Democracy Fund

Celebrate the big 5️⃣0️⃣ with us! Election Day to Every Day – a movement to support the pro-democracy field year round – is growing with new people and organizations joining all the time. Link in comments to check out all 50 of the supporters so far and stay tuned for more: https://lnkd.in/g5SbEGXW

I helped pull together a discussion about local news and philanthropy at the NY Funders Alliance conference this week. It was a great conversation with Akash Mehta from New York Focus, Danielle Johnson from Central New York Community Foundation and Caroline Merenda at Press Forward. Here are a few themes that popped out to me during the discussion: Many folks no longer need the why, they need the how: For so long we’ve been using the scary numbers about layoffs and closures to get folks' attention about the needs of local news. Those in the room today knew why it was needed thanks to their lived experience and really were hungry for the bright spots and how to fund in their counties and cities. It might be time for us to retire some of the scare tactics and lean into hope- which I’m very glad to do. There is a ton happening at funders to support local news, more than we know: We went around the room and heard so many examples of funders supporting local news in a variety of ways, much of which in my quick research I didn’t find beforehand. From grants, to sponsorships, to connecting newsrooms to racial equity training, to serving on newsroom boards and more. I learned so much about the NY local news ecosystem from the funders attending today. A growing curiosity around narrative change: There’s a rapidly growing discussion about the need for narrative change work amongst different funders’ priorities. There is still more work needed to connect the dots between funding for narrative change and local news and information. How can these growing funder movements learn and work together? This work must be about building community power and community belonging: Plenary speaker Shaylyn Romney Garrett, the co-author of “The Upswing: How America Came Together A Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again” called out how visionary journalists like Ida B. Wells led the way to build a new chapter for America. Journalists in NY and beyond are doing that today, too. At the end of the day, no folks were in that room today to talk about how to save journalism, they were there to talk about how to build healthier communities. As we say at Democracy Fund, the goal is no longer just to share information. It’s to build power so communities can decide their own futures. Huge thanks to the team at NY Funders Alliance for hosting a great gathering and for all the people that I met. It was so lovely to do this work in a state that I call home.

🗳️Boosting Philanthropic Support for Democracy! Earlier this year, nearly 200 donors and philanthropic organizations joined the Democracy Fund's All by April campaign, moving over $140 million in grants to ensure free, fair, and representative elections ahead of time. 🚀 Building on this momentum, Democracy Fund recently launched the "Election Day to Every Day" campaign. This initiative pushes for early and sustained election resource commitments for 2025, aiming to eliminate the traditional funding fluctuations of election cycles. Key Commitments: 📅 Start Planning Now:  Confirm your 2025 democracy budget now. Don’t wait to develop a plan next year. 🌉 Bridge Funding: Offer bridge funding to grantees who are building long-term sustainable community power, move up payments to Q1, or let grantees know if you’ll be renewing support in the new year. 🤝 Multi-Year Support: Provide multi-year support, whenever possible, so that organizations can continue building toward a long-term vision of a more inclusive multiracial democracy. 🛡️ Safety & Security: Support the safety and security infrastructure that grantees need in the face of violent threats and the authoritarian playbook. 🔗 Learn more about the campaign and sign on here: https://lnkd.in/g5SbEGXW Together, let’s strengthen our democracy with continuous and proactive support! #Philanthropy #Democracy #ElectionDayEveryDay

We recently shared the key lessons from All by April 2024 — a campaign that sparked inspiration, community, and real change this election cycle and beyond: https://lnkd.in/eNQkUUSb #AllByApril

Congratulations to the 205 local, independent news outlets who are receiving a share of $20 million from Press Forward to close persistent coverage gaps in their communities. With at least one recipient in every state, these nonpartisan news outlets are producing the stories that matter most to their communities — from major storm updates, to how tax money is being spent. We’re proud to support #PressForward, a nationwide movement to strengthen communities by reinvigorating local news. To learn more about the 205 grantees or to donate and support more newsrooms across the country, visit: pressforward.news/grantees.

Our grantees are in for the long haul. So are we. Today, tomorrow, and from Election Day to Every Day. 46 signers have pledged their commitment to bridging critical funding gaps for the safety, strength, and sustainability of groups supporting our democracy. Will you be one of the first 50 to join us? https://lnkd.in/g5SbEGXW

Learning conversations are emerging among some funders as a new reporting option for grant recipients. Democracy Fund's Digital Democracy team has used this method for a few years. In their experience, this approach has both advantages and trade-offs: ⬆️ Advantages: 1. Learning in real-time 2. Builds community among grantee organizations 3. Flexibility 4. Fewer resources needed from grantee organizations (like time, personnel, etc.) 5. Least extractive form of required reporting (when done well) ⬇️ Trade-offs: 1. Less specificity and consistency in findings 2. Potential for miscommunication, biases, or other errors to arise (if conversations are not recorded for security) 3. Easier for those who prefer verbal processing of information; may be less engaging for those who prefer other methods Check out our recent blog post to learn more: https://lnkd.in/gf9HEsnk

When we launched our new Equitable Journalism strategy in 2023, we wanted to learn more about how journalism strengthens democracy. We recently partnered with Impact Architects to revisit the Healthy News & Information Ecosystem framework we used to develop our strategy. Today, we’re excited to share the updated model that will inform our work going forward: https://lnkd.in/gcYF2A2Q

#NEOPartner Democracy Fund has launched the Election Day to Every Day campaign and NEO’s collaborative fund, State Infrastructure Fund, wholeheartedly endorses this effort and is a signatory. In fact, these principles have been in the DNA of SIF since its founding in 2010. Here’s why: Nonprofit organizations play a critical role in ensuring that our elections are free, fair, and representative. These leaders build up their capacity and stand on the frontlines to help protect our election system leading up to Election Day. But the work doesn’t stop on Election Day. It continues every day to build long-term, sustainable community power. Let's pledge to maintain funding and show them we have their backs every step of the way. Learn more and sign the pledge below:  https://lnkd.in/g5SbEGXW

Solidaire is proud to join the Election Day to Every Day campaign mobilizing funders to maintain resources for power-building organizations beyond election day. Regardless of the election’s outcome, we know that the work of building an inclusive, multi-racial democracy has a long arc. Anti-democracy forces don’t defund their infrastructure after every election cycle and we shouldn’t either. Our movement leaders need to know that you'll be supporting them in Q1 of next year and beyond. And they need help ensuring the safety, security, and wellbeing of their teams in an increasingly dangerous environment. The Election Day to Every Day campaign outlines 4 steps funders can take now. We know actions will look different for each of us. Some may make all of our financial commitments throughout the year, and others may streamline renewal processes. We will be challenging ourselves and sharing ideas with each other. You can join the call to action around these commitments by becoming a campaign signatory and by sending this message to others in your network. Learn more at https://buff.ly/4eqSXdL