Center for Technology and Civic Life
The Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTCL) is a public charity based in Chicago, Illinois, formed in 2014. It works to modernize election administration and civic engagement through public information, tools, training, and grants. Its website describes its mission as catalyzing excellent election administration across every U.S. jurisdiction.
Center for Technology and Civic Life at a glance
In short: Center for Technology and Civic Life gave $12.4M across 110 grants in 2025 (avg $113K), top state Illinois. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $12,390,642
- -3.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 110
- +816.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $112,642
- -89.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $86,475,917
- +16.0% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Illinois (38% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Center for Technology and Civic Life
- Contact
Mailing address: 303 E Wacker Dr 2109, Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: (872) 588-6843
Website: https://techandciviclife.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from Center for Technology and Civic Life
Who Center for Technology and Civic Life funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was US Digital Response ($3.8M). Together the top 10 received $9.7M.
Grant Size Distribution
2,586 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 2,113 grants of 2,586 (82%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
CTCL describes its election administration work as serving jurisdictions across the United States. Its 2024 Rural and Nonmetro Election Infrastructure Grant Program focused on rural and nonmetro U.S. local election offices where funding was legally permissible. In 2025, 38% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, 36% to California, 8% to Maryland, and 3% each to New York and Michigan.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 110 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Center for Technology and Civic Life gives
- Giving grew 1017% from 2022 to 2025. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.1M (2022) to $332.1M (2021). In 2025 it made 110 grants totaling $12.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| US Digital Response Oakland, CA | Support for Improvement of the Voting Experience | $3,754,500 |
| Institute for Responsive Government Chicago, IL | Support for Improvement of the Voting Experience | $3,300,000 |
| The Elections Group Burr Ridge, IL | Support for Improvement of the Voting Experience | $959,090 |
| Center for Civic Design Cambridge, MD | Support for Improvement of the Voting Experience | $800,000 |
| Rock the Vote Washington, DC | Support for Improving Language Access for Voters | $200,000 |
| Voteorg Oakland, CA | Support for Improving Language Access for Voters | $200,000 |
| Public Rights Project Oakland, CA | Support for Reliable and Secure Election Administration | $139,307 |
| Studio David Janka San Francisco, CA | Support for Improvement of the Voting Experience | $128,000 |
| Mi Familia Vota Phoenix, AZ | Support for Improving Language Access for Voters | $100,000 |
| Poder Latinx Collective Fund San Francisco, CA | Support for Improving Language Access for Voters | $100,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Center for Technology and Civic Life?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The filing type is Form 990 (a public charity).
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $86,475,917 | $29,040,401 | $25,331,950 | $12,390,642 | 110 | $1,324,398 |
| 2024 | $74,574,027 | $10,228,957 | $22,891,404 | $12,840,885 | 12 | $758,000 |
| 2023 | $83,012,536 | $19,213,792 | $16,006,527 | $7,018,810 | 7 | $18,233 |
| 2022 | $81,351,444 | $64,574,797 | $4,769,354 | $1,109,226 | 1 | $2,259 |
| 2021 | $32,868,797 | $356,251,345 | $335,429,878 | $332,090,669 | 2,456 | $3,522 |
| 2020 | $3,172,982 | $3,404,409 | $1,376,946 | — | — | $19 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
In its 2024 filing, CTCL stated that its mission is to increase civic participation by modernizing engagement between local government and the people it serves. The filing describes public education through accessible datasets about government, candidates, elected officials, and voting; training and consulting for government agencies; and education for election officials on identifying funding gaps.
CTCL’s website says it connects election officials with tools and training to help them serve their communities. Its grant programs have supported election infrastructure, including human, physical, and technological resources for reliable and secure elections. The 2025 filing lists grants for improving the voting experience, improving language access for voters, and supporting reliable and secure election administration.
The grantees’ own descriptions illustrate the range of organizations receiving support. U.S. Digital Response says it helps governments, nonprofits, and public entities respond to critical public needs by drawing on pro bono technical expertise. The Institute for Responsive Government says it develops solutions to make government more efficient, accessible, and responsive. The Center for Civic Design says it works to ensure citizen intent through design and improve the usability of government interactions. Rock the Vote describes its work as building young people’s civic power through voter registration, education, and mobilization. Public Rights Project says it works with local, state, and tribal governments to equitably enforce laws protecting civil and human rights. Mi Familia Vota describes its work as expanding the electorate through civic engagement and community organizing.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, CTCL reported 110 grants totaling $12,390,642. Grant amounts ranged from $5,200 to $3,754,500, with a median grant of $20,000. The largest grants included $3,754,500 to U.S. Digital Response and $3,300,000 to the Institute for Responsive Government, both for improving the voting experience. Other notable grants included $959,090 to The Elections Group and $800,000 to the Center for Civic Design for the same purpose, and $200,000 each to Rock the Vote and Vote.org for improving language access for voters.
