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Accelerating Local News Ecosystems Through Press Forward

Teresa Gorman

February 21, 2024

Today Press Forward, the national movement investing more than $500 million to strengthen communities and local news, announced a new cohort of 11 Press Forward Locals. The new chapters are in Colorado, Lancaster, Pa., Lexington, Ky., Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, South Florida, and Wyoming. Combined with existing chapters in Alaska, Chicago, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Springfield, Ill. and Wichita, the total number of Press Forward Locals is now 17.

These local chapters are helping build a vital new infrastructure for independent media across America. They’re uniquely positioned to listen to the field, identify approaches that meet the needs of their communities, and rally support for a shared local vision.

Democracy Fund is proud to partner with dozens of Press Forward funders to support this growing local leadership, which builds upon years of learnings from Democracy Fund’s Equitable Journalism strategy. Six of the Press Forward Locals are existing Democracy Fund local news ecosystem grantees and partners, and we’re thrilled to see them joining the Press Forward movement.

Democracy Fund has long believed that transforming local news must begin with local communities. Since 2016, Democracy Fund has invested more than $15 million in 10 geographic areas across the U.S. to support vibrant ecosystems that reimagine news and information as civic infrastructure. Now through Press Forward more funders are able to join the effort to acknowledge, celebrate, and resource incredible leaders and innovators on the ground who are building a brighter future for local news.

The local funders who lead Press Forward Local chapters are committed to deep listening, bringing more funders to the table, and sharing what they learn. Local news ecosystems are not one-size-fits-all — what works in New Mexico is different from what works in Wyoming. But all ecosystems are rooted in coalitions of diverse stakeholders across a region, working together to support authentically local solutions.

Why Democracy Fund is committed to an ecosystem funding approach

An ecosystem approach to local news funding aims to create equitable local journalism for all, rather than replicate old systems of journalism that did not serve all communities. An evaluation of Democracy Funds’s ecosystem investments has shown that this local news ecosystem approach can drive significant impact by:

Increasing access to local news and civic information for local people,
Addressing shared challenges across local media,
Sparking reporting collaborations that serve community needs,
Bringing millions of new dollars from local funders to support local news, and
Resulting in more equitable grantmaking to publishers of color.

We have seen notable success in the funding efforts we have undertaken with our partners. In North Carolina, funders have moved nearly $8 million in direct and aligned funding to over 50 organizations across the state, with 75 percent of direct grantees being led by Black, Indigenous, Latino or other people of color. In New Jersey a public/private partnership is leveraging state funding alongside philanthropic funding to award more than $5 million in grants to 52 organizations, half of which are led by people of color. In Colorado, funders have utilized national resources and models for local use, like creating a statewide NewsMatch campaign called #newsCONeeds that has raised over $2.3M for Coloradan nonprofit and for profit newsrooms.

Through this work, we have learned the importance of patience, humility, and a deep commitment to building lasting relationships in places. We know that the change we want to see in the world will take time. We remain committed to our vision of a future where local news ecosystems move resources to news organizations led by and serving people of color, equip residents for civic action, and build communities of belonging that strengthen an inclusive, multi-racial democracy.

Today’s announcement of new Press Forward local chapters, and the chance for those chapters to apply for funding, is a significant step in Press Forward’s work to be a good partner to local communities. Democracy Fund will continue to support and expand our work in local news ecosystems both through our own investments and through Press Forward, and look forward to learning in partnership with those leading this work.

For more information about Local News Ecosystem Funding, check out these resources:

Press Forward: A Guide for Local Funders – Press Forward
How Funding Local News Ecosystems Helps American Communities Thrive – Democracy Fund
How to Assess the Needs of Your Local News Ecosystem – Democracy Fund
How to Measure the Health of Local News Ecosystems – Impact Architects

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Early Funds Protect Our Democracy

Joe Goldman

February 7, 2024

The nonprofit organizations working tirelessly to ensure our elections remain free, fair, and representative are the unsung heroes of our democracy. Whether they are fighting to reduce barriers to voting, combating misinformation, recruiting poll workers, or organizing registration drives, these nonpartisan groups help connect voters to the ballot and protect the integrity of our elections.

