What Public Wise does

Public Wise is a nonpartisan, nonprofit voting rights and democracy organization headquartered in New York City, founded in 2019/2020. The organization operates two principal functions: original nonpartisan polling and research on voter behavior, election denialism, voter suppression, and democracy threats, and grant-making through its trademarked Funds+® program. Its core products are the Research & Education Fund, which produces an extensive library of publications across topics such as accountability, messaging, voter turnout, and the "unheard third"; the Insurrection Index (launched 2022), a searchable database of individuals and organizations in public trust positions involved in the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack; and the Election Threat Index (launched 2024), which tracks 348 election deniers across seven states holding positions of influence over election administration. Underlying technology is conventional web/database infrastructure rather than proprietary AI/ML systems.

Public Wise's business model is that of a private 501(c)-style nonprofit funded by donors and foundations; it does not sell products or services but rather distributes unrestricted operational grants to 30+ partner organizations and publishes research outputs freely. In 2023 the organization distributed nearly $2 million in unrestricted funds to partner organizations working on voting rights and democracy. Grants concentrate in five priority battleground states — Arizona, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Michigan — with partnerships that include America Votes, American Oversight, Accountable.US, Arizona Advocacy Network, Alliance for Youth Action, and the AAPI advocacy group A3NHPI. The go-to-market motion is community-led, anchored in direct relationships with 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) voting rights organizations. Distribution of research is handled through the publicwise.org website, downloadable PDFs, email/newsletter, and an active presence on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors led by Eric Laufer (Board President) and staffed by a small senior leadership team including a Chief of Staff and two Directors of Research with PhDs.

Name

Public Wise

Legal name

Public Wise

Website

https://publicwise.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Public Wise is a nonpartisan nonprofit that produces original voting-rights polling and research and distributes unrestricted grants through its Funds+® program to 30+ democracy partner organizations in U.S. battleground states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Voting Rights Research and Grantmaking

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO), Electoral Support & Election Observation (BPADAGAA)

Keywords

• Voting rights research
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Nonpartisan polling
• Democracy advocacy
• Civic engagement research

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Public Wise is a nonprofit organization that raises funds from donors and foundations to provide unrestricted operational grants to partner organizations working on voting rights and democracy. They distributed nearly $2 million in unrestricted funds to 30+ partner organizations in 2023.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Public Wise is a nonpartisan nonprofit voting rights organization that conducts original polling and research on voter behavior, election denialism, and democracy threats. It distributes unrestricted operational grants to 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) partner organizations working on voting rights in priority states (Arizona, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Michigan), and maintains proprietary searchable databases tracking participants in the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack and election deniers in positions of public trust.

Product overview

Public Wise is a voting rights organization that operates primarily through its Research & Education Fund, which conducts nonpartisan polling and research. The organization offers the Insurrection Index as a searchable database tracking January 6th participants, Funds+® as its trademarked grant program providing unrestricted operational funding to democracy organizations, and publishes various research reports and polls on democracy topics including accountability, voter suppression, and voter turnout. The products work together to advance Public Wise's mission of fighting for equity in democracy through research, funding, and tracking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Funds+®: A registered trademark program providing unrestricted, operational grants for organizations working on voting rights and democracy.
• Insurrection Index

