Unite America Institute Inc
Unite America Institute Inc is a Denver, Colorado-based public charity that seeks to encourage broad-based, nonpartisan civic engagement and political participation. Formed in 2010, it conducts research and educational work on political polarization and supports programs and scholarly research addressing it.
Key facts about Unite America Institute Inc
In short: Unite America Institute Inc gave $8.4M across 49 grants in 2024 (avg $172K), top state District of Columbia. 37% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 27-3001286
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $8,443,102
- Grants made (2024)
- 49
- Average grant
- $172,308
- Median grant
- $100,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 37% first-time grantees (18 of 49, 2024)
- Total assets
- $13,200,770
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (17% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$13.2M
+32.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$8.4M
+13.9% YoY
Grant Count
49
+4.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$172K
+9.2% YoY
Is Unite America Institute Inc open to new grantees?
37%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 18 of 49 grantees (37%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $116K; repeat grants $205K. How we count
Medians: $41K first-time, $110K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Institute’s mission is to encourage broad-based, nonpartisan civic engagement and conduct research and scholarly analysis on public concerns, including the causes, effects, and potential solutions to political polarization. Its stated research focus includes primary elections and nonpartisan election refinements such as instant runoff voting and open primaries. It also produces educational materials and hosts events and conferences.
The Institute says its grantmaking supports programs and scholarly research that strengthen nonpartisan organizations working to address political polarization. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations whose own missions include electoral reform research and public education, such as Open Primaries Education Fund; making ranked-choice-voting elections successful, as stated by the Election Administration Resource Center; and advancing voting reforms, as stated by FairVote.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the Institute reported 49 grants totaling $8,443,102. Grants ranged from $12,000 to $988,775, with a median grant of $100,000.
Among its largest 2024 grants were:
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, the largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state were directed to the District of Columbia (17%), New York (14%), Alaska (14%), Missouri (11%), and Oregon (10%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 49 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $2.0M (2020) to $8.4M (2024). In 2024 it made 49 grants totaling $8.4M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Open Primaries Education Fund ($989K). Together the top 10 received $5.5M.
Grant Size Distribution
170 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 52 grants of 170 (31%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Open Primaries Education Fund New York, NY | To support a grassroots program for activists supportive of primary reform; media and research; and long-term litigation; to support developing, executing, and managing the efforts of the let us vote campaign | $988,775 |
| Alaskans for Better Elections Foundation Anchorage, AK | General Operating Support | $850,000 |
| Veterans for All Voters St. Louis, MO | General operating support and to support veteran recruitment; increase volume of ctas and actions taken; and veteran coalition development | $845,750 |
| Election Administration Resource Center Goldsboro, NC | General operating support and to support programmatic activities, including ongoing development of rctab; hands-on support to election administrators and states; research; and events and travel. | $512,500 |
| Oregon Center for Voting & Elections Corvallis, OR | General operating support and to support conduct additional digital message testing to expand sample size and draw more confident conclusions; make the research results accessible to campaigns in other states and walk them through the process; and run an early education campaign to Oregon voters. | $454,000 |
| Fairvote Takoma Park, MD | To support the fairvote awards gala and to provide legal support for state partners and to educate eas regarding rcv and related reforms. | $451,299 |
| R Street Institute Washington, DC | To support governance program; testimony & conferences; right on reform; and building the evidence base for reform | $390,000 |
| Coalition of Communities of Color Portland, OR | To support project team staffing costs; organizational re-grants and communications asset development, including voter education and data and training; and conduct research | $360,000 |
| Representus Education Fund Florence, MA | To support the American democracy summit and for general operating support. | $315,000 |
| The Campaign Legal Center Inc Washington, DC | General Operating Support and for State Legal Support | $312,500 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $13,200,770 | $20,638,500 | $15,476,664 | $8,443,102 |
| 2023 | $9,969,652 | $17,478,782 | $11,568,915 | $7,415,161 |
| 2022 | $3,179,024 | $8,248,733 | $7,358,583 | $5,057,534 |
The Institute states that it delegates almost all management responsibilities, including staffing, to Polestar, Inc., and pays for strategic consulting, development, organizational management, and staffing services.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $13,200,770 | $9,969,652 | $3,179,024 |
| Revenue | $20,638,500 | $17,478,782 | $8,248,733 |
| Expenses | $15,476,664 | $11,568,915 | $7,358,583 |
| Net Investment Income | $-19,134 | $8 | $2 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 17, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Nick Troiano as executive director. It lists Charlie Wheelan as chair through November 2024 and Kathryn Murdoch as vice chair and chair beginning in November 2024. Other listed directors were Carolyn Bordeaux (through November 2024), Sam Mar, and Kent Thiry. Amber Hatch was listed as treasurer and Chelsea Nunnenkamp as secretary.
Unite America Institute Inc is led by Nick Troiano, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 8 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Nick Troiano
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
18 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kathryn Murdoch
Vice Chair & Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2023
Vice Chair → Vice Chair & Chair, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Charlie Wheelan
Chair
Chairman → Chair, 2024
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Carolyn Bordeaux
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kent Thiry
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sam Mar
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Amber Hatch
Treasurer
New on the 2024 filing
18 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Chelsea Nunnenkamp
Secretary
New on the 2024 filing
18 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: Gregg Sherrill (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Linda Killian (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Randy Peeler (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Charles Wheelan (2020–2022) — Chairman
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Contact
Mailing address: 1550 Larimer St Box 258, Denver, CO 80202
Phone: (720) 592-0843
Website: https://uniteamericainstitute.org
Frequently asked questions about Unite America Institute Inc
How much does Unite America Institute Inc give each year?
Unite America Institute Inc gave $8.4M across 49 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $7.4M across 47 grants.
What is Unite America Institute Inc's typical grant size?
Unite America Institute Inc's median grant in 2024 was $100,000, and its average grant was $172,308, across 49 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Unite America Institute Inc that year got $116K on average.
Where does Unite America Institute Inc give grants?
Unite America Institute Inc's top state is District of Columbia, with 17% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were New York (14%) and Alaska (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (10 grants), Anchorage, AK (3 grants), New York, NY (3 grants) and Saint Louis, MO (2 grants).
Does Unite America Institute Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 47% of Unite America Institute Inc's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (23 of 49) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Who are Unite America Institute Inc's largest grantees?
Unite America Institute Inc's largest 2024 grantees include Open Primaries Education Fund ($988,775), Alaskans for Better Elections Foundation ($850,000) and Veterans for All Voters ($845,750), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 32% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Unite America Institute Inc?
Unite America Institute Inc reported $13.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $20.6M.
What does Unite America Institute Inc fund?
The Institute’s mission is to encourage broad-based, nonpartisan civic engagement and conduct research and scholarly analysis on public concerns, including the causes, effects, and potential solutions to political polarization. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Unite America Institute Inc?
Unite America Institute Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check uniteamericainstitute.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Unite America Institute Inc's EIN?
Unite America Institute Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-3001286. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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