The CTCL COVID-19 Response grant program has been an incredible journey. When we started, none of us imagined we would provide grant funding to nearly 2,500 election departments across 47 states!

Our initial plans were far more modest. Back in July, we awarded a handful of grants to a few cities, and spent August preparing a grant program specifically for rural jurisdictions. In normal years, we aren’t a grantmaking organization, but when election officials tell us what they need, we listen. In 2020, amid a pandemic and unprecedented financial strain, what they needed most was funding.

Thanks to a sizeable donation of $250 million dollars, our modest grantmaking beginnings transformed into an open-call nationwide grants program. All local election offices responsible for administering covered election activities were eligible to apply for grant funds — and every eligible election department that was verified as legitimate was approved for a grant.

The response from election offices was incredible. In September, we surpassed 1,000 applications, and in October we surpassed 2,000 applications. All told, we awarded grants to nearly 2,500 election departments across 47 states — you can find a full list of jurisdictions that were awarded COVID-19 Response Grants here.

The sheer volume of applications led to another $100 million donation to meet the need expressed by election offices. In total, CTCL distributed approximately $350 million in grant funds. Grants were distributed to nearly 2,500 U.S. election departments spanning 47 states. The minimum CTCL COVID-19 Response Grant amount was $5,000, which was awarded to smaller localities across the country. The largest grant was awarded to New York City, totaling just over $19 million. Over half of all grants nationwide went to election departments that serve fewer than 25,000 registered voters. The grant program was optional, so the list of grantees is a reflection of those election departments that decided to opt-in. Additionally, some jurisdictions may have returned some or all of their grants as unspent.

While 2020 may be behind us, the CTCL COVID-19 Response Grant program remains active. Grantees with unspent funds at the end of the 2020 grant period were provided the opportunity to request an extension, allowing funds to be expended through June 30, 2021. The same rules apply — all funds must be used exclusively for the public purpose of planning and operationalizing safe and secure election administration.

How did election offices spend the funds? Check out our preliminary look at the grant program’s impact, and stay tuned for a series of blogposts where we dig deeper into the data, the stories, and the amazing work from election administrators across the country. We’re proud we had the opportunity to support their work, and we can’t wait to share their stories.