Unfortunately, too many of these organizations must head into a challenging environment without the resources they need. Year after year, we hear from the field that donors are moving too slow and that money has arrived too late to be used effectively and efficiently.

Early and consistent resources are key to grantee operations. Supporters need to give them the runway they need — the confidence to plan, the ability to hire and train staff, and the time to lock in lower cost rates. In an era where early and mail-in voting are becoming more prevalent, the need for early resources that support our elections infrastructure is more critical than ever.

No doubt, many of the challenges that nonprofits face are a result of grantmaking timelines and practices. That’s why Democracy Fund, along with dozens of other pro-democracy funders, is making the All by April pledge. We’re committing our dollars earlier and moving funds sooner than we might have otherwise. Already, more than 70 foundations, individual donors, philanthropic advisors, and pooled funds have signed the nonpartisan, 501(c)3 All by April pledge.

Our commitment is straightforward. We are working to be good partners to our grantees and doing all that we can to have their backs as we head into another election cycle.

As part of Democracy Fund’s pledge, our teams are expediting the disbursement of funds to our election-related grantees by the end of April. This means making grant commitments, payments, and disbursements of multiyear grants earlier in the year than we sometimes have in the past. We’ve also been doing what we can to streamline processes, especially for renewal grants, and providing general support grants as much as possible. These actions, we hope, will equip nonprofits with the financial support they need well ahead of the election that they are seeking to protect.

Sign on to the campaign at AllByApril.org.

Many donors are joining us in committing to make all or most of their grants by the end of April. Others are focusing on streamlining renewal processes or finding alternative ways to support their grantees. I hope that even more of my peers will join us in adopting these practices and fostering a collaborative approach to strengthen our democracy. This campaign won’t solve all the funding challenges our civic groups are facing, but I hope it’s a good start.

At a time when our republic is in such a precarious position, philanthropy can no longer conduct business as usual. Creating a culture of early and expedited funding for organizations seeking to ensure free, fair, and representative elections is a tool in our arsenal that directly addresses systemic challenges to our democracy. I invite you to join me in this commitment, ensuring that pro-democracy organizations have the resources they need to fortify the foundation of our democratic system.

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All by April: Moving Money Early for Free, Fair, & Representative Elections

February 1, 2024

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Democracy Fund Invests $3 Million in Local Organizing for Digital Equity

January 30, 2024

Across the nation, state and local leaders are building movements for digital equity. The goal? For everyone to have access to safe online spaces, and technology that represents their needs, concerns, and dreams. This will allow people to fully participate in their communities — and in the discussions and decisions that affect our democracy. The need is especially urgent for communities of color who experience low levels of opportunities to control the narrative about their lives, and high levels of harm on digital platforms.

Democracy Fund has spent years learning where we can have the greatest impact in transforming digital media and technology to be safer and more inclusive, particularly in and for communities of color. To us, inclusion in the digital public square does not simply mean access for all. It means nurturing the conditions needed for equitable opportunities, increased leadership and representation for communities of color, and positive outcomes for all people — regardless of socioeconomic status, background, or location.

We believe that on-the-ground, place-based organizing helps communities, especially communities of color, achieve tangible progress at an impressive rate. This is why our Digital Democracy strategy focuses on increasing our investment in state and local efforts. We are focusing our support across Arizona, Michigan, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania — where leaders, many of whom are people of color and come from and represent the communities closest to these issues, are building momentum by:

Advocating for regional digital policies to support communities of color;
Campaigning to roll back restrictions on community broadband;
Organizing their communities to respond to harmful tech company practices, and more.

In 2023, Democracy Fund invested $3 million in grants to support state and local leaders advancing digital equity. We believe this work is vital for an inclusive, multiracial democracy.

“It’s critical to support community-led movements for digital justice seeking to repair harms wrought by decades of policies that left behind rural communities, people living on low incomes, and communities of color,” says Erin Shields, Senior Associate, at Democracy Fund.

