opportunity presents itself. By supporting courageous dissidents in closed societies, if and when change comes, democratic actors often emerge as critical leaders of transitions.
  • Build Resilience in Threatened Democracies:
    Democracy is more than just a political system—it is a shield against the rise of extremism and authoritarianism. By strengthening democratic institutions through citizen-led initiatives, NED helps to stabilize regions and countries at risk of democratic erosion. From supporting free elections to advancing the rule of law, NED partners ensure that democratic principles are not just ideals, but lived realities for people in every corner of the globe.
  • Protect Freedom of Speech and Fights Censorship Abroad:
    NED grantees work to combat authoritarian propaganda, combat censorship, and uphold freedom of expression. By promoting responsible digital citizenship, media literacy, and access to pluralistic information, NED helps build resilience against authoritarian propaganda. This includes increasing access to non-censored information and leveraging technology to bypass firewalls and other barriers to free speech.
    • For example, over its 35-year partnership with the Tibetan people, NED has supported initiatives that enhance the free flow of independent information into and out of Tibet, document human rights abuses, amplify activists’ voices, and strengthen the democratic resilience of the Tibetan diaspora.
    • In China, NED grantees work to improve digital security, safeguard freedom of expression, and promote the free flow of information despite the regime’s pervasive surveillance and censorship apparatus.
    • In North Korea, NED supports efforts to disseminate independent news, document human rights abuses, and advance international accountability through credible documentation of the regime’s atrocities.

How NED Operates:

NED operates with a steadfast commitment to supporting freedom around the world, guided by a nonpartisan approach. With a bipartisan board of directors and a focus on long-term, locally tailored support, NED’s mission is solely focused on democracy support abroad, with no engagement in domestic U.S. politics. Through deep-rooted relationships, expert staff, and collaboration with a range of partners, NED works tirelessly to combat authoritarianism and support democratic actors worldwide.

  • Bipartisan Board Leadership:
    NED’s Board of Directors exemplifies bipartisan, multi-sector collaboration, bringing together Republicans and Democrats and business and labor, all who are united by a shared commitment to advancing global freedom. The Board is currently chaired by former Republican Congressman Peter Roskam, and a list of Board members is available here. While Board members are free to exercise free speech outside the confines of NED, partisanship has no place within NED, nor does it influence decisions. What unites the board is a steadfast belief in the universal value of democracy and a shared commitment to supporting those striving for freedom around the world. NED’s Board members serve voluntarily and receive no salary compensation for their service.
  • Nonpartisan Operations:
    NED is steadfast in its nonpartisan approach, ensuring that U.S. political affiliations do not influence hiring decisions or grantmaking processes. NED adheres to strict policies that prohibit discrimination based on political affiliation, including the D.C. Human Rights Act. The organization’s leadership—comprising a bipartisan board with a balance of Democrats and Republicans—reflects a shared commitment to advancing democratic principles worldwide.
  • No Domestic Engagement:
    NED’s mission and founding documents prohibit funding for democracy-related projects focused on the United States. All grants are structured to ensure that no NED funds are used to support any domestically focused work. Furthermore, NED rigorously vets all applications to ensure that it does not provide assistance to any organization or program that seeks to target, suppress, or influence First Amendment rights in the United States.
  • Longstanding Relationships:
    NED’s effectiveness stems from its track record of forging relationships of trust with democratic actors often working under threat or in isolation. NED is able to do so as its staff speaks more than 65 languages and has deep knowledge of and expertise in the local context of all countries where NED works. NED acts on opportunities and responds to crises, but our support is steadfast. Many NED grants span multiple presidential terms, reflecting NED’s nonpartisan, long-term approach. Grantee support is tailored to local conditions and guided by NED’s Founding Statement of Principles and Objectives, which reflects how NED was purpose-built to focus on its singular democracy mission.
  • Tailored for Impact:
    NED opposes authoritarianism and repression around the world, regardless of where they emerge. This is one of the reasons why NED’s efforts are grounded in the critical pillars of political parties, private enterprise, and labor through the work of IRI and NDI representing the importance of the full spectrum of political parties to democratic systems; CIPE to bolster free markets and independent business actors as key elements of a free society; and the Solidarity Center, to safeguard workers’ rights. Whether IRI and NDI or CIPE and Solidarity Center, the NED family of institutes collaborate globally to support representative political systems and sustainable economic foundations.


How NED Ensures Integrity and Safety in its Operations:

NED’s unique structure and singular mandate to support democracy globally are its greatest strengths. Focused on the long-term advancement of democracy—and by extension, American interests—NED operates with full accountability to Congress. It is truly a public-private partnership. Its credibility and effectiveness are rooted in this independent yet accountable, transparent structure.

  • Accountability:
    NED operates under oversight from multiple external entities, including Congress, the Executive Branch, the Department of State (and its Inspector General), independent auditors, and the Government Accountability Office. Subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), NED ensures public transparency in its operations. Its Board of Directors provides strategic direction, oversees grantmaking, and ensures adherence to NED’s mission and ethical standards. NED also consults regularly with Congress, State, USAID, and the NSC.
  • Rigorous Grant Oversight:
    NED employs a comprehensive due diligence process before awarding grants. This process includes assessing administrative, operational, and financial systems; virtual or in-person meetings with the organization’s key staff and board members; verifying references from donors and credible sources; analyzing media coverage and social media imprint; and reviewing the organization’s past work products.
  • Comprehensive Monitoring and Compliance:
    NED closely monitors all grants and stays in close communication with grantees to ensure compliance with project objectives and federal funding requirements throughout the lifecycle of the grant. Monitoring efforts also include periodic review of narrative and financial reports, work products, and field visits, along with attending grantee events and regular meetings with organization members and beneficiaries. These measures ensure accountability and uphold the integrity of NED’s work.
  • Commitment to Nonviolence:
    Violence is anathema to NED’s mission, and the use or promotion of violence is prohibited by the terms and conditions of the grant agreement. NED staff vet all grant recipients against federally-maintained watchlists, including OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons Lists, the Excluded Parties List, and the Terrorist Exclusion List. NED’s work is rooted in fostering democratic norms and institutions developed by local actors—not in the removal of governments through undemocratic means.
  • Public Transparency:
    As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, NED adheres to rigorous reporting requirements, including public filings detailing its operations and grantmaking activities. Information about its grantmaking—such as funding priorities, regional strategies, and highlights of local organizations advancing democracy—is publicly accessible on its website and in annual reports, in addition to being subject to FOIA.
  • Protecting Grantees in Repressive Environments:
    Many NED-supported organizations operate in highly repressive contexts such as Cuba, Iran, or North Korea, where their work brings significant risk. Publicly identifying these groups could lead to severe consequences, including harassment, imprisonment, torture, or worse. To protect its partners, NED refrains from publicly disclosing grantees’ identities when doing so could jeopardize their safety.

The need for NED’s work is more urgent than ever, as authoritarian regimes threaten democracy, as well as global peace and stability. Countries with entrenched autocracies often engage in destabilizing activities, such as supporting terrorism, undermining regional security, and challenging global trade norms. By investing in NED, the United States strengthens its ability to counter these threats and safeguard the values of freedom.

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