Democracy Donors Look to Legal Challenges to Slow Authoritarianism
We talked with Democracy Forward’s President and CEO Skye Perryman about using the courts to defend democracy.... Read more.
Agreeing to Disagree: A $20 Million Donation to Northwestern to Combat Polarization
Alec Litowitz and Jennifer Leischner Litowitz are backing the Center for Enlightened Disagreement in hopes of teaching young people how to navigate differences.... Read more.
A Rapidly Growing Network for Democracy Funders
Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE) has built a network for collaboration, information-sharing, research and relationship-building.... Read more.
Australia’s Ainsworth Family Invests Big in Endometriosis Research
Endometriosis impacts around 10% of women and girls of reproductive age globally. It’s personal for Anna Ainsworth, whose daughter suffers from the little-understood... Read more.
What Democracy Nonprofits Need from Funders to Fight Back Against Authoritarianism
Nonprofit leaders call for year-round, grassroots-led efforts and say that the fight will require more than double what’s now being spent.... Read more.
Democracy Fund Survey Reveals Deep Concern Among Philanthropists
The findings suggest that funders are deeply pessimistic about the state of American democracy and are starting to pivot their funding in response.... Read more.
Eight Questions on Democracy Giving with Tory Gavito of Way to Win
The progressive funding leader discusses how to engage underrepresented voters and why saving democracy as a platform fell flat in 2024.... Read more.
Democracy Donors on How to Keep Hope Alive in 2025 and Beyond
Look to the states. Defend the most vulnerable. Fund for the long haul. Donors name their go-forwards strategies to support democracy under Trump.... Read more.
A Call to Action: Fighting Words from Three Democracy Funding Leaders
It’s time to make democracy funding a year-round project and take steps to counter authoritarianism, they say.... Read more.
Donors Bring the Beats to Boost Voter Turnout
The Focus for Democracy Fund is backing DJs at the Polls and other last-minute, outside-the-box efforts to entice citizens to vote.... Read more.
Building Up Democracy: A Conversation with JPB Foundation’s Arianna Jimenez
On the eve of the election, we connected with the influential progressive funder's senior VP for democracy, gender and racial justice to talk about its giving philosophy.... Read more.
New Digital Platform Connects Democracy Donors to Grassroots Civic Groups
The environmental nonprofit Clean and Prosperous America has launched a tool to help donors find groups with funding shortfalls working in key states and races.... Read more.
Inside a New Collaborative Strategy to Fill Gaps in State-Based Democracy Funding
With the November 5 election looming, Building for Democracy Education Fund is pulling together progressive donor networks to get resources to the states and grassroots... Read more.
Foundation for a Just Society On Why Democracy Philanthropy Matters
When it comes to giving for democracy, the foundation of Jim Simons' daughter Audrey Cappell goes broad and deep in the American Southeast. That support will be... Read more.
Against Democracy Threats, the State Infrastructure Fund Channels Optimism — and Donor Dollars
The donor collaborative fund has a strong track record of state-based civic engagement giving under its belt as it takes on an election in which pro-democracy progress... Read more.
An Urgent Moment for The Movement Cooperative, a Progressive Election Infrastructure Hub
With backing from institutional grantmakers and its own members, TMC provides shared access to collectively purchased database and software resources. Now, it faces... Read more.
Democracy Donors Rally to Fund Election-Related Work Well Before November
The All by April campaign launched by the Democracy Fund led to $127 million in commitments, giving nonprofit groups across the country an opportunity to gear up... Read more.
An Alternative Model for the Restaurant Industry Blooms with the Help of Philanthropy
The restaurant business is known for slim profits, hard work and low pay. Through a partnership with a foundation and a funding collaborative, Oakland Bloom is one... Read more.
A Stalwart Supporter of Democracy Has a Message for Peer Funders: Get on Board Now—and Buckle Up
For over a decade, the State Infrastructure Fund at NEO Philanthropy has been funding civic participation. The donor collaborative offers a promising model for such... Read more.
After Two Decades, the Haas, Jr. Fund Is Winding Down LGBTQ Grants. Who Will Fill the Void?
The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund has been a leading backer of LGBTQ causes. Now, the foundation is winding down its program. How is the move being received?... Read more.
Fresh Take: How Kresge Supports Community Projects That Integrate Food and Art
Food and art are intrinsic parts of neighborhood life, but philanthropic grantmaking rarely recognizes their interconnectedness. Yet that’s exactly what the Kresge... Read more.