“State and local efforts are the backbone of national civil and human rights fights — whether it’s community broadband, digital rights, algorithmic discrimination, or state-based litigation. We are at an opportune time for US civil society to fight for a shared rights-based vision for the future of tech and broadband,” says Haneen Abu Al Neel, Program Associate, at Democracy Fund.

The 2023 State and Local Organizing Grantees

Democracy Fund is proud to announce the 2023 Digital Democracy grantees who all share a commitment to action toward community-focused media policy and tech accountability. Grantees will receive general operating support grants to support flexibility, capacity building, and sustainability for day-to-day operational needs within their organizations.

#BlackTechFutures Research Institute, $200,000 over two years for their work in building a national network of city-based researchers and practitioners conducting research on sustainable local black tech ecosystems. The outcomes of this work are actionable policy recommendations and a national public data archive.
Detroit Community Tech Project, $750,000 over three years to use and create technology rooted in community needs that strengthens neighbors’ connection to each other and the planet.
Digital Equity and Opportunity Initiative, $500,000 over two years for their work to jumpstart building a lasting civic infrastructure. DEOI will provide core funding support to state broadband coalitions with broad-based community engagement that have the mobilization capacity to maximize the opportunity and drive equitable outcomes in digital access.
Generation Justice, $200,000 over two years for their work as New Mexico’s premier youth media project to raise underrepresented voices, heal from internalized wounds, and lift narratives of hope and inspiration that build pathways to equity and leadership.
Independence Public Media Foundation, $200,000 over two years for their work transforming the Greater Philadelphia region into a hub for community-owned media by expanding community internet that is collectively owned and managed by local communities, and strengthening community organizing for digital equity.
Institute for Local Self-Reliance (Tribal Broadband Bootcamp), $250,000 over two years for their work toward thriving, diverse, equitable communities by building local power to fight corporate control through research, advocacy, and partnerships nationwide.
People’s Tech Project, $600,000 over three years for their work in Pennsylvania to win a future where technology builds dignity, justice, and liberation rather than exacerbating oppression and harm in the hands of big corporations and the state.
Petty Propolis, $200,000 over two years for their work on policy literacy and advocacy, data and digital privacy education, and racial justice and equity.
ProgressNow New Mexico Education Fund, $300,000 over two years for their work to center justice for systemically excluded communities through partnerships, trusted digital communications, and issue-based and civic engagement campaigns.

How Democracy Fund Drives Support for Digital Equity

In addition to these state and local grants, we have made a series of multi-year investments in national leaders working to advance rights and reparations in media and technology.

We are committed to investing in organizations, leaders, and movements that promote changes in digital media and technology. These changes should be sustainable, transformative, and make digital spaces safer and more inclusive.

To guide our grantmaking, we will deepen our conversations with grant recipients and their communities. We will also build funding relationships in new regions, particularly in the South. Lastly, we will continue to invite peer funders to help us create a stronger field that values and protects everyone’s digital experiences and rights.

*Please Note: Democracy Fund does not accept unsolicited business plans, proposals, or personal requests. For more information on our work and grantees, sign up for updates. For general inquiries, contact info@democracyfund.org.

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Democracy Fund Invests $4 Million in Multi-Year Grants to Support Newsrooms that Center People of Color

November 15, 2023

Newsrooms that center people of color are at the forefront of reinventing journalism. Support for these newsrooms is a core piece of Democracy Fund’s Equitable Journalism strategy, which seeks to ensure that all communities see their needs, concerns, and dreams reflected in the public square.

We pair support for newsrooms with resources for the coalitions, networks, ecosystems, and organizations that are transforming what journalism looks like and how our nation supports it. We believe this networked and multi-layered approach will lead to a reimagined local news and information landscape and a more just public square.

Trailblazing leaders — within and outside newsrooms — who are deeply involved with the communities they serve are inventing new visionary models to realize these goals. They need long-term general operating funding to make their work possible.

The Newsroom Grantees

In support of these leaders, Democracy Fund is investing $4 million in multi-year grants to support flexibility, capacity building, and general operating sustainability for eleven newsrooms that center communities of color.

The newsrooms were chosen for their community-first and community-centered reporting, collaborative spirit within the field, and leadership in the journalism transformation space.

