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Democracy Fund Welcomes New Leadership to its Board of Directors and Programs

April 13, 2023

As part of the organization’s ongoing development in service of its new strategy, Democracy Fund is pleased to announce the expansion of its board of directors and organizational leadership.

Three new board members began their two-year term on Tuesday, March 21:

Danielle Allen, professor of public policy, politics, and ethics at Harvard University, director of the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Ethics, and James Bryant Conant University professor, one of Harvard’s highest honors. She is also founder and president of Partners In Democracy.

Crystal Hayling, executive director of Libra Foundation and a leading advocate for racial justice in philanthropy. During the global pandemic and racial justice uprisings of 2020, she doubled Libra’s grantmaking and launched the Democracy Frontlines Fund.

Sabeel Rahman, associate professor of law at Brooklyn Law School, and a co-founder and co-chair of the Law and Political Economy Project. Previously, Mr. Rahman led the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) in the Office of Management and Budget and served as the president of Demos.

“I’m honored to welcome our new board members to Democracy Fund. Each joins with invaluable expertise in the pro-democracy movement, a deep commitment to racial justice, and a keen understanding of what it will take to move our democracy toward a more inclusive, just, and trustworthy future,” said Democracy Fund President Joe Goldman.

Goldman also serves on the Democracy Fund board of directors along with board chair Pat Christen and board member Sarah Steven.

As prominent leaders with extensive expertise in efforts to create a more inclusive, multi-racial democracy, these new board members will be important partners in implementing Democracy Fund’s new organizational strategy.

Democracy Fund’s sister organization, Democracy Fund Voice, also announced new appointees to its board of directors: Deepak Bhargava, lecturer in urban studies at the City University of New York, and Robinson Jacobs of Comprehensive Financial Management.

New Programmatic Leadership

Democracy Fund is also pleased to announce Sanjiv Rao as our new managing director of media and movements to oversee our Public Square and Just & Inclusive Society programs. Sanjiv most recently served as a senior equity fellow in the Office of Management Budget in the Executive Office of the President, on assignment from his role as a senior fellow at Race Forward, working to support federal agency action plans to advance racial equity and support for underserved communities. Before that, he completed a nearly decade-long program term at the Ford Foundation, concluding as director of the Civic Engagement and Government program.

Sanjiv joins Lara Flint, managing director of elections and institutions. She is a skilled advocate with more than 20 years of legal, public policy, and government experience, including a decade on Capitol Hill. Lara previously served as director of the Governance program at Democracy Fund. Before joining Democracy Fund in 2017, she served as chief counsel for national security to then-Chairman Patrick Leahy of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where she led the committee’s work on national security, privacy, and technology.

“Together, Sanjiv and Lara will play a critical role in executing Democracy Fund’s new strategy, strengthening the organization’s grantmaking efforts, and positioning more pro-democracy champions for long term transformational work,” said Laura Chambers, Democracy Fund chief operating officer. “As our organization continues to evolve, our new, dynamic leadership will help us pave a path forward in our pursuit to strengthen American democracy. We are excited for what they will enable us to achieve.”

Additionally, Tom Glaisyer has been appointed executive advisor to the president. As one of Democracy Fund’s earliest staff members, Tom built the organization’s Public Square program and most recently oversaw the organization’s programs as managing director. In his new role, he will forge collaborations between Democracy Fund and its peer organizations across The Omidyar Group, as well as work with the organization’s leadership to anticipate and prepare for long-term threats and opportunities.

These changes occur at a pivotal time for the organization, as Democracy Fund nears its tenth anniversary in 2024. We expect our new, dynamic leadership to challenge us, guide us, and help us pave a path forward toward a more inclusive, multiracial democracy.

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Featured

Statement

Democracy Fund Statement on the Passing of Common Cause President Karen Hobert Flynn

March 7, 2023

Democracy Fund mourns the loss of Common Cause President Karen Hobert Flynn. Her role as a staunch democracy defender over the past four decades and her commitment to achieving an American democracy that is inclusive and equitable for all made her a key partner to Democracy Fund since its inception.

While her absence will be painful to bear, Karen will continue to inspire us daily in our work. In our country’s toughest moments, she was not deterred from her vision and wholeheartedly supported her colleagues and partners in the pro-democracy field each step of the way.

We are grateful for Karen’s years of leadership and work at Common Cause and will miss her friendship and wisdom. We are here for our friends and colleagues at Common Cause as we all grieve and celebrate Karen’s impactful life together.

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Statement

Statement on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court Decision

June 24, 2022

Today’s Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization lays bare the fragile state of our democracy — one that fails to represent the majority and respect the rights of its citizens, especially of women of color. Once again, we see how vulnerable our political system is to perversion by leaders who are not committed to protecting and strengthening our democracy.

