Philanthropy & Funding
Whither Big Philanthropy
A growing chorus of critics are questioning whether big philanthropy is actually a good thing.
Tag: Democracy
Philanthropy & Funding
Philanthropy in the Service of Democracy
Plutocratic biases are baked into the policies that structure charitable giving and big foundations. We must overhaul philanthropy to make it better serve democratic ends.
Nonprofits & NGOs
Civil Society and American Exceptionalism
American civil society has a history of and reputation for political independence—and alongside it, accountability, transparency, and governance. But these unique qualities are at risk.
Cities
Keeping Democracy Alive in Cities
Cities continue to be the place where citizens can engage most directly with government—especially when nonprofits are there to offer capacity, expertise, and reach.
Podcast
Technology
The Tenuous Relationship Between Technology and Social Innovation
Rob Reich, a Marc and Laura Andreessen faculty co-director of Stanford PACS, moderates a conversation about the promise and peril of technology in civil society. Reich is joined by Kelly Born, a program manager at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation’s Madison Initiative, and Arisha Hatch, managing director of campaigns at Color of Change.
Civic Engagement
Civil Society and the Foundations of Democratic Citizenship
Civil society can act directly to solve critical problems, but its indirect effect might be just as important: allowing individuals to participate, collaborate, and—in the process—develop into citizens capable of upholding democracy.
Foundations
Foundations as Interest Groups
While old foundations typically support traditional public-school institutions, new foundations are seeking to reshape or bypass them.
Nonprofits & NGOs
Civil Society as Public Conscience
Civil society can help make sure that we in America do not turn our back on fundamental values, or forget about those who lack market and political power.
Civic Engagement
On Shared Vision and a New Social Compact
Civic engagement and community voice make up the secret sauce of US democracy. We need a new, community-generated social compact to assert the vision and policy framework for an inclusive 21st-century America.
Civic Engagement
Civic Virtues and the Healing of Partisan Divides
In a time when many are drawing a line between communities and ideologies, the best line to draw is one that goes right through every human heart—a line that leads to five essential civic virtues.