The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s Post

“A network of ultrawealthy Christian donors is spending nearly $12 million to mobilize Republican-leaning voters and purge more than a million people from the rolls in key swing states, aiming to tilt the 2024 election in favor of former President Donald Trump. These plans are the work of a group named Ziklag, a charity whose donors have included some of the wealthiest conservative Christian families in the nation, including the billionaire Uihlein family, who made a fortune in office supplies, the Greens, who run Hobby Lobby, and the Wallers, who own the Jockey apparel corporation. Recipients of Ziklag’s largesse include Alliance Defending Freedom, which is the Christian legal group that led the overturning of Roe v. Wade, plus the national pro-Trump group Turning Point USA and a constellation of right-of-center advocacy groups. Ziklag’s 2024 agenda reads like the work of a political organization. It plans to pour money into mobilizing voters in Arizona who are “sympathetic to Republicans” in order to secure “10,640 additional unique votes” — almost the exact margin of President Biden’s win there in 2020. They also intend to use controversial AI software to enable mass challenges to the eligibility of hundreds of thousands of voters in competitive states.” Scary! #VoteBlue

Is the philanthropy of large foundations, most often leaning to progressive norms, likely to repair our polarized civil society? William Schambra suggests, to the contrary, that Big Philanthropy would do better to butt out and let ordinary people find their own solutions piecemeal. My concern is that grassroots solutions seem to be tending toward political violence rather than reasoned disagreement. I had hoped Bill would speak to that by defending our Constitutional checks and balances, the rule of law, free elections, the orderly transfer of power, and philanthropy as a kind of free speech. I will link below to a piece on political violence.

Welcome to the weekend and PSI's #FridayReads. 🏛 PSI Associate Director Neil Britto highlights an article in ExecutiveGov on bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the Senate. The focus: maintaining U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence through the strengthening of public-private partnerships. https://lnkd.in/euD3fV-h 🔐 Corporate foundations in Minnesota are closing. This is triggering worries among nonprofits that both local giving and transparency will decline. Read more in the Star Tribune. https://lnkd.in/eDK8c27v ☀ Inside Philanthropy reports on hopeful findings from Philanthropy Together's new report, "In Abundance: An Analysis of the Thriving Landscape of Collective Giving in the U.S." Might giving circles be a powerful, already-present way to protect democracy through civil engagement? https://lnkd.in/ejQtrygE

From Joe Goldman: "Movement organizations and leaders have long faced political violence, including physical and legal threats, and more recently, digital ones." See more in the piece below about how philanthropy can support grantees and communities right now.

We are watching this happen to many organizations trying to do the work in supporting a more equitable society. Now, funds are limited because the status quo wants to remain in power. These programs work and this work is necessary. This is not new, society works in patterns and now our work becomes even more important. Ultimately, grantmakers and funders, we see what society you want to really maintain. "Leaders of the racial justice movement know that the nation faces a formidable array of threats from a right-wing backlash that relies on censorship and authoritarianism. Instead of spending their energy, money, and time on unneccesary compliance, foundations can support the many campaigns, strategy sessions, research projects, and other work that will lead to true justice and eliminate the racist and exclusionary narratives that threaten democracy. At this pivotal moment in history, conceding is not an option." https://lnkd.in/g9e2qAY8

Are you a 501c3 working on economic issues in support of people and the planet? We need your voice. As we prepare for a monumental presidential election this November, we all must play a role in securing a better future for our communities. To us, this means leaning into policy conversations, even if policy-related work is outside the traditional purview of your organization. Over the last 20 years, nonprofits have engaged in less and less of this work at the cost of winning on people-centric economic policies. At Common Future, we’re on a mission to change that. To support nonprofits lean back into economic policy change, we’re building an actionable toolkit to connect and support nonprofits in their journeys.  Whether or not policy is part of your work today, we'd love your input in this survey to better understand how YOU relate to the economic policy ecosystem. Only together can we rebuild civic and political power. Since we can't take you out for coffee, enjoy one on us as a thank you! https://lnkd.in/e5bX9Qki

How does philanthropy contribute to political gridlock? Grant makers on the left and right finance networks of activists and advocates whose all-or-nothing, combative stances keep the political parties tethered to the poles. Lyceum Labs executive director Daniel Stid (former head of the Hewlett Foundation's democracy program) writes for #TheCommons. Key points in the essay: - Philanthropy underwrites advocates whose all-or-nothing stances keeps politics tethered to its poles. - “Shadow” parties aim to enforce ideological orthodoxies yet are insulated from the pressures that candidates face. - Philanthropists need to take responsibility for their contribution to polarization and gridlock. https://bit.ly/3VaCyD8

We can't say enough how important democracy work is to climate progress. In a piece for Inside Philanthropy this week, foundation leaders Cathy Cha and Ralph Lewin remind us that "the strength of democracy — whether at the local, state or national level — has huge impacts on the ability of all funders and our nonprofit partners to deliver results on any issue and for any community." We see the impact of lack of representation across the South, from city councils and state regulatory agencies that greenlight polluting industry at the expense of residents' health, to a rash of state-level voter suppression and anti-protest laws that make it ever harder for Black, Brown, and Indigenous people to be heard. Supporting fair elections, accessible public processes, and engaged and energized voters needs to be all of our business. https://lnkd.in/g-vPep6r

If you're going to Upswell this week, check out this session with Julie Babyatzky Mahan and Walter Howell to learn how participatory action research can bring community voice and ownership into the work of nonprofits!

This week on Nonprofit Connect, David McNair, Executive Director for Global policy at The ONE Campaign, joins us to: 🎯 Explore how ONE campaigns are having to become more targeted due to political divisiveness ⚖️ Discuss ONE’s current focus to address issues rather than politics 📈 Explain how anyone can drive change forward Tune in below 👇 #nonprofitconnect #ONE #politics