named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
Democracy Messaging Research
Conducts surveys and analysis on voter attitudes to develop effective messaging that links democracy to issues like abortion, cost of living, and corruption
Democracy on the Ballot
Research initiative identifying and analyzing insurrectionist and election-denying candidates in the 2022 midterms, with 344 candidates identified and over half elected
Election Threat Index
Tracks and identifies election deniers in positions of influence over election administration across seven states, currently listing 348 individuals
activities · 4 groups
What they do
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Civic Engagement and Voter Mobilization 9 activities
- Advocacy for democratic reform and election integrityAdvocates for simplifying voting processes to improve access and participation, and advances civil rights through efforts to secure a government that reflects the will of the people and protects democratic institutions.
- Analysis of voting ease and youth GOTV effortsPublished reports on voting ease by state and on youth vote get-out-the-vote (GOTV) messaging, public opinion, and campaign effectiveness.
- Providing strategic research-based recommendations for voter mobilizationProvides strategic recommendations to voter mobilization organizations based on research findings about voter intentions, particularly in response to issues such as the War in Gaza.
- Public opinion and polling analysisConducted and published polls on public opinion regarding January 6th and President Biden’s Supreme Court nomination, and produced in-depth analysis of polling methods, limitations, and misuse. Also published a report on public views about January 6th in six battleground states.
- Research on anti-democratic movements and election denialismConducted analysis of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Constitutional Counties movements, including their influence on election administration and democratic accountability. Published findings on the prevalence of these movements in battleground states, including data showing 25% of studied counties adhere to the Constitutional Counties ideology.
- Research on the impact of the War in Gaza on 2024 electionsConducted a multi-method research project assessing how the War in Gaza affects voter participation and election outcomes, including nationally representative surveys with state oversamples, a Michigan-specific survey targeting hard-to-reach populations, and qualitative interviews with key voter groups. Also assessed the electoral risk posed by the conflict.
- Research on voter behavior and non-votingConducted studies on reasons why eligible voters abstain from voting and carried out prior research on non-voters to understand factors influencing electoral participation.
- Tracking election deniers and publishing the Election Threat IndexIdentified 348 election deniers across seven states who hold influential positions in election administration and published the Election Threat Index to document and raise awareness about these individuals.
- Voter mobilization message testingTested voter mobilization messages with swing-state Jewish, Muslim, Arab-American, Gen Z, and Black progressive voters to identify the most persuasive approaches for increasing voter turnout.
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Law Enforcement Professional Development 1 activity
- Advocacy and public awareness on Constitutional SheriffsSeeks to increase public awareness about the relationship between local elections and law enforcement, particularly regarding the influence and accountability of Constitutional Sheriffs in Arizona.
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Climate Change Public Awareness & Advocacy 1 activity
- Research on climate change and voting rights intersectionPublished a report examining the intersection of climate change and voting rights, analyzing how environmental issues relate to electoral access and participation.
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Uncategorized 2 activities
- Capacity building in research skills for advocatesProvides training and resources to political advocates, organizers, campaign staff, and nonprofit employees through a Research 101 series, including written explainers and guides such as 'How to read an academic article' and 'How to read an election poll'.
- Research on democracy and local journalismConducted research on the relationship between local news consumption and support for democratic principles, identifying vulnerabilities in local journalism such as news deserts and threats to rural newsrooms. Findings emphasize the role of local journalism in protecting democracy.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$3.54M
Contributions & grants$3.37M95%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$310%
Other revenue$170K
expenses
Total expenses$4.34M
Program expenses87%
Admin / overhead10%
Fundraising3%
Salaries & benefits$2.16M
Grants paid out$1.38M
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$3.26M
Cash$3.04M
Investments$0
Liabilities$94K
Net assets$3.16M
Liquid reserves8.4 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -53.9%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 10
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHRISTINA BAAL-OWENS | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $329K |
| MARIA JAVIER | CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER | 40 | $216K |
| GABRIELA RIVERA | PARTNERSHIPS DIRECTOR | 40 | $211K |
| KATELYN ISRAELSKI | CHIEF OF STAFF | 40 | $209K |
| CHRISTINA MARTIN KENNY | DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING | 40 | $201K |
| MARK E CRUZ | DATA STEWARD | 40 | $186K |
| JESSICA HALL | OPERATIONS DIRECTOR | 40 | $169K |
| EMILOMO MWENDAPOLE | PARTNERSHIP MANAGER | 40 | $159K |
| JESSICA CHURCH | POLITICAL DIRECTOR | 40 | $142K |
| STEPHANIE MILIANO | DIRECTOR | 1 | $4K |
board members · 5
- ANDY BERNSTEIN — DIRECTOR/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
- CLARA PERLMUTTER — DIRECTOR
- DR REGINALD BOLDING — DIRECTOR
- ERIC LAUFER — DIRECTOR/PRESIDENT
- KRISTEN DART — DIRECTOR
relationships · 10
Who they work with
- Arizona Partner — State where Public Wise conducted research and engaged with partners to assess voter sentiment on the War in Gaza.
- Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting Partner — Collaborated with AZCIR's findings on Constitutional Sheriffs in Arizona to inform analysis and reporting.
- Brennan Center for Justice Partner — Cited as a source for information on ballot initiative restrictions in Arizona.
- FiveThirtyEight Partner — Referenced for pollster ratings and analysis of polling methods.
- Georgia Partner — State where Public Wise conducted research and engaged with partners to assess voter sentiment on the War in Gaza.
- North Carolina Partner — State where Public Wise conducted research and engaged with partners to assess voter sentiment on the War in Gaza.
- PSB Insights Partner — Research partner in conducting the Michigan survey on the uncommitted vote
- Pennsylvania Partner — State where Public Wise conducted research and engaged with partners to assess voter sentiment on the War in Gaza.
- Pew Research Center Partner — Referenced as a source for explaining polling concepts such as margin of error.
- The New York Times Partner — Cited for experimental work demonstrating variability in polling results from the same data.
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Civic Disillusionment Frameworkmethodology: civic_disillusionment_frameworkBy addressing voter non-participation as a symptom of systemic disillusionment and distrust rather than apathy, the organization designs research and outreach strategies that rebuild legitimacy and motivate engagement because re-engagement requires restoring perceived efficacy.
- Expanding Voter Access to Increase Participationmethodology: expanding-voter-accessBy reducing structural barriers to voting, the organization increases voter turnout and democratic participation because accessibility directly enables engagement, especially among historically marginalized groups.
- Issue-Linkage Messagingmethodology: issue-linkage-messagingBy connecting threats to democracy with voters’ personally salient concerns like cost of living, abortion, and corruption, the organization increases public support for democratic protection because abstract values are less motivating than concrete impacts on daily life.
- Specific Threat Articulationmethodology: specific-threat-articulationBy naming concrete, observable threats to democracy—such as Constitutional Counties or sheriff election vulnerabilities—rather than speaking abstractly about democratic values, the organization produces greater public concern and action because specific risks are more cognitively compelling than general ideals.
- Trust-Based Information Disseminationmethodology: trust-based information disseminationBy leveraging local news outlets as trusted sources of information, the organization counters anti-democratic narratives and promotes civic engagement because people are more likely to act on political information they perceive as credible and accessible.