America has long struggled with the relationship between religion and government. On one hand, we have a robust tradition of maintaining a separation between church and state, enabled by the First Amendment. On the other hand, Americans throughout … [Read more...] about Faith-Based Funding Can Help Protect Democracy
Democracy
Melinda French Gates Charts a Course for a “New Chapter.” Here Are Some Takeaways
It didn’t take her long. Just two weeks after the news broke that Melinda French Gates was leaving the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, she made another big announcement: She is committing $1 billion through 2026 “for people and organizations working … [Read more...] about Melinda French Gates Charts a Course for a “New Chapter.” Here Are Some Takeaways
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Gears Up for the Fall Election — and Beyond
Funders Must Step Up to Engage Pro-Equality Voters This Year
The Gill Foundation, an LGBTQ Powerhouse, Dives Into Pro-Democracy Funding
Democracy Donors Rally to Fund Election-Related Work Well Before November
The old saw “better late than never” does not hold up at the ballot box.Nonprofit organizations that work to ensure free and fair elections have long lamented that grantmakers dole out funds too late to make a difference in work designed to help … [Read more...] about Democracy Donors Rally to Fund Election-Related Work Well Before November
What Can We Learn from How Two Regional Funders Are Confronting Challenges to Democracy?
Between ample mainstream media coverage and philanthrosphere-specific campaigns like the recent All By April funder initiative, the sector is hardly blind to the overt threats to voting rights and civic engagement that loom over the 2024 election. … [Read more...] about What Can We Learn from How Two Regional Funders Are Confronting Challenges to Democracy?
Don’t Abandon Civic Engagement in Small Towns and Rural Places
A controversial question has resurfaced among our philanthropic colleagues who support the civic engagement of persuadable swaths of the American populace on a wide range of important issues: Is it worth our valuable time and limited resources to … [Read more...] about Don’t Abandon Civic Engagement in Small Towns and Rural Places
To Mobilize Voters, the Latino Community Foundation Reaches Beyond California for the First Time
Come every election season, there's always a lot of talk about Latino voters — and for good reason. Not only do Latinos make up a significant share of the U.S. population at almost 20%; they're also the second fastest-growing racial and ethnic group … [Read more...] about To Mobilize Voters, the Latino Community Foundation Reaches Beyond California for the First Time
Unlocking Impact: Maximizing Philanthropy Ahead of the Election by Bridging c3 and c4 Support
With seven months until the 2024 general election, the urgency of our current moment cannot be overstated. Across the country, rights have been stripped away and major policy decisions are now being determined at the state level. Within this … [Read more...] about Unlocking Impact: Maximizing Philanthropy Ahead of the Election by Bridging c3 and c4 Support
The Future of Our Democracy Relies on Donors
Do you remember how you felt on election night in 2020 — one of the most consequential elections in history — anxiously listening to election returns, knowing the results would soon predict the fate of our nation? In the days and weeks following … [Read more...] about The Future of Our Democracy Relies on Donors
The Latest in a Life of Firsts: Carnegie President Louise Richardson Talks About Her Role
Dame Louise Richardson was the first woman to lead the University of St. Andrews, the first woman head of Oxford University, and as of January 2023, the first woman president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Richardson came to the role after … [Read more...] about The Latest in a Life of Firsts: Carnegie President Louise Richardson Talks About Her Role
Post-Disaster Legal Aid Funding Fills a Growing Need — And Could Help Shore Up Democracy
If ongoing trends are any indication, the need for post-disaster aid is only going to increase in the years ahead. In January, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that 2023 was a record-breaking year for natural disasters … [Read more...] about Post-Disaster Legal Aid Funding Fills a Growing Need — And Could Help Shore Up Democracy
How the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund is Working to Mobilize Voters and Build Power
The 2020 election saw record-breaking turnout for Asian American voters, continuing a trend that began in 2016. In fact, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders saw the highest increase in voter turnout in 2020 for all racial and ethnic groups. … [Read more...] about How the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund is Working to Mobilize Voters and Build Power
Toward a More Equitable South: Meet a Funder Where Rural Grassroots Leaders Call the Shots
Atlanta’s Southern Partners Fund is one of those unique grantmakers working at the intersection of a few of the more urgent themes animating philanthropy today.The first involves geography. SPF, which has moved more than $15 million to grassroots … [Read more...] about Toward a More Equitable South: Meet a Funder Where Rural Grassroots Leaders Call the Shots
The Blank Family Foundation Reflects on the Past, Plans the Next Generation of Giving
The enormous wealth created by Home Depot, the country’s largest home improvement retailer, looms large in the chain’s home base of Georgia and beyond. It’s also yielded significant family-driven philanthropy over the years, including through … [Read more...] about The Blank Family Foundation Reflects on the Past, Plans the Next Generation of Giving
