The Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTCL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 2015, CTCL is a nonpartisan organization that harnesses technology to modernize the American voting experience and improve civic engagement. The organization operates as a team of civic technologists, trainers, researchers, election administration experts, and data specialists working to foster a more informed and engaged democracy.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$86.5M
+16.0% YoY
Annual Giving
$12.2M
-4.7% YoY
Grant Count
108
+881.8% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$113K
-90.3% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission: To catalyze excellent election administration across every jurisdiction in the United States and push democracy into the 21st century by modernizing the American voting experience.
CTCL's core work centers on:
- Election Administration Support: Educating election officials on identifying funding gaps, leadership development, and community building to improve election department operations
- Civic Information & Public Education: Aggregating and disseminating detailed, freely accessible datasets about government, candidates for office, elected officials, and voting information to help the general public understand what is on their ballot and who represents them
- Government Services: Providing written and multimedia materials, expert consulting services, and in-person training seminars to local government agencies on skills, strategies, and tools for citizen engagement
- Poll Worker Training: Offering online courses and resources for successful poll worker programs
- Election Security & Compliance: Providing resources on cybersecurity concerns and implementing election legislation
- Voter Education: Supporting efforts to educate voters and connect them with nonpartisan civic information
Grantmaking
CTCL operates as both a grant recipient and a grantmaker to election jurisdictions.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
CTCL's work is nationwide. The organization sources data from 8,000+ elections offices and jurisdictions across the country and has trained election officials serving 80 million+ voters.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of 2024:
- Total Assets: $74,574,027
- Total Revenue: $10,228,957
- Total Expenses: $22,891,404
- Number of Employees: 52
Major Funding: The MacArthur Foundation has awarded CTCL $3,750,000 across two grants (2023-2025), including a $3,000,000 grant in 2025 and a $750,000 grant in 2023 for general operations support.
Charity Rating: CTCL holds a Four-Star rating (92%) from independent charity evaluators, reflecting strong accountability and financial practices.
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $86,475,917 | $74,574,027 | $83,012,536 |
| Revenue | $29,040,401 | $10,228,957 | $19,213,792 |
| Expenses | $25,331,950 | $22,891,404 | $16,006,527 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $1,324,398 | $758,000 | $18,233 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
119 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from Center for Technology and Civic Life
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2025 grants, the largest include Allegany County ($50,000), Chaves County Clerk ($50,000), Clinton County Board of Elections ($50,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| ALLEGANY COUNTY BELMONT, NY | PROVIDE NONPARTISAN FUNDING TO HELP RURAL AND NONMETRO ELECTION OFFICES CONDUCT RELIABLE AND SECURE ELECTIONS. | $50,000 |
| TOWN OF BARRE WEBSTERVILLE, VT | PROVIDE NONPARTISAN FUNDING TO HELP RURAL AND NONMETRO ELECTION OFFICES CONDUCT RELIABLE AND SECURE ELECTIONS. | $10,000 |
| BEAR CREEK TOWNSHIP PETOSKEY, MI | PROVIDE NONPARTISAN FUNDING TO HELP RURAL AND NONMETRO ELECTION OFFICES CONDUCT RELIABLE AND SECURE ELECTIONS. | $20,000 |
| CITY OF BERLIN NH BERLIN, NH | PROVIDE NONPARTISAN FUNDING TO HELP RURAL AND NONMETRO ELECTION OFFICES CONDUCT RELIABLE AND SECURE ELECTIONS. | $20,000 |
| CITY OF BIG RAPIDS BIG RAPIDS, MI | PROVIDE NONPARTISAN FUNDING TO HELP RURAL AND NONMETRO ELECTION OFFICES CONDUCT RELIABLE AND SECURE ELECTIONS. | $20,000 |