While our democracy has long been profoundly and intentionally broken, it is still incredibly difficult to see the arc toward justice stymied on so many fronts. In order to systemically shift the tide, we must strengthen the pro-democracy movement and create changes that support majority rule and preserve basic rights.

We remain committed to doing all we can to create a more inclusive, multiracial democracy for all.

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Blog

How we are holding ourselves accountable to equity in democracy and in journalism

Joe Goldman & Tom Glaisyer

March 1, 2021

Independent journalism is an essential instrument of accountability and critical to the health of our republic. Without it, the public’s ability to check the power and influence of those who represent them is severely limited. While our elected officials may not always appreciate or agree with the criticism they receive, it is their responsibility to support a vigorous free press.

The world of philanthropy is no different. As funders, we must hold ourselves accountable to — and be willing to be held accountable by — the communities and grantees we support. As institutions with substantial power that is derived from private wealth — and not from a democratically accountable body — we have a special responsibility to embrace transparency. We should welcome dialogue and public critique if we are committed to the best interests of the communities we serve.

At Democracy Fund, we acknowledge that — through our systems, structures, and choices — we have been complicit in upholding white supremacy. We are therefore examining our external grantmaking and internal culture to ensure that we live up to the values we want to see in our democracy. Last year, we formally moved away from our previous commitment to bipartisanship because we were unwilling to compromise on the fundamental principles of a healthy democracy. Instead, we decided that we must ground ourselves in our values, including a belief that “a just and equitable political system must eliminate structural barriers to ensure historically excluded communities have meaningful influence in our democracy.” Key to this work has been listening and being accountable to our own staff, especially women of color, who have raised these issues and helped move us forward.

Specifically, our Public Square program has interrogated what it means to support racial equity in journalism (and encouraged other funders to join us). We expanded our investment in newsrooms led by and serving historically marginalized groups (and will continue to do so). We funded Black, Indigenous and people of color led organizations holding tech platforms accountable for combatting discrimination, harassment and hate. We supported new leaders working to shift industry culture. We recognize that we have much more to do to achieve justice and a democracy that works for all.

Last year we announced a number of commitments regarding how Democracy Fund will be part of the solution. Expanding on those ideas in the field of journalism, our Public Square program is working this year to:

Expand the proportion of grantees led by or serving BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and other historically marginalized communities across our strategies.
Invest in trailblazers and leadership within diverse communities who are building power and organizing for equity.
Confront systemic racism, white supremacy, and white dominant culture when it shows up in our own processes and community.

We applaud those who have come forward with feedback for foundations in the past, often at risk to themselves and their livelihoods. We saw that last week when a public critique was published about the Knight Foundation, one of our philanthropic peers and partners in the journalism field. As the journalism community comes together this week at the Knight Media Forum (KMF), we hope it is an opportunity to talk more openly about how systems of power, wealth, and white supremacy shape philanthropy, and how we all can work towards a holistic system rooted in equity and inclusion.

Make no mistake, Democracy Fund has its own work to do. We will continue to take steps to live our values more closely and to address systemic racism within our organization and within democracy. We encourage our partners and grantees to examine how their own systems may be complicit in maintaining a culture of white supremacy and be open to the uncomfortable discussions and decisions that could follow. You can expect to hear more from us on these topics throughout this year and beyond. We welcome accountability as we do the work.

We are eager to continue the conversation. If you have feedback you can email us at info@democracyfund.org, and we also encourage people to provide anonymous feedback about Democracy Fund on Grant Advisor.

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Statement

Democracy Fund’s Statement on President Trump’s Second Impeachment

Democracy Fund

January 14, 2021

Last week, President Trump and his allies incited an insurrection against the United States of America in an attempt to undermine the peaceful transfer of power. Almost exactly 12 months after the Senate trial began in President Trump’s earlier impeachment, he is now the first president of the United States to be impeached for a second time. With the most bipartisan impeachment vote of a president in the history of the republic, Congress took an important stand in defense of our Constitution and our democracy.

On January 20th we will (officially) begin the journey to repair the damage done by an authoritarian president bent on tearing down the core institutions of our democracy and responsible for further unleashing the forces of white nationalism into our democratic society. As we take the steps necessary to heal our country, we must not simply turn the page, but rather ensure accountability for the damage done throughout these past four years.

Accountability — for the president and his allies — is an essential step but cannot stand alone. It must be coupled with a new era of reform that ensures our democracy is never again left so vulnerable, and that pursues a reimagined vision of an open and just democracy. We must use our collective experience to focus our attention on building a democracy worthy of the support and trust of every American.