Why Craig Newmark Is Concerned — and Hopeful — for American Democracy
Craig Newmark’s interests are wide ranging and eclectic, and include veterans and military families, journalism, food security, women in tech, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, pigeon rescue and comedy — not necessarily in that order. Newmark, … [Read more...] about Why Craig Newmark Is Concerned — and Hopeful — for American Democracy
The Time to Invest in Democracy Is Now, Not November
Free, fair and representative elections are difficult to achieve under the best circumstances. As 2024 progresses, the good news is that one of the cornerstones of American democracy — the hundreds of nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations devoted to … [Read more...] about The Time to Invest in Democracy Is Now, Not November
The Leader of This Growing West Coast Funder Is Zeroing in on the Promise and Perils of AI
A year into her new job as president and CEO of the Heising-Simons Foundation, Sushma Raman is turning her attention — and some of the foundation’s resources — to the potential risks and benefits of technology, particularly artificial … [Read more...] about The Leader of This Growing West Coast Funder Is Zeroing in on the Promise and Perils of AI
This Funder is Zeroing in on Underrepresented Voters — and ID-ing Insurrectionists
Protecting democracy isn’t always glamorous. Sometimes it requires raising money and managing budgets to cover the rent and provide employees with a living wage. Public Wise considers these kinds of quotidian, practical details part of its mission, … [Read more...] about This Funder is Zeroing in on Underrepresented Voters — and ID-ing Insurrectionists
How Will Philanthropy Impact the 2024 Election? Here’s a Bird’s-Eye View
Election Day 2024 will be here in under nine months, the culmination of a contest that might just spell the end of American democracy as we know it. This nation’s electoral institutions and its public square are on particularly shaky ground right … [Read more...] about How Will Philanthropy Impact the 2024 Election? Here’s a Bird’s-Eye View
It’s Already Happening: Unpacking the Authoritarian Threat to U.S. Philanthropy
The freedoms we enjoy as Americans are at stake as a combination of legal restrictions, selective law enforcement, slander, intimidation and threats of violence close the civic space that is vital to any functioning democracy. Philanthropy and civil … [Read more...] about It’s Already Happening: Unpacking the Authoritarian Threat to U.S. Philanthropy
A New Fund Backs Civic Engagement and Power Building for Communities of Color in California
With the general election right around the corner, nonprofit organizations and philanthropic funders are ramping up their efforts to mobilize voters. Organizers, however, emphasize that this type of work should be a long-term endeavor in empowering … [Read more...] about A New Fund Backs Civic Engagement and Power Building for Communities of Color in California
Steve Phillips Talks Progressive Philanthropy, the Sandler Legacy, and More
A Conversation With Jacqueline Martinez Garcel, Outgoing CEO of the Latino Community Foundation
Jacqueline Martinez Garcel served as the CEO of the Latino Community Foundation (LCF) from 2015 to 2023, where she helped the foundation raise more than $100 million to advance its mission of building power for Latinos and investing in their … [Read more...] about A Conversation With Jacqueline Martinez Garcel, Outgoing CEO of the Latino Community Foundation
How One Community Funder’s In-House Campaign Is Moving the Needle on Voter Engagement
At the start of what promises to be another fraught, high-stakes election year, funders seeking to make a truly “upstream” difference on a wide range of issues facing Americans may want to take a page from the playbook of Fairfield County’s Community … [Read more...] about How One Community Funder’s In-House Campaign Is Moving the Needle on Voter Engagement
Formed Amid 2020’s Racial Justice Uprisings, a Funding Collaborative Recommits to the Cause
Last year, Inside Philanthropy looked at some of the biggest racial justice commitments made by institutional philanthropy in the wake of George Floyd's murder at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. And while we were impressed with all 11 … [Read more...] about Formed Amid 2020’s Racial Justice Uprisings, a Funding Collaborative Recommits to the Cause
“A Pathway to Restoring Local News.” Field Leader Sue Cross on the State of Journalism Philanthropy
Founded in 2009 by 27 nonpartisan, nonprofit news organizations, the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) provides education and business support services to its member organizations and promotes the value of public-service and investigative … [Read more...] about “A Pathway to Restoring Local News.” Field Leader Sue Cross on the State of Journalism Philanthropy
Sending Up the Bat Signal: What Philanthropy Must Do To Ensure That Democracy Wins in 2024
Dear Colleagues in Philanthropy:I’m sending up the Bat Signal. The bad news: We have a five-alarm fire going into 2024. The good news: We can still protect democracy and catalyze unprecedented turnout.I’m worried about two things:Our democracy is … [Read more...] about Sending Up the Bat Signal: What Philanthropy Must Do To Ensure That Democracy Wins in 2024
This Year at the UNGA, Philanthropies Unite Behind Democracy and Locally Led Development
The U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, were a top focus at the U.N. General Assembly’s 78th Session this year. The SDG summit, which is mandated to occur every four years at the beginning of UNGA proceedings, came at an important time. … [Read more...] about This Year at the UNGA, Philanthropies Unite Behind Democracy and Locally Led Development