| TOWN OF BRATTLEBORO BRATTLEBORO, VT | PROVIDE NONPARTISAN FUNDING TO HELP RURAL AND NONMETRO ELECTION OFFICES CONDUCT RELIABLE AND SECURE ELECTIONS. | $10,000 |
| TOWN OF BROOKLYN REGISTRARS' OFFICE BROOKLYN, CT | PROVIDE NONPARTISAN FUNDING TO HELP RURAL AND NONMETRO ELECTION OFFICES CONDUCT RELIABLE AND SECURE ELECTIONS. | $20,000 |
| TOWN OF BURLINGTON BURLINGTON, CT | PROVIDE NONPARTISAN FUNDING TO HELP RURAL AND NONMETRO ELECTION OFFICES CONDUCT RELIABLE AND SECURE ELECTIONS. | $20,000 |
| CITY OF CARIBOU CARIBOU, ME | PROVIDE NONPARTISAN FUNDING TO HELP RURAL AND NONMETRO ELECTION OFFICES CONDUCT RELIABLE AND SECURE ELECTIONS. | $20,000 |
| CAROLINE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DENTON, MD | PROVIDE NONPARTISAN FUNDING TO HELP RURAL AND NONMETRO ELECTION OFFICES CONDUCT RELIABLE AND SECURE ELECTIONS. | $15,287 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Tiana Epps-Johnson – Chief Executive Officer
- Whitney May – Chief Program Officer
- Keara Mendez – Director of Advocacy
- Sarah Berlin – Director of Civic Information
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
From 2025 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRISTINA SINCLAIRE | PRESIDENT & DIRECTOR | 2 | — |
| TAMMY PATRICK | SECRETARY & DIRECTOR | 2 | — |
| PAM ANDERSON | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| MATT MASTERSON | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| TIANA EPPS-JOHNSON | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $218,810 |
| WHITNEY MAY | DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT SER | 40 | $137,589 |
| KEARA FENZEL | DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY | 40 | $136,784 |
| NARETH PHIN | OPERATIONS DIRECTOR | 40 | $117,617 |
| JASON CHOI | ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR | 40 | $128,627 |
| SARAH BERLIN | DIRECTOR OF CIVIC INFORMAT | 40 | $123,067 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
**2024 Rural and Nonmetro Election Infrastructure Grant Program:** CTCL launched and released interim and early reports on this nonpartisan grant program supporting rural and nonmetro election jurisdictions
Interim Report on 2024 Nonpartisan Rural and Nonmetro Election Infrastructure**Language Access Project (2024):** CTCL launched a project to connect Spanish-speaking voters with nonpartisan civic information
CTCL Launches Language Access Project to Connect Spanish Speaking Voters**Featured Online Courses:** CTCL offers courses including "Geo-Enabling Elections," "Cybersecurity for Election Officials," and "Leading a Successful Poll Worker Program"
**Data Impact:** CTCL's candidate and elected official data has been accessed 250 million+ times
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Center for Technology and Civic Life fund?
**Mission:** To catalyze excellent election administration across every jurisdiction in the United States and push democracy into the 21st century by modernizing the American voting experience. CTCL's core work centers on: • **Election Administration Support:** Educating election officials on identifying funding gaps, leadership development, and community building to improve election department operations • **Civic Information & Public Education:** Aggregating and disseminating detailed, freely…
How do I apply for a grant from Center for Technology and Civic Life?
CTCL operates as both a grant recipient and a grantmaker to election jurisdictions. **Recent Grant Program:** In 2024, CTCL announced the Rural and Nonmetro Election Infrastructure Grant program, a nonpartisan initiative open to rural and nonmetro jurisdictions that can legally apply for and receive funding to conduct election infrastructure improvements.
Where does Center for Technology and Civic Life make grants?
CTCL's work is nationwide. The organization sources data from 8,000+ elections offices and jurisdictions across the country and has trained election officials serving 80 million+ voters.
What size grants does Center for Technology and Civic Life award?
In 2025, Center for Technology and Civic Life awarded 108 grants totaling $12.2M — an average of about $113K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
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.
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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