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Statement

Philanthropies Condemn Political Violence, Call on Leaders to Protect Democracy

Democracy Fund

January 13, 2021

As representatives of nonpartisan philanthropic institutions, serving rural, urban, and suburban communities across the nation, we condemn the violence that broke out at the U.S. Capitol this week. The events in Washington are a stain on our nation’s history and a painful break in the peaceful transition of power that has been a defining hallmark of American democracy for more than 200 years.

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Statement

Statement From Democracy Fund President Joe Goldman

Joe Goldman

November 7, 2020

Today, Joe Biden was projected the winner of the 2020 presidential election. He will serve as the 46th president of the United States, and Kamala Harris will be the first Black and South Asian woman to serve as vice president. The fact that we have a projected winner today in light of the unprecedented challenges we have faced as a nation demonstrates the resilience of our democratic institutions and the successful execution of our electoral process.

Our nation’s ability to run an election amid a global pandemic was not a foregone conclusion just a few days ago. It is remarkable that this election proceeded with few reports of issues in election administration and limited instances of the violence we feared. Most notably, it is worth celebrating that more than 150 million Americans exercised their right to vote — many for the first time — resulting in a once-in-a-century level of turnout. And despite political pressure, it is a testament to the endurance of our democracy that all of their votes are being counted.

These remarkable accomplishments are due to the tireless efforts of dedicated public servants and civil society groups who have worked against all of the odds to ensure the integrity of our electoral systems, improve voter access, and inspire the public to get engaged. We also cannot overstate how important it is that hundreds of thousands of Americans, particularly Black and Brown women, answered the call to serve their democracy as organizers, volunteers, and poll workers. We are incredibly grateful to all of our grantees who made this possible, and look forward to celebrating their hard work in the coming weeks and months.

But despite these accomplishments, the results of this election have not brought the threats to our democracy to an end — in many ways, this election has revealed the true depths of the challenges we face.

The rhetoric coming from President Trump and his supporters baselessly questioning the validity of this election are appalling and undemocratic. Their worst rhetoric — challenging votes from historically disenfranchised communities for extra scrutiny — requires swift and strong condemnation. With no credible evidence of fraud to date, the myriad legal challenges brought forth are unlikely to change the outcome. They are instead intended to foment public unrest and to undermine the long-term health of our democratic institutions.

Americans must refute these efforts. Leaders within both parties and within the media – along with trusted nonpartisan leaders within our religious, business, and veteran communities – must work to assure voters of the facts in order to facilitate a peaceful transition of power.

It is time to begin to repair the damage done by an administration bent on tearing down democratic norms and questioning our foundational institutions. We now have an opportunity to create a democracy worthy of the trust of every American and shift the underlying, toxic dynamics that have poisoned our political system. From the federal government to the local level, we must undertake a new era of reforms to foster effective, inclusive government institutions able to deliver for the American people.

Make no mistake: creating a more open and just democracy remains an enormous undertaking. We must not be daunted, but let the urgency of this moment energize and focus us for the work ahead.

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Statement

Count Every Vote: Statement From Democracy Fund President Joe Goldman

Joe Goldman

November 4, 2020

This election season brought unprecedented turnout across the country. Millions of voters cast their ballots through early voting, vote-by-mail, and yesterday, at the polls. They turned out despite a global pandemic that required new processes and protocols. Moreover, with the support of thousands of election officials and volunteers, early reports suggest the country had a relatively smooth Election Day, without widespread intimidation, interference, or administrative problems.

But we do not yet know who will occupy the White House, nor who will hold many congressional, state, and local positions across the country. Now is the time to count every vote and listen to the voice of every voter. Politicians — including President Trump — have had their say over many months, but now the will of the American people must be heard.

Authoritarian calls to end counting of legitimate ballots have no place in our democracy. The President’s calls to do so undermine the will of the people and violate a basic principle of democracy. But this moment is what many experts, civic organizations, and media have spent months preparing for. We remain confident the system was built for this moment.

The two most important things Americans can do over the next 24 hours are:

Be patient and let every vote be counted: A core principle of American democracy is that we choose our leaders – our leaders do not choose their voters. We must be patient and count every vote because every vote counts.
Support and trust election officials: These state and local civil servants have been administering elections for years. We must give them time to count every vote and verify the results.

We’re going to know a lot more in the next few days. There are thousands of civic leaders and democracy champions — including highly qualified election officials — who are ensuring this process proceeds according to our highest democratic ideals. The campaigns can say what they want, but the votes of the American people will determine who takes office in January. Alongside our partners, Democracy Fund will be working until the final hour to ensure every vote is counted and the American people have the final say.

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Blog

Why Democracy Fund is Declaring Independence From Bipartisanship

Joe Goldman

June 16, 2020

For the past six years, Democracy Fund has distinguished itself as an organization that has sought common ground between the left and right. We have worked hard to engage ideologically diverse partners and have pursued strategies that could garner support from across the political spectrum. In doing so, we have sought to address the polarization and gridlock that have come to define our nation’s political system.

