The Kettering Democracy Prize
The Kettering Democracy Prize honors and elevates the work of an individual or group that has gone beyond the ordinary to champion and defend inclusive democracy.
Since 1981, the Charles F. Kettering Foundation’s research and programs have focused on the needs of democracy worldwide. Today, the Kettering Foundation works to inspire and connect individuals and organizations to advance thriving and inclusive democracies around the globe. We believe all people belong and have the right to engage in and shape a democracy that serves them.
As part of this commitment, the foundation created the Kettering Democracy Prize, a new award that will recognize and celebrate courageous dedication to democracy. Nominations for the prize are submitted by organizational leaders from across the political spectrum at the invitation of the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. Nominees may come from countries around the globe. An external panel of experts, practitioners, and scholars evaluates and scores the nominees, and the foundation’s board of directors selects a winner from the top finalists. The winner receives $100,000 and a commemorative medal.
The 2025 evaluation panel for the first Kettering Democracy Prize included:
- Aimee Allison, president, She the People
- Jean Bordewich, principal, Democracy Advisers LLC
- Rachel Brown, founder and executive director, Over Zero
- Carrie Davis, program director, Democracy, The Joyce Foundation
- Nadia Firozvi, senior advisor, Trusted Elections Fund
- Joe Goldman, president, Democracy Fund
- Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, former Newhouse Director of CIRCLE, Tufts University
- Rachel Kleinfeld, senior fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Joshua Lynn, CEO and cofounder, RepresentUS
- Anne Moses, founder, IGNITE National
- Zeenat Rahman, executive director, Institute of Politics, University of Chicago
- Rob Richie, senior advisor, FairVote
- Mark Schmitt, director, Political Reform Program, New America
- Maria Stephan, colead and chief organizer, The Horizons Project
- Vanessa Tucker, senior program officer, Democracy, Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
- Pete Weichlein, CEO, US Association of Former Members of Congress
- Matthew Weil, executive director, Democracy, Bipartisan Policy Center
- Jeremy Young, former program director, Freedom to Learn, PEN America
