Scope and Content Note
The records of the National Endowment for Democracy span the years 1961-2000, with the bulk of the material dating from 1982 to 1996. The records document the founding and early years of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a nongovernmental organization established to promote democracy outside of the United States, primarily through the distribution of grants. The records are in English and are organized into four series: Democracy Program, Office of the President, Office of NED Government Affairs, and National Security Classified Information.
The records document the establishment of the National Endowment for Democracy by an act of Congress and activities during its first two decades. The records include material from collaborations with various individuals and organizations, especially grant recipients and NED's four core institutes: the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs; the National Republican Institute for International Affairs; the Free Trade Union Institute; and the Center for International Private Enterprise. Other collaborating agencies include the Agency for International Development, the Government Accountability Office, the Government Accounting Office, the Office of Management and Budget, the United States Information Agency, and the State Department. There is also material documenting congressional funding and oversight of NED. The material demonstrates the efforts and influence of NED president Carl Gershman, as well as the activities of the board of directors. Other records include material from biennial conferences held in 1987, 1989, and 1991, and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests submitted by the public from 1986 to 1993.
The collection's series are listed and briefly described below. A fuller description of each series and a list of its contents can be accessed in the series descriptions within the container list.
The Democracy Program series documents the early development of the National Endowment for Democracy, primarily from 1982 to 1983.
The Office of the President series contains files of Carl Gershman, president of the National Endowment for Democracy from 1984 to 2021.
The Office of NED Government Affairs series contains records related to the Office of Government Affairs, the Office of Public Affairs, NED biennial meetings, the NED Board of Directors, and Freedom of Information Act requests submitted to NED.
The remaining series contains National Security Classified Information.