This bipartisan approach has enabled us to play a rare role in the democracy reform space. We supported the Presidential Commission on Election Administration, which was co-chaired by the lawyers to the Obama and Romney presidential campaigns. We worked to create space for more ideologically diverse groups to advocate for campaign finance reform. And, we bolstered conservatives who took lonely stands on behalf of the rule of law during the Mueller investigation.

We are proud of this work and remain committed to the belief that principled compromise and broad coalitions are important for creating lasting change. We know that there are people across the ideological spectrum who care deeply about our country and we benefit from being exposed to diverse points of view.

But it is time to be clear: we are unwilling to compromise on fundamental principles of a healthy democracy. There can be no compromise when a Black person’s life is taken by a police officer as a result of a racist culture and institution. There can be no compromise when our free press is attacked as the enemy of the people. There can be no compromise when children are separated from their parents at the border, or when Muslims are “banned” from entering the United States. There can be no compromise when a party puts its political interests before the interests of conducting free and fair elections. There can be no compromise when leaders ignore the rule of law. These are violations of the non-negotiable ideals of a just and open democracy.

As more political leaders have abandoned their commitment to core democratic principles, we have increasingly found it impossible to describe our work as “bipartisan” without compromising on who we are and what we believe. Simply put, a commitment to “bipartisanship” above all else is untenable when our political leaders openly embrace authoritarian politics and reject values like pluralism and the rule of law.

I am therefore sharing today that Democracy Fund will no longer use the term “bipartisan” to describe our organization. Rather, we are an independent, nonpartisan foundation that advocates for an open and just democracy. As an organization, we choose to anchor ourselves in our democratic principles rather than the space negotiated between the two political parties. I know this decision will disappoint some of our partners and energize others, but I believe it is what our principles require of us. Democracy Fund will champion the leaders who defend democracy and who challenge our political system to be more open and just.

Democracy Fund’s work must be driven by evidence, learning, and our core beliefs about what is essential to a healthy democracy. We have long held six beliefs:

In the dignity of every individual and in the equal protection of their rights under the law.
That voting is the cornerstone of our democracy.
That constitutional checks and balances and respect for the rule of law are critical to protect against abuses of power.
That a healthy democracy cannot exist without a participatory, vibrant public square, including an independent, free press.
That informed dialogue and principled compromise are essential to governing a large, diverse, and complex society like the United States.
That political leaders and elected officials bear an uncommon burden to act with integrity.

We proudly stand for these beliefs and will unabashedly defend them. Today, we are adding another democratic value to this list:

We believe a just and equitable political system must eliminate structural barriers to ensure historically excluded communities have meaningful influence in our democracy.

Americans must acknowledge that our political system has been intentionally designed to marginalize many — particularly Black and Brown people — since its founding. Built on land stolen from its original inhabitants with the labor of enslaved people, our nation initially and repeatedly denied a voice to all but a privileged few white men. At Democracy Fund, we believe that we must amplify the efforts of unjustly marginalized groups to be heard and be represented, just as we must stand against those who promote bigotry and hate.

In recent years, Democracy Fund has been working to create a more diverse, equitable democracy through efforts like becoming a founding partner of the Racial Equity in Journalism Fund, supporting communities targeted by hate, fostering a more representative Congress, and combating barriers to voting for historically disenfranchised communities. We remain committed to eliminating structural barriers not only in what we do, but by taking an inward look at how we do it.

While I am proud of the work that we and our grantees have done to contribute to a more equitable democracy, I know Democracy Fund has fallen short of what is needed. Our bipartisan positioning has too often been an excuse to not grapple with and address the deep injustice that is ingrained in our political institutions and system. Indeed, adding a core belief that explicitly elevates the need for equitable influence and power is a small step toward rectifying that failure, but it’s not enough. Moving forward, we are prioritizing a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in our work, including our philanthropic practices, and we invite you to hold us accountable as we do this work.

The challenges facing our democracy are urgent and complex, and I feel a deep sense of responsibility and service to the field — and to our mission of defending democracy and challenging our political system to be more open and just. While our political system is resilient and has endured through times of severe stress, the ongoing health of our republic depends on each of us standing against immediate threats to our democracy and engaging in the long struggle to ensure that our country lives up to its democratic ideals. Led by our principles, Democracy Fund aspires to be a better champion and ally to those in the fight.

Cover Photo: Participants in a Memorial Day Parade in Washington, DC. Photo by Roberto Galen.

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Report

Nationscape Insights Dashboard Launches in Partnership with USA Today

Democracy Fund

June 10, 2020

Now researchers, reporters, and armchair pundits have immediate access to America’s diverse views on 40 top policy issues.