Can Americans agree on anything anymore? They certainly want to. Large and diverse majorities are desperately tired of the division that surrounds us. They want to find common ground, solve our country’s biggest problems, and move closer toward liberty, equality, and justice for all. Yet no one can seem to figure out how. And many well-intentioned efforts are making this vision harder to achieve.
Philanthropy can — and must — step into the breach. Unique among society’s institutions, philanthropy can make big bets and take bold risks to support the people and ideas that can forge the respect and solutions that America needs.
To do so, we should focus on the changemakers who are most likely to succeed. Counter-intuitively, many of them are often found at the local level. They’re already developing and offering programs and tools that have proven to be measurably effective. Many also lack the recognition and resources to take risks, innovate, and grow. When they can connect to larger networks, their work can have an outsized national impact.
Consider the history of the civil rights movement. It culminated with the passage of historic federal legislation — the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act. Yet such massive achievements didn’t materialize overnight. They were the result of patient and diligent work by a diversity of people committed to their own communities, who spent decades building the local social capital, energy, and infrastructure needed to succeed.
Leadership committees, street marches, sit-ins — the people who launched these multifaceted efforts manifested local change. They built close-knit relationships, rallied unusual allies to their cause, and could rely on the trust embedded in these diverse and resilient networks to overcome the divisions that had long blocked progress on equal justice. Out of these many small actions and the concerted work of building came some of the biggest achievements in American history.
Is the same thing possible today? Can local actions and innovations catalyze culture change on a national level? Philanthropy certainly ought to try.
There are countless local changemakers out there, tackling everything from poverty to violence. They have the understanding and trust of their community to make a profound difference. When philanthropy resources and connects them to a growing ecosystem of researchers, storytellers and practitioners, transformational change becomes possible.
This vision is at the core of Healing Starts Here, the first public grant initiative of the funding collaborative I lead: New Pluralists. Why the name? Because in a diverse democracy, pluralism is essential to building a society defined by peace, progress and problem-solving.
Pluralism is not merely civility or some naïve belief that people can simply overlook their disagreements. Rather, it holds that our differences are a strength. Conflict is a necessary part of social change. Yet it doesn’t have to break us. In fact, people who lend diverse values and voices to a social cause can advance a more just society in which everyone belongs. The more we widen the circle and view others as potential allies instead of enemies, the more likely we are to find ways to move forward together.
How can philanthropy spark this momentum? “To start, we can practice what we’re preaching,” says Stephen Heintz, president of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. “By pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zones and working with partners who come at the challenges faced by our communities and our country with different experiences and sometimes competing ideologies, we increase our chance to grow, innovate, and solve the problems we face.”
New Pluralists draws funders from across different perspective and of varying institutional types. Our differences are a strength of the model, not an obstacle.
“Our organizations are tackling big societal problems,” says Stand Together CEO Brian Hooks. “Rather than assume that any one of us has all the answers, we’re grateful for the opportunity to work alongside people who are passionate about solving the same problems but see things differently than we do. Stephen’s become a trusted partner not by overlooking our differences but by embracing them. And what we do together is that much stronger for it.”
Fostering that pluralism in grantmaking is equally important. In addition to supporting and partnering with a diverse set of leading national organizations, we’re giving local changemakers a voice at the table and the ability to shape strategies that can scale. We believe this approach will strengthen communities and ultimately lead to more impactful and progress nationally.
Most of all, philanthropy must be pluralistic in its respect for disagreement. We welcome conflicting views — including from those who say pluralism is impossible in this divided age or that it’s a distraction from the causes that matter most. Such challenge is essential to finding what works, what doesn’t, and most importantly, who and what can mend America’s badly frayed social fabric.
Can this approach succeed? We have to try. So many people are hungry to solve problems instead of worsening them and bridge divides instead of deepening them. Philanthropy can shine a light on the path forward — and on those who can inspire Americans to build a brighter future.
Uma Viswanathan is the founding Executive Director of New Pluralists, a cross-ideological funder and field collaborative that is strengthening the growing field of funders, practitioners, storytellers, researchers, and innovators working to foster a culture of pluralism in America.
