May 31, 2023 To Build Community Power, Here Are Two Habits Funders Need to Break May 31, 2023/ Jenifer Fernandez Ancona, Jodeen Olguín-Tayler, Josh Stearns, Guest Contributors Funders often struggle to back civic engagement and community power building. In this guest piece, three authors whose organizations collaboratively fund that work suggest some changes in approach.Read More
January 20, 2021 “The ‘Big Lie’ That Fanned the Flames.” Philanthropy’s Role in Fighting Misinformation January 20, 2021/ Mike Scutari The attack on the Capitol was a tragic manifestation of what happens when misinformation takes root. We check in with foundations and nonprofits about what philanthropy has been doing to curb false information, and its shortcomings.Read More
September 12, 2019 This Funding Initiative Envisions Religion as an Antidote to Democracy's Ills September 12, 2019/ Philip Rojc Often painted as a driver of political division, religion also has the capacity to cultivate compassion in communities and the voting booth. Faith In/And Democracy is piloting grants to local organizations looking to realize that promise. Read More
November 14, 2018 Can Venture Philanthropy Save Local News? This Ambitious Initiative Aims to Find Out November 14, 2018/ Mike Scutari A new group is looking to raise big money and create sustainable local news ecosystems. Such a funding approach has succeeded in aggregating large-scale philanthropic capital for other causes. Can it also rescue American journalism? Read More
November 06, 2018 Heading into the Mid-terms, Who’s Paying Attention to Cybersecurity? November 06, 2018/ Caitlin Reilly The 2016 election demonstrated the vulnerability of American democracy to manipulation by outside actors. In this article first published in April, we looked at the funders working to bolster election security for the mid-terms. Read More
February 05, 2018 Good Listeners: Behind a New Journalism Fund to Drive Community Engagement February 05, 2018/ Mike Scutari Some of journalism's biggest funders, including Pierre Omidyar's Democracy Fund and the Knight Foundation, have joined forces to help beleaguered outlets better engage the public they serve.Read More