“While the journalism industry has evolved, there is still much we need to accomplish. We’re honored to continue building upon our efforts and putting our learnings into action,” says Lea Trusty, Senior Program Associate at Democracy Fund.

“These newsrooms inspire us and countless others with community-centered reporting and a focus on well-being for their organization and staff,” says Christine Schmidt, Senior Program Associate at Democracy Fund.

Newsrooms selected for three-year grants of $450,000 total per newsroom include:

Baltimore Beat, for their work as a Black-led and focused newsroom that intentionally, creatively, and innovatively serves a majority Black city.
City Bureau, for their work as a leading Chicago newsroom dedicated to modeling equitable journalism practices both locally and nationally through their Documenters network.
Conecta Arizona, for their work as a trusted information source for the Spanish-speaking, migrant, border community in Arizona and the Sonora border region.
Documented NY, for their work informing New York City’s immigration population on questions of migrant and labor rights, visas, and more.
El Tímpano, for their work as community builders, organizers, and information distributors to Spanish- and Mam-speaking immigrant communities in Oakland and the wider Bay Area of Northern California.
Outlier Media, for their work as a national model and organizer of equitable engagement while breaking down barriers to information sharing in Detroit and beyond.
Prism, for their work as a BIPOC-led newsroom reporting across several issue areas to disrupt harmful narratives and inform movements for justice.
Resolve Philly, for their work reshaping the culture of reporting in Philadelphia with a focus on transforming the way that traditionally marginalized communities are represented and treated in journalism.
Scalawag, for their work as a catalyst for change in solidarity with oppressed communities in the South.

Newsrooms selected from a special director’s fund for one-year grants of $150,000 per newsroom include:

TransLash Media, for their work as a Black, trans-led organization dedicated to telling trans stories to save trans lives while building power and centering the humanity of trans people.
Charlottesville Tomorrow, for their work as they continue developing an anti-racist and anti-authoritarian model of local news with a project to bring more inclusive stories to local media in Charlottesville.

We are honored to be a small part of the transformative work of these newsrooms and organizations. As we support their missions, we will continue seeking opportunities to advance and invest in our vision of an inclusive, multi-racial democracy that is open, just, resilient, and trustworthy.

How Democracy Fund Drives Additional Support for Newsrooms Through Collaborative Funding

In addition to our direct newsroom investments, we partner with local leaders, journalists, community builders, and philanthropists to support equitable journalism around the country. Through these partnerships, we’ve developed and joined many pooled efforts to expand our impact and support for newsrooms beyond what we could alone. That has included multi-year grants to efforts like the Racial Equity in Journalism Fund, NewsMatch, American Journalism Project, The Pivot Fund, and URL Media. Our collaborative funding also continues in local ecosystems around the country, as well as to national organizations that catalyze local news transformation.

We aim to bring this spirit of collaboration and learning into any future Press Forward investments. These newsrooms and collaborative funding opportunities are closely aligned with one of Press Forward’s investment priorities to strengthen local newsrooms that have the trust of local communities. For clarity, all grants in this announcement are from our core budget and not from additional Press Forward funding.

An Update to Our Grant Requirements

Democracy Fund is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in journalism. In 2022, we began requiring that all newsroom grantees participate in the News Leaders Association (NLA) Diversity Survey or the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) Index Survey after a grant is awarded.

This resulted from a call to action from our grantees and grew from our support of the open letter to the Pulitzer Prize awards regarding demographic data transparency. More importantly, this change supports our belief that measuring diversity in newsrooms is crucial to improving diversity in the journalism industry. This requirement is added to our existing ethical guidelines with newsroom grantees, including ensuring that Democracy Fund will not discuss or review newsroom reporting before publication.

Please Note: Democracy Fund does not accept unsolicited business plans, proposals, or personal requests. For more information on our work and grantees, sign up for updates. For general inquiries, contact info@democracyfund.org. To view a complete list of grantees, visit our grants database.