Products and services

• Research & Education Fund The Research & Education Fund is the core research arm of Public Wise that conducts nonpartisan, nonprofit polling and research to fill gaps in voter and voting rights research. It is intended for democracy advocates, partner organizations, journalists, and policymakers.
• The Insurrection Index A searchable database of records on individuals and organizations in positions of public trust who were involved in the deadly attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. It is freely available online and used by journalists, researchers, and democracy advocates.
• Funds+® A registered trademark program providing unrestricted operational grants to organizations working on voting rights and democracy, with priority funding in Arizona, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. Funds+ grants give partner organizations flexibility in how they deploy resources.
• Research Publications A library of research reports, polls, memos, and white papers covering accountability, messaging, voter suppression, voter turnout, and the unheard third. Available as downloadable publications on the Public Wise website for democracy advocates, journalists, and policymakers.
• Partnerships & Grants Program A grantmaking program providing nearly $2 million in unrestricted funds to 30+ partner organizations engaged in voting rights and democracy work in priority states including Arizona, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Michigan. Partners include voting rights organizations, government accountability groups, and democracy-focused nonprofits.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly $2 million in unrestricted funds distributed to 30+ partner organizations in 2023
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• 50×2026minorGTM or Marketing PartnerA project of Generation Citizen to strengthen civics education through legislative action by 2026. Public Wise partnered in 2022 at the National level.
• Accountable.UScoreGTM or Marketing PartnerInvestigative research organization to hold corporations, special interests, and policymakers accountable. Received National Funds+ support in 2021.
• Advance Democracy, Inc.coreGTM or Marketing PartnerIndependent, non-partisan, nonprofit that conducts public-interest research and investigations. Received National Funds+ support in 2021.
• Alliance for Youth ActionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEmpowering local young people's organizations to strengthen our democracy. Partnered in Georgia in 2020.
• America VotescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCoalition of 400+ state and national organizations working to create a fairer, more representative democracy. Received multi-year National Funds+ support from 2021-2024.
• America's Future Project Action FundminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPolitical organization focused on progressive causes. Partnered at National level in 2024.
• American OversightcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNonpartisan, nonprofit using public records requests backed by litigation to defend democracy. Received multi-year National Funds+ support from 2020-2024.
• Arizona Advocacy NetworkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDevoted to defending and deepening Arizona's commitment to democracy for the past 20 years. Partnered in Arizona in 2020.
• Arizona Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders Advocates (A3NHPI)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerArizona Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders Advocates. Partnered in Arizona in 2024.
• Arizona Center for EmpowermentminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMember-led social justice organization that develops and mobilizes undocumented working youth. Partnered in Arizona from 2020-2021.
• HeadCountcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic Wise partnered with HeadCount on youth voter polling research for the 2022 midterms. Together they conducted surveys and message testing to understand voters aged 18-29, producing the Youth Vote GOTV Report.
• When We All VoteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublic Wise sponsored and presented at the Culture for Democracy Summit hosted by When We All Vote on July 13, 2022 in Los Angeles.
• Generation VoteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublic Wise provided a training video for Generation Vote bird-dogging workshops as part of the Insurrection Index Training Video project.
• National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublic Wise organized a fundraiser #AAPI Women Strong: Organizing Beyond a Hashtag in response to the April 2021 murders of Asian American women at Atlanta Spas, bringing together AAPI women, organizers and allies.
• One PennsylvaniaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublic Wise supported a targeted campaign against 'naked ballots' in Pennsylvania during early vote in the 2020 election cycle.
• Fair CountminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Fair Count and BeTheOnes for the Center for Artistic Activism's Inaugural 4x4x4 Experiment, creating the Canvasser Waze prototype.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HeadCount: A nonprofit that promotes voter participation through music and cultural partnerships. Public Wise has a co-development partnership with HeadCount for youth voter polling, and both organizations focus on voter mobilization in shared priority states.
• Brennan Center for Justice: A nonpartisan law and policy institute at NYU that conducts original research on voting rights, election administration, and democracy reform. Directly comparable to Public Wise as both produce nonpartisan research, polling, and policy analysis on democracy threats and voting access.
• Issue One: A bipartisan political reform organization focused on election integrity, voting access, and reducing the influence of money in politics. Comparable as a research and advocacy outfit working on democracy reform with similar nonpartisan framing.
• Common Cause: A nonpartisan grassroots organization focused on voting rights, election integrity, and government accountability. Comparable in mission and operates with a similar state-based strategy combining research with partner mobilization.
• When We All Vote: A nonpartisan voting organization focused on voter registration and turnout. Public Wise has sponsored and presented at When We All Vote events, and both share a mission of increasing participation, particularly among underrepresented voters.
• Fair Count: An organization focused on a fair and accurate census and full civic participation. Public Wise has a co-development partnership with Fair Count, and both share a focus on inclusive democratic participation and data infrastructure.
• Demos: A public policy organization working on voting rights, election reform, and democracy. Operates a research-and-grantmaking model similar to Public Wise's combination of original research with funding of frontline partner organizations.
• Protect Democracy: A nonpartisan nonprofit focused on preventing American democracy from declining into authoritarianism, with original research and litigation support. Closely comparable to Public Wise's democracy-threats focus and nonpartisan research output.

Broad incumbents

• Movement Advancement Project: An independent think tank providing research and analysis on policy issues affecting LGBTQ communities. Comparable as a research-and-policy nonprofit in the broader progressive advocacy ecosystem that produces original data and analysis to support movement partners.
• America Votes: A coalition of 400+ state and national civic engagement organizations. Comparable because Public Wise is a core grantmaker to America Votes, and both operate in the voting-rights ecosystem with overlapping partner networks in battleground states.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/publicwise
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQj9gfpyQ6jz8tCMYGjRrWw
• Facebookfacebook.com/publicwise
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/public-wise
• Instagraminstagram.com/publicwise

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Public Wise