NED · MAINLAND CHINA — 28 grants, $9.8M
Key claim: The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is providing $9.8 million across 28 active grants to support civil-society, rule-of-law, and democracy programs in Mainland China.
Abstract
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has 28 active grants in MAINLAND CHINA totaling $9.8M (public listing as of 2026-07-15). Grantee names are largely withheld for grantee safety (NED duty of care). Sample projects: Supporting Civil Society to Advance the Rule of Law ($750.0K); Empowering Citizens to Defend Property, Digital Security, and Rule of Law ($817.0K); Defending and Strengthening International Rule of Law Against Authoritarian Influence ($430.0K); 2026 | 23 Building Capacity for Civil Society Sustainability and Advocacy ($76.0K).
Why this matters
NED’s Mainland China portfolio is one of the most politically sensitive democracy-funding lines the U.S. government supports, and the $9.8M / 28-grant scale places it in the mid-tier of NED country programs while operating under near-total grantee anonymity for safety. Tracking snapshot-to-snapshot growth (up from $7.3M / 24 grants) helps chart whether U.S. democracy assistance to China is expanding, contracting, or being restructured in response to PRC counter-foreign-influence pressure.