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If asked to grade the state of our US democracy today, what grade would you give? In early 2020, we asked this question to a room of high net worth philanthropists, and the majority responded with C’s and D’s, and one B-. Not a single A.

We were not surprised. And we would assess our democratic institutions similarly. From record wealth inequality, voter suppression, and legislative stalemates, to outright corruption and threats to the rule of law, US democracy is faltering on many fronts. Our democracy has shown cracks for quite some time, but the COVID-19 pandemic, racial unrest, and the 2020 elections brought to widespread attention our vulnerable democratic institutions and polarized democratic society. The public health crisis and racial injustices have afflicted the most marginalized in our society, worsening an already parlous state of affairs.

Reflections on the US Presidential Election and What’s Next for the Social Sector
Reflections on the US Presidential Election and What’s Next for the Social Sector
Following a landmark national election in the United States, we present a series of reflections on the outcome and its effects on civil society and the social sector.

Philanthropy has a role to play in rehabilitating our democracy, though it sits in an uneasy relationship with democracy. Depending on the form it takes, philanthropy can be a threat to or an indispensable component of a healthy democratic society. Democratic societies flourish as a kind of a three-legged stool: a set of healthy public institutions (the government); a vibrant private sector (the market); and a diverse array of civil society and philanthropic organizations (the independent sector).

In this piece, we focus on how philanthropy can repair and rehabilitate our dysfunctional civic and democratic institutions.*

A Vulnerable US Democracy

As we see it, the vulnerabilities of American democracy stretch across four thematic areas: government infrastructure; the electoral process; civic participation and engagement; and a free, vibrant, and trustworthy media and information ecosystem.

1. Government Infrastructure: In the 2020 elections, we saw how local and state governments were insufficiently resourced and prepared to deal with the increased complexity of running an election during a pandemic, in the face of increased cybersecurity threats, and amidst rising domestic tension. Local and state election administrators across the country found that they not only had to serve as election experts, but also as public health experts, cybersecurity experts, and experts in warding off possible public disruptions. Many offices struggled to meet these increasing demands, especially while losing many seasoned poll workers, the majority of whom were over the age of 60 and at a greater health risk.

2. The Electoral Process: Democracy relies on holding free, fair, secure, and accessible elections for all citizens. The widespread practice of gerrymandering threatens this ideal, as does voter suppression, which rose dramatically in the past decade through voter identification laws, felon disenfranchisement, and attacks on vote-by-mail. In addition, campaign finance and lobbying mechanisms favor the political preferences of the wealthy. A landmark 2014 political science study concluded that “economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on US government policy, while mass-based interest groups and average citizens have little or no independent influence.” Furthermore, the structure of the electoral college itself is highly unequal, giving equal influence to a smaller (whiter) state like Wyoming as it does to a state like California that has 70 times the population.

3. Civic Engagement: This is the sphere of citizen, and non-citizen, education, engagement, and organization that happens outside of the election cycle but still allows communities to participate in the civic and political process. A well-functioning democracy requires inclusive civic engagement, but increased economic inequality is adversely affecting the already-low levels of trust and participation in our democracy. Robert Putnam warned us about Bowling Alone in the 1990s, but the situation has not improved: trust and civic engagement have plummeted, while economic inequality has skyrocketed.

4. Media and Information Ecosystems: Media institutions are facing several challenges to keeping the public informed. Local newsrooms are rapidly declining, while wealthy individuals are taking ownership of entire media landscapes. The internet broke the traditional business model of print journalism, and no replacement other than market consolidation or philanthropic patronage has yet to emerge. What’s more, even though new media platforms are creating unprecedented opportunities for participation, conventional media institutions are still grappling with becoming more inclusive. Additionally, social media platforms, which by default have become the substitute for our public square, are allowing targeted disinformation, echo-chambers, and hate speech.

What Philanthropy Can Do

All Americans have a role to play in fixing US democracy, by voting, participating in civic discourse, and engaging civically in the third sector. But big philanthropists have a potentially transformative role to play in rehabilitating our democracy. While not a substitute for an effective and representative government, philanthropists can play an essential role during moments of crisis by filling the gaps left open by a fragile democracy and supporting the rehabilitation of the democracy itself. By supporting the nonprofit sector to address basic needs and to build the capacity of local and state government entities, they can do so in a nonpartisan way.