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Report

How Funding Local News Ecosystems Helps American Communities Thrive

October 31, 2023

Reliable information fuels our lives. We need to know who is on the ballot, what’s happening in our schools, where to find rental assistance, and how to make change in our neighborhoods. From daily reporting that equips people to act, to huge investigations that reveal corruption, the health of local news is bound up with the health of our democracy.

Over five years, Democracy Fund has invested $11 million in six geographic areas across the U.S., where residents and institutions are collaborating to better meet their communities’ real information needs.

This report tells the story of how Democracy Fund grantees created positive impact in their communities through innovative, locally-driven solutions. It also shares lessons for funders and local leaders interested in advancing a more equitable future for local journalism. As more funders consider local collaborative funding, we hope that this report will serve as a valuable resource.

We believe that funding local news ecosystems is an equitable way to support local news because it is rooted in community listening and redistributing resources to areas of greatest need. In 2023, we have committed $4.75 million over the next three years to the geographic areas highlighted in the report, as part of our new Equitable Journalism strategy.

As we move forward in this work, we will continue to share what we learn, including a deeper analysis of the health of various local news ecosystems later in 2024. Sign up for our email newsletter to stay in touch.

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Transforming Media through Press Forward: Democracy Fund’s Priorities

Josh Stearns, Angelica Das & Teresa Gorman

September 8, 2023

A national coalition of 20 funders announced an exciting new initiative on September 7th. Press Forward plans to invest more than $500 million into local news and information over the next five years, aiming to transform media across America in profound and lasting ways.

Press Forward’s goal is to revitalize local news and civic media in the short term while spurring even more support for people’s access to information in the long term. We hope $500 million is just the starting place and that Press Forward will help spark a movement across philanthropy to raise millions more.

Democracy Fund is contributing to this effort because we believe pro-democracy journalism, especially led by and serving people of color, needs far more resources. We have been blown away by the work our grantees have done to reimagine local news and with more support we know their impact can be transformative. This vision will require significant shifts in philanthropy and public policy — Press Forward can be the spark.

Guided by our vision and strategy

We want you to know that our involvement in Press Forward is an addition to Democracy Fund’s existing strategy, not a departure. Our core values and vision remain central to our work with Press Forward, and our current grantmaking strategy will continue uninterrupted.

Democracy Fund has been a guiding partner in the Press Forward coalition for over a year, and we will continue to actively participate in this work. We are finalizing our financial contribution to Press Forward, which will be new dollars above and beyond our existing funding for local news.

While Press Forward’s announcement was a significant milestone, it is just the beginning of this work. There is still much to do to build this new effort. As the coalition prepares to distribute resources in the coming years, we are filled with a sense of purpose and excitement for the journey ahead.

Centering racial justice in coalition work

Equitable journalism is a priority for us at Democracy Fund. Press Forward plans to deploy half a billion dollars to local news, and we are committed to advocating for investments that move us toward a more inclusive, multi-racial democracy.

In ten years, we envision a thriving local news landscape where civic media organizations provide the reliable information people need. These organizations will be essential in helping individuals lead meaningful lives, address challenges in their communities, and actively participate in our democracy.

At Democracy Fund, we hope to foster a public square that is anti-racist and community-centered, where voices that have been marginalized for far too long have a platform. By placing racial justice at the heart of our work with coalitions like Press Forward, we aim to create a media landscape that reflects the diversity of our communities and serves them wholeheartedly.

Listening and learning every step of the way

Civic media and local news are a growing priority for many funders and donors, including those new to journalism. Thanks to the pioneering work of trailblazing organizations, we’re living through the most significant and hopeful expansion of civic news since the establishment of public broadcasting over fifty years ago. Press Forward builds upon that foundation.

When Democracy Fund shared our five-year strategy last year, we reinforced our commitment to deeply listening to our grantees. They told us about the history of racism in media, how philanthropy has perpetuated harm, and how our news and information landscape can be reimagined — these conversations continue to guide our approach to this work. We brought these lessons and inspiration from our grantees to every Press Forward meeting, as did many other partners.

We continue to trust those who know what’s most needed for their communities. In Press Forward and all our efforts, we take our cues from grantee leadership, wisdom, and creativity.