CTCL’s filing says it conducts due diligence to confirm each prospective grantee’s tax status and requests an application describing the proposed activities. Grantees sign an agreement setting out the grant’s terms and conditions and report on progress at the end of the grant term.
CTCL’s 2024 Rural and Nonmetro Election Infrastructure Grant Program is exhausted and applications are closed. The program supported eligible rural and nonmetro local election offices, where legally permissible, for election-related human, physical, and technological assets. CTCL defines eligible rural and nonmetro jurisdictions for that program using U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural-Urban Continuum Codes 4–9. Its 2020 COVID-19 Response Grant application is also closed; CTCL’s website reports that the program distributed approximately $350 million to nearly 2,500 election departments across 49 states.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Cristina Sinclaire as president and director; Tammy Patrick as secretary and director; Pam Anderson, Matt Masterson, and Whitney May as directors; Tiana Epps-Johnson as executive director; Keara Fenzel as director of advocacy; Nareth Phin as operations director; Jason Choi as associate director; and Sarah Berlin as director of civic information.
Center for Technology and Civic Life is led by Tiana Epps-Johnson, Executive Director since 2024 (on filings since 2020); 6 of 10 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Tiana Epps-Johnson
Executive Director
Executive Director → Executive Director & Co-Founder, 2023
Executive Director & Co-Founder → Executive Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$107K (2020) → $219K (2025)
Cristina Sinclaire
President & Director
Secretary & Director → President & Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Whitney May
Director of Government Ser
Director of Govt. Services & Co-Founder → Director of Government Services, 2024
Director of Government Services → Director of Government Ser, 2025
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$102K (2022) → $138K (2025)
Keara Fenzel
Director of Advocacy
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$131K (2024) → $137K (2025)
Nareth Phin
Operations Director
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$113K (2024) → $118K (2025)
Sarah Berlin
Director of Civic Informat
Director of Civic Information → Director of Civic Informat, 2025
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$120K (2024) → $123K (2025)
Pam Anderson
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tammy Patrick
Secretary & Director
Director → Secretary & Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Matt Masterson
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jason Choi
Associate Director
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$129K (2025)
Former officers (3)
- Former: Richard Simoes (2024) — Software Development
- Former: Sureel Sheth (2020–2023) — Treasurer & Director
- Former: Donald Bridges (2023) — Former Director of Data
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $219K, to Tiana Epps-Johnson (Executive Director). 6 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Center for Technology and Civic Life
How much does Center for Technology and Civic Life give each year?
Center for Technology and Civic Life gave $12.4M across 110 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $12.8M across 12 grants.
What is Center for Technology and Civic Life's typical grant size?
Center for Technology and Civic Life's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $112,642, across 110 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Center for Technology and Civic Life give grants?
Center for Technology and Civic Life's top state is Illinois, with 38% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were California (36%) and Maryland (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Oakland, CA (3 grants), Cambridge, MD (2 grants), Washington, DC (2 grants) and San Francisco, CA (2 grants).
Does Center for Technology and Civic Life give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 110 grants with a stated purpose on Center for Technology and Civic Life's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Support for Improvement of the Voting Experience" (8 grants) and "Support for Improving Language Access for Voters" (4 grants).
Who are Center for Technology and Civic Life's largest grantees?
Center for Technology and Civic Life's largest 2025 grantees include US Digital Response ($3,754,500), Institute for Responsive Government ($3,300,000) and The Elections Group ($959,090), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 65% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Center for Technology and Civic Life?
Center for Technology and Civic Life reported $86.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $29.0M.
What does Center for Technology and Civic Life fund?
In its 2024 filing, CTCL stated that its mission is to increase civic participation by modernizing engagement between local government and the people it serves. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Center for Technology and Civic Life?
Center for Technology and Civic Life has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check techandciviclife.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Center for Technology and Civic Life's EIN?
Center for Technology and Civic Life's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-2158694. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS January 24, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS December 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS December 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS December 16, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS December 15, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Live grants for the work Center for Technology and Civic Life funds
Public, Societal Benefit Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Center for Technology and Civic Life funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/center-for-technology-and-civic-life-morg_937977d8b7d34588a7e722012e9beace
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_472158694_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Center for Technology and Civic Life funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/center-for-technology-and-civic-life-morg_937977d8b7d34588a7e722012e9beace},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Center for Technology and Civic Life's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Center for Technology and Civic Life down — hundreds of funders to go?