November 30, 2022 To Combat an "Urgent Threat," a Donor Couple Makes a Big Commitment to News Literacy November 30, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen 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.Read More
October 24, 2022 Philanthropy Needs New Strategies to Save American Democracy October 24, 2022/ Mike Berkowitz and Rachel Kleinfeld, Guest Contributors 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.Read More
February 03, 2022 Centrists Are Blaming Lefty Philanthropists for Democrats' Woes. Here's What They're Missing February 03, 2022/ Philip Rojc While some funders do back progressive organizations, the argument that philanthropy has played any major role pushing Democrats to the left misunderstands what is still a very cautious, behaviorally conservative sector.Read More
January 13, 2022 Why Funders Should Stop Worrying and Learn to Love Democracy Giving January 13, 2022/ Philip Rojc At a scary time for American democracy, rampant civic contention is scrambling old norms and giving rise to weird new forms of giving. Funders need to lean in at this critical juncture, not turn away.Read More
October 15, 2020 Crunch Time: Democracy Funders Confront a Perilous Election—and Its Aftermath October 15, 2020/ Philip Rojc Mere weeks remain until Election Day. As some argue that American democracy itself is on the line, here’s how philanthropic funders have been rising to the challenge, and some of the ways they may be falling short.Read More
July 06, 2020 How a Progressive Funder Collaborative Seeks to Ramp Up Voter Engagement July 06, 2020/ Philip Rojc Since 2016, progressive donors have been hard at work building up grassroots civic engagement capacity. Here’s how one collaborative wants to use 501(c)(3) funds to expand the electorate and counteract COVID-19 as November looms.Read More
March 03, 2020 Off the Sidelines: The Fund Propelling Women Into Office March 03, 2020/ Julia Travers Women make up more than half of the U.S. population, but hold less than 30% of elected seats. A Gates-backed fund aims to get more women elected to state offices. What’s its strategy and where are grants heading?Read More
December 12, 2018 “The Fight of Our Lives.” How a Funder Collaborative Backs Civic Participation December 12, 2018/ Julia Travers The Defending the Dream Fund is among the new rapid-response efforts that have popped up since the 2016 election. It recently made its third round of grants—its biggest yet. Who’s behind the fund, and where’s the money going? Read More
September 22, 2017 By Popular Demand: A Donor's Long-Shot Effort to Overturn the Electoral College September 22, 2017/ Caitlin Reilly Can the Electoral College end without a constitutional amendment? The inventor of the scratch-off lottery ticket is betting on it, and has already spent millions. Read More
June 26, 2017 Can This Giant Campus Gift Really Have an Impact on the Future of Democracy? June 26, 2017/ Stewart Lawrence and David Callahan The Stavros Niarchos Foundation is putting up $150 million for an initiative based at Johns Hopkins that aims to elevate civic discourse. But is an academic institution the right place for such work? Read More
November 03, 2016 New Citizens, New Power: What Funders Are Doing to Push Latino Civic Engagement November 03, 2016/ David Callahan and Alyssa Ochs The 2016 election may well hinge on Latino turnout. We look at what funders have been doing in recent years to boost Latino civic engagement, and remake the electoral map. Read More