A shared commitment to impact

An unshakable belief that we can achieve lasting, meaningful change guides our path. We are energized by Press Forward’s shared commitment to pursue collective impact. We look forward to further developing and deepening partnerships toward a more resilient, diverse, and deeply impactful media landscape.

We know you’re likely to have questions, and we’ve had some of our own along the way. Press Forward is a complex new campaign with many stakeholders. It won’t always get things right. As Press Forward evolves, Democracy Fund is committed to ongoing relationship-building, listening, and sharing what we’ve learned.

Our door is open for conversation; we invite your questions, feedback, and ideas.

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Digital Equity & Opportunity Initiative (DEOI)

June 29, 2023

The Digital Equity and Opportunity Initiative’s mission is to jumpstart the building of a lasting civic infrastructure. DEOI will provide core funding support to state broadband coalitions with broad-based community engagement and that have the mobilization capacity to maximize the opportunity and drive equitable outcomes in digital access.

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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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Investing in our Vision of an Inclusive, Multi-Racial Democracy

Joe Goldman

April 28, 2022

As Democracy Fund and Democracy Fund Voice prepare for the next five years, our teams have been asking hard questions about how we can best leverage our assets to meet the greatest needs of the field. We still have work to do, but I’m excited to share that we’ve made great progress in setting our new direction.

We are committed to achieving an inclusive, multi-racial democracy that is open, just, resilient, and trustworthy. This long-term vision for the future requires:

A just and inclusive society that has reckoned with structural racism,
Equitable participation, voice, and power for communities of color,
Representative and accountable political institutions, and
Vibrant and equitable information ecosystems that meet the civic needs of communities.

If Democracy Fund and its allies are going to make progress toward these goals, we must first acknowledge that we are in a fight that threatens the fabric of our nation. While our democracy has long been profoundly and intentionally broken, today’s authoritarian actors further pervert the system to entrench their power and put the fundamental nature of our democracy at risk. The stakes before us are remarkably high.

Going forward, Democracy Fund will strengthen and expand the pro-democracy movement with a focus on the power and leadership of communities of color. We will weaken, dismantle, and defend against those who threaten our republic and oppose the ideals of an inclusive, multi-racial democracy. And we will pursue structural changes that can lock in new dynamics in this struggle.

Over the next year and a half we will move toward this new direction by refreshing existing portfolios and launching new ones. Over time, you’ll see us:

- Move from Incrementalism to Transformation. The depth to which our system is broken means that incremental change simply cannot get us to where we need to go. We will launch new initiatives and explorations aimed at shifting the fundamental dynamics of the system over the long term. We will explore how we can create a more representative, majoritarian political system, while we continue to support a healthier information environment.

- Defend Core Democratic Institutions. While we have our sights set on long-term, transformational change, we cannot ignore the threats that are right in front of us. We will strengthen our election system and put in place safeguards against abuses of power. We will learn from the experience of others who have successfully defended against authoritarian actors and explore ways to weaken and fragment the power centers of those who oppose an inclusive, multi-racial democracy.

- Center Racial Justice. We cannot achieve an open and just democracy without also achieving racial justice. All of our initiatives — from elections to journalism to government accountability — will continue their journey to embody a commitment to racial equity. We will expand our Just & Inclusive Society program, including our initiative to support and empower the immigrant and Black, Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (BAMEMSA) communities, along with a new effort to support movement and power building among communities of color. We will explore opportunities to ensure our nation’s leadership reflects the diversity of the country.

- Rally the Field to Step Up to the Moment. The challenges our democracy faces are great, and Democracy Fund’s resources pale in comparison. To defend against these existential threats, we will scale up our work dedicated to encouraging other philanthropists to join us in these efforts — with a significant focus on combating attempts to subvert our election system.

Our organization has learned a tremendous amount since we began our journey. We have had the privilege of standing alongside others in the fight to protect our democracy. They have pushed us to deepen our understanding of the foundational injustices of our system and to recognize the moment of opportunity also inherent in our current crisis.

Now is the time to redouble our efforts for our democracy. We must slow and eventually halt the precipitous backsliding we’ve experienced — and make real progress toward a brighter future.