Civic Life
We’re committed to honoring and protecting the right to vote, promoting confidence in election systems and outcomes, and encouraging peaceful and democratic engagement around voting and elections.
The 2026 Vote is Sacred Fellowship brings together civic and faith leaders to devise strategies and projects that will promote constructive engagement with elections in the 2026 midterms, and to discuss difficult questions around our elections.
The 2026 Vote is Sacred Fellows represent a wide diversity of identities, views, and beliefs, enabling them to practice pluralism and model cooperation. The lessons learned in the fellowship will be used to inform elections work and public conversations around the country.
Democracy in the United States is under pressure. Diminishing trust in institutions, increasing animosity across party lines, and deepening polarization undercut the health of democratic culture and discourage many Americans. Voter suppression and attempts to restrict access to the ballot box are an assault on our most basic rights as American citizens. Election denial and misinformation, from domestic and international agents, are political strategies meant to intimidate and undermine confidence in elections, results, and governing systems and structures. Denying the right to vote demonstrates our failure to acknowledge and embrace our shared humanity and is a barrier to creating and maintaining a flourishing diverse democracy. Civic and faith leaders and organizations have an invaluable role to play in protecting our democracy and strengthening social cohesion to promote a vibrant American civic life across social sectors.
In 2024, Interfaith America organized a cohort of religiously and politically diverse leaders to bolster commitments to democratic principles. This short video explains the impact of the fellowship.
The Vote is Sacred Fellowship (VISF) seeks to spark a national conversation about how voting and civic participation is rooted in diverse faith traditions and bring to the forefront the practical ways those traditions and institutions can come together to protect our democracy. Anchored in the importance of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, the initiative will focus on activating the social capital within and between faith and civic communities to underscore the importance of the vote and peaceful engagement around elections in a religiously diverse, participatory democracy.
VISF will bring together 15 diverse organizational leaders representing national and local organizations engaged in elections work. Opportunities for fellows include:
A Supportive Network: Join a supportive network, finding space and time through in-person and virtual programming for discussion, learning, and mutual care.
Partner Coordination: Coordinate election work across national and local partners, ensuring each organization is using its best abilities in the right places.
Faith in Elections Playbook: Learn from IA’s Faith in Elections Playbook (FIEP), which provides strategies for fostering healthy engagement in election processes, especially leveraging faith and local faith leaders.
Grants Program: $10,000 grants are available to be used to distribute and activate the FIEP in your organization’s network, as well as to sub-grant local partners leading with faith in election work. For example, in 2024 grantees used funds to support efforts to recruit poll chaplains, implement trustworthy information initiatives, and to host bridgebuilding activities.
Organizations that have previously worked on elections or are new to elections work are welcome to apply. Organizations should be faith or values-based and/or work with faith or values-based communities. Grant projects must be implemented in one or more of six states: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, North Carolina.
Scroll through to meet Interfaith America’s Vote is Sacred team. Click on a staff member to learn more about them.
Please contact us with any questions about Vote is Sacred.
Jake Shapiro
Program Manager, Democracy Initiatives
Interfaith America
Democracy depends on trustful talk among strangers and, properly conducted, should dissolve any divisions that block it.
— Danielle Allen
Resources, funding opportunities, and articles tailored to you!
