MOST RECENT
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.
Much of philanthropy frames civic engagement in a narrow way, with a focus on voting and elections. Guest contributor Louise Lief discusses what’s wrong with that, and what a better, broader approach looks like.
We spoke with the leader of this prominent California social justice funder to discuss her career, her experience as the daughter of Korean immigrants, threats to American democracy, and more.
Top philanthropists have become ever more adept at working the levers of power in order to shape federal policy. Here are the living donors who wield the most influence in the nation’s capital.
A handful of philanthropies are supporting grassroots efforts to push back against well-funded attacks on public education. They’re hoping more funders will take a stand.
Young people in rural areas are some of the nation’s most persuadable voters. They’re also one of its most neglected voter demographics. But this new fund from the Rural Democracy Initiative is paying attention.
Launched in October, the Omidyar Network’s newest focus area seeks to cultivate a sense of belonging among the body politic. We walk through its work with Senior VP of Programs Michele Jawando and Director David Hsu.
As this family foundation heads into its third generation, it’s backing social enterprises, taking on new issue areas, and exploring practices like impact investing and trust-based philanthropy.
Mike Berkowitz is the co-founder and executive director of the Democracy Funders Network. We check in with him to discuss the network’s approach, trends in democracy giving, what’s keeping donors up at night, and more.
Donors from the U.S. helped sow the seeds for Israel’s current right-wing leadership. Guest author Jo-Ann Mort discusses how that happened and calls on liberal and progressive Jewish donors to step up at a critical moment.
The Omidyar Network’s Reporters in Residence program is backing journalists who cover economic issues neglected by the mainstream media. It’s the latest philanthropic effort to boost a struggling field — and spur systemic change.
While some threats to American democracy were averted in the 2022 midterms, much work remains. Guest author Leslie Gross from The Philanthropy Workshop encourages individual and family donors to take the lead.
Voters stood up to threats against democracy in the midterms, but the fight continues, including ongoing legal battles. Here are three funders who decided to back litigation in defense of free and fair elections.
Billionaire couple Melanie and Richard Lundquist are throwing their support behind the News Literacy Project to arm students and the public against mis- and disinformation.
The 2022 midterm elections turned out not to be the bloodbath that Democrats — and funders supporting progressive issues — feared it would be. What can philanthropy learn from our latest fraught election cycle?
It’s a very different world than it was when the Democracy Alliance formed, way back in the Bush era. How has this progressive donor powerhouse, once the only game in town, changed over the years? And where is it headed?
James Stone is one of a growing number of wealthy donors highly concerned about inequality. The James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Foundation is supporting research examining the forces that create and perpetuate it.
With U.S. democracy in crisis, guest contributors Mike Berkowitz and Rachel Kleinfeld argue that philanthropy cannot stick to its usual playbook. They outline five ways funders can update their approach.
The son and daughter-in-law of billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch have expanded their grantmaking and put an emphasis on democracy and climate change in recent years. Here’s where the money’s going.
As book bans in schools become a key front in the culture wars, organizations like PEN America are betting that Americans’ faith in free speech will prove stronger. Do funders have their backs?
Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King launched the Drum Major Coalition, providing organizations with flexible support for power-building. We spoke with the Kings about how it came together and what’s next.
Funders like Ford and Hewlett have committed millions to develop a new field with the goal of using technology to serve the public good. We check in on their efforts thus far and opportunities moving forward.
The New Pluralists funder collaborative is taking on a steep challenge: toxic polarization in America. Guest contributor Uma Viswanathan discusses the group’s approach to bridging divides and its first moves.
Democracy in America is in a precarious state, and local elections are just as vulnerable to monied interests. Guest authors Raúl Macías and Tiffany Mendoza offer a creative solution that can help level the playing field.
The New Pluralists funder collaborative is tackling polarization head-on, focusing on “culture change” on the community level. Its approach has attracted diverse backing, but can it really make a difference?
IP founder David Callahan lays out some big ideas for how MacKenzie Scott and her husband Dan Jewett can build on their historic philanthropy to better take on America’s entrenched economic and political inequality.
Giving for civic engagement on campus is a small but increasingly important component of the higher ed funding ecosystem. Here’s a list of eight key grantmakers and how they approach that work.
Instituto works through a 501(c)(3), a 501(c)(4) and a PAC to cultivate in-state funding. Here’s what it’s doing to support progressive power-building, and how it’s reckoning with the fact that demographics doesn’t always equal destiny.
For decades, Patricia Bauman has had an outsized impact in progressive philanthropy, as both donor and organizer. She’s now narrowing her foundation’s focus to confront dire threats to democracy.
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan’s unprecedented support for election infrastructure in 2020 has been among their most controversial giving. Though the Facebook royalty aren’t involved, that strand of philanthropy continues.