There is a big difference between influencing the outcome of a democratic process and making the process more democratic. We know that wealthy individuals fund political processes to influence outcomes in favor of their desired candidate, bill, or policy. But our focus on funders supporting the rehabilitation of US democracy is not about influencing the outcome in favor of one group over another. It’s about ensuring that the system is more representative of all Americans by giving citizens equal access to the political process and ensuring our media and government institutions function well. By addressing these issues, we can achieve higher rates of voter registration, higher levels of trust in the government, and a healthier landscape for local news and investigative journalism for all Americans.

Democracy-Rehabilitating Philanthropy

Democracy-Rehabilitating Philanthropy is for philanthropists who seek to repair the flaws in our current civic and democratic institutions. Using the themes outlined above, we have identified a range of activities and approaches that donors can take. (The framework borrows from Candid’s research on Foundation Funding for US Democracy and the Center for High Impact Philanthropy’s “We the People: a Philanthropic Guide to Strengthening Democracy.”)

Government Infrastructure

  • Government performance: Donors can invest in nonprofits that advocate for increased congressional staffing budgets, improve federal and state legislature performance, or increase government transparency.
  • Limit the outsized influence of the wealthy: Donors can support efforts to limit lobbying that allows wealthier actors to have a greater say in the rule-making processes.
  • Increase diverse representation in government: Donors can support nonprofits, such as New America Leaders (NPL), a national nonpartisan organization focused on bringing first and second-generation Americans into the political process, thereby increasing representation of all Americans.

The Electoral Process

  • Increase the capacity of local and state administrators: For example, in response to the rising need of election administration funding, the Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTCL) provided grants through the CTCL COVID-19 Response Grant Program to US local election offices to ensure that they could safely serve as many voters as possible. They specifically focused on serving under-resourced election offices, such as those in rural jurisdictions. Donors can also support the capacity of gubernatorial and mayoral offices to build their capacity and resilience to respond to emergencies, and improve their ability to support the integrity of state and local elections. Additionally, donors can support local, state and national election offices to integrate more design and communications expertise into their teams, so that they can design better election experiences, and improve the translation of complex processes into more digestible materials for election workers and the public.
  • Ensure elections are administered in a fair, inclusive way so that as many people as possible have access to the vote: Nonprofits in many communities conduct voter education efforts, pursue voting rights litigation, and fund policy changes to remove restrictions on who can vote (e.g., voter ID laws and restrictions on felons).
  • Safeguard equal representation for all in our elections: Donors can support organizations working to end gerrymandering and reform a Senate and Electoral College that amplify some voices at the expense of others.
  • Support campaign finance reform: By funding organizations that advocate for restrictions on big-money influence or invest in alternatives like public financing, donors can help break down the barriers that prevent less connected and less-resourced leaders from running for office.

Civic Engagement

  • Expand civic education and civic participation efforts to communities more frequently excluded from the political process: Several nonprofits around the country lead such efforts. One of the authors, Nadia Roumani, co-founded one such organization, the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute (AMCLI), housed at the University of Southern California, which increases the leadership capacity of American Muslim civic leaders across the country. Another example of an organization increasing civic participation is More Than A Vote, supported by Lebron James, which recruited over 40,000 poll workers nationwide for the 2020 elections.

The Media and Information Ecosystems

  • Support underfunded journalism organizations: Donors can support local news, public media, nonprofit investigative reporting, and publications led by underrepresented journalists. The Knight Foundation has invested extensively to support journalism programs across the US. Another initiative, Newsmatch, is a collaboration between newsrooms, funders, and industry experts to increase unrestricted financial support for independent, nonprofit news organizations, thereby deepening their sustainability.
  • Ensure an adequate, inclusive pipeline for aspiring journalists to get the education and training they need: Donors can fund scholarships or programs at journalism schools, especially for aspiring journalists from underserved communities. The Democracy Fund’s Engaged Journalism Lab, for example, includes several articles and case studies about how to increase diversity and equity in journalism.
  • Address biases and disinformation in the media, especially in social media platforms: Donors can address concerning trends in compromises of user privacy, the creation of filter bubbles and echo-chambers, and the rising prevalence of misinformation and disinformation. Donors can invest in organizations conducting research, developing policy recommendations, or assessing litigation challenges in these areas. Donors can also support the promotion of digital media literacy and awareness.

