Democracy Ascent Advisors is a consulting firm focused on strategic outreach and engagement to create a more functional democracy, particularly for historically underrepresented communities.

Current Work

  • Fair Representation in Redistricting

    Fair Representation in Redistricting (FRR) is a funder collaborative created to promote fair district maps as states redrew congressional, state, and local political boundaries in 2021-22. FRR supported enabling people of color to engage in redistricting to leverage their power so that electoral maps are more racially equitable and elected officials are held accountable. Over the next decade it will continue to fight for fair maps through litigation and advocacy for reforms. Fair Representation in Redistricting is co-chaired by Gary Bass of the Bauman Foundation and Javier Valdés of the Ford Foundation and overseen by a steering committee of local, state and national grantmaking foundations.

  • Census Equity Initiative

    Census Equity Initiative (CEI) is a funder collaborative established in 2015 to encourage historically undercounted populations to complete the 2020 decennial census. Because that campaign was so successful, nonprofits and funders asked for that work to continue. Today, CEI has three priorities: improve the way the American Community Survey and the decennial census operates when it comes to counting the hardest to reach; support state-based coalitions that are helping to elevate the importance of the census; and fund research that local, state and national census stakeholders need to do their work. CEI is overseen by a steering committee of well-known grantmaking foundations.

  • 100% Democracy

    100% Democracy: An Initiative for Universal Voting is a new organization dedicated to the proposition that a representative democracy is only truly representative when everyone participates. Their mission is to redefine voting as both a fundamental right and a civic responsibility, with every eligible citizen required to participate in this most fundamental act of self-governance. The initiative follows the success of the book, 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting by E.J. Dionne and Miles Rapoport.

Our Clients Include

Democracy Initiative

Open Society Policy Center

Solar Neighborhood Alliance

Working America

Everyone should have a voice in the political process and every vote should count.
— Cathy Duvall

Ready to work together?

Fair Representation in Redistricting Team

Cathy Duvall

Cathy Duvall is the founder of Democracy Ascent Advisors. Currently, she advises funders on census, redistricting and voting rights issues, and serves as the managing consultant for the Fair Representation in Redistricting Initiative at New Venture Fund where her focus is to build a collaborative funding space around redistricting issues, strengthen diverse coalitions, and provide strategic advice to build community power. 

Duvall comes to this work after serving for 10 years as the strategic outreach director at the Sierra Club where she worked with the vast network of staff and volunteers to win local and national policy changes around environmental justice, workers’ rights, and democracy issues, and oversaw the youth organizing and political programs. She has served as the campaign manager and field director for numerous local, state and national political campaigns.

Duvall is a recognized leader in the DC nonprofit community, has been named two years running as “one of the top 100 most influential people in Washington DC” by Washington Life Magazine and is honored to have received the Heather Booth award for her individual contributions to community.

She lives with her teenage daughter and furry cat on Capitol Hill in DC.

Patricia Granda-Malaver

Patricia (Patty) Granda-Malaver is the Program Associate at Democracy Ascent Advisors, where she supports the Fair Representation in Redistricting and Census Equity Initiative teams. Prior to this role, Patty was a Senior Associate to the CEO of Achievement First, a charter school management organization where she explored the intricacies of K-12 education. She also worked on social impact and policy efforts as a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Public Policy Fellow with placements at Voto Latino and the House Judiciary Committee. Patty graduated with a B.A. from Columbia University and is a Fulbright Scholar. She enjoys art museums, salsa dancing, and playing chef in her Brooklyn home.