How Philanthropists Can Dive Deeper Into Rehabilitating US Democracy

Learn from others! In addition to reviewing the recommendations listed above, donors can also learn from other philanthropists and family foundations who have been funding to rehabilitate US democracy for some time. Giving Compass has helpfully compiled an “Election 2020” resource that includes a list of organizations and funds working within several of the themes we outlined above.

Donors can also consult Inside Philanthropy resources that highlight individual donors and family foundations who funded efforts to improve civic engagement and democracy. Featured organizations include: The Solidago Foundation, an organization that strives to alleviate imbalances in political power by supporting community-organizing efforts in disenfranchised communities; The Werner-Kohnstamm Family Fund, a small donor-advised fund supporting youth leadership and civic education in underserved communities; The Klarman Family Foundation, which focuses on rebuilding trust in news media by funding nonprofit journalism and advocating for press freedom; and Spitzer Charitable Trust.

Follow an institutional foundation! Donors can follow institutional foundations who usually have professional staff members who are experts in their fields. Donors can look to organizations that are supporting democracy rehabilitation and see if there are grants or approaches they are interested in exploring. Here are some examples of established foundations supporting the themes outlined above:

Democracy Infrastructure

The Electoral Process

  • The Joyce Foundation has a Democracy Program focused on achieving fair elections and protecting the free press.
  • The MacArthur Foundation supports the Strengthening American Democracy initiative, focused on campaign finance reform, election administration, and voting reform.
  • The Dolores Huerta Foundation works to increase voter registration and turnout in rural, low-income communities in California.

The Media and Information Ecosystem

  • The Media Democracy Fund operates “at the crossroads of digital technology and social justice.” They have tackled issues related to internet access, surveillance, and platform power.
  • The Whitman Institute funds media and journalism institutions that pursue the truth and lifts the experiences and perspectives of marginalized communities.
  • The Ethics & Excellence in Journalism Foundation supports quality journalism and journalists’ rights via organizations such as the Center for Investigative Reporting, and Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

Civic Engagement

  • Civic Action Fund works with leaders and organizations to increase the involvement of underrepresented people in the democratic process.
  • The Funders Committee for Civic Participation (FCCP) ensures traditionally marginalized communities have equal access to participation and decision-making in our democracy.
  • The Seattle Foundation created a Voter Education Fund to increase civic engagement in traditionally marginalized communities in King County.

Donor Circles and Networks

Learn More, Do More

Rehabilitating our democracy, especially to curb inequities, is not a task for philanthropists alone. But those with wealth and privilege are uniquely positioned to deploy significant resources quickly to support the building and reimagining of our tattered and under-resourced democracy-preserving institutions. In this piece, we provided a broad list of references and resources to inspire donors to do more to rehabilitate our democracy and to identify places where they can learn and give alongside other donors.

However, if this list is used simply to learn more without giving more, we will have failed. Our democracy cannot wait until donors are up to speed on the needs in the sector. Donors must deploy resources today to address infrastructure gaps and to tackle the rising mistrust in our democratic process which emerged from the most recent election cycle. So consider diving in, learning quickly, and deploying quickly. Together, we can work towards building a thriving democracy that receives a stellar report card from donors, social sector leaders, and residents across the United States, especially from the most marginalized. While that goal may seem daunting, we can at least strive for a democracy that inches towards passing, on our way to thriving.

 

*We have written a second article addressing how donors can shift practics by sharing power, integrating democratic values into their philanthropic structures, which is available on the National Center on Family Philanthropy's site.

 

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Read more stories by Mohit Mookim, Ayushi Vig, Rob Reich & Nadia Roumani.