This week's Democracy Notes

Resources for responding to the Trump shooting and heaps of funder news

Welcome back!

According to last week’s poll, the vibes are (unsurprisingly) no good 😩

Thankfully, 14% of you are feeling “🥸” — no idea what that means, but I’m happy for you!

Democracy Notes continues to grow at a rate of ~40 new subscribers per week. THANK YOU for making that happen!

Before we dive in, since many have asked, if your organization needs resources for responding to political violence, I highly recommend Princeton University’s Bridging Divides Initiative. Resources here.

Democracy Notes 7/17

What’s happening in philanthropy:

($$$)

• Kristen Cambell is moving to New Zealand (jealous!) which means there’s a leadership transition over at PACE (Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement).

  • Her last day is December 31st, after which she’ll be staying on in a consulting capacity and working on PACE’s new Democracy Futures Project.

  • The search for PACE’s new CEO is being led by Viewcrest Advisors.

    • Confidential inquiries and nominations can be sent to PACE@viewcrestadvisors.com or received at (617) 564-3779.

• The Knight Foundation announced a new $6.9M grantmaking initiative focused on countering election misinformation in swing states. What they’re funding:

  • $1.5M: A collab between The Associated Press, the Institute for Nonprofit News, and LION: Local Independent Online News Publishers to make high-quality election content accessible to local newsrooms in battleground states.

  • $2.75M: The Knight Election Hub — 100+ free and subsidized resources for journalists.

  • $2.65M: One local news org in each swing state will receive a grant to serve as an “anchor” for election coverage in that state.

• Another transition: Vince Stehle, Executive Director at Media Impact Funders for 12+ years, is stepping down.

  • He’ll remain in his role until a successor is found, with a search beginning in the fall.

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What to read:

(The big news)

• Very cool: the House of Representatives wants input on how “collaborative legislative drafting” might work. (Deadline: July 24th.)

• What does national service (AmeriCorps, etc.) have to do with democracy? And what happened at last month’s Service for America Summit? Great summary from Kristen Bennett, CEO of Service Year Alliance.

• What’s the deal with the Republican Party’s embrace of Hungary’s Victor Orbán? And what’s Orbán’s playbook for dismantling democracy?

• A thoughtful (and pithy!) take on the pitfalls (and upsides) of adopting organizational neutrality in polarizing times.

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What to watch/listen to/attend:

(Events, podcasts, and more)

• Mayors and city managers will play an important role in ensuring a free and fair 2024 election. Curious to learn more?

  • Local Policy Lab and the Mayors Innovation Project and co-hosting a conversation with Protect Democracy’s Corey Dukes on July 24th at noon ET.

• Old people! Young people! They’re both lonely :(

  • How might they come together to be less lonely? Hear from CoGenerate CEO Eunice Lin Nichols and Jillian Racoosin, Executive Director of the Foundation for Social Connection on July 24th at 4pm ET.

• Not sure if this event is only open to funders, BUT there’s a webinar tomorrow (1pm ET) on scenario planning for a possible second Trump administration with:

  • Kristen Cambell (outgoing) CEO of PACE Funders,

  • Susan Taylor Batten, President of ABFE (Association of Black Foundation Executives),

  • Hilda Vega, VP, Philanthropic Knowledge and Practice, HIP (Hispanics in Philanthropy),

  • Moderated by Trista Harris of FutureGood.

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Where to work:

(Jobs, jobs, jobs!)

• Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Senior Program Officer, Founder Initiatives — Atlanta, no $ info 

• The Raikes Foundation Senior Director of Communications — Seattle, $180K-$210K

• Institute for Strategic Dialogue 

  • Digital Research Analyst — DC (remote/hybrid possible), $65K-$85K

  • Finance Manager — DC (hybrid possible), $65K-$85K

  • Program Associate — DC (remote/hybrid possible), $40K-$50K

  • Senior Research Manager, Information Operations — DC (remote/hybrid possible), $85K-$110K

• Spotlight PA Multimedia Journalist, Democracy Initiative — remote, $40K-$50K (6 month contract)

• Vote Rev Short-Term CFO — remote, $2K-$6K/week (!)

• Democracy International Deputy Director, Strategy & Design — Bethesda, MD, $115K-$130K

• Freedom of the Press Foundation MERL Consultant — remote, $20K-$26K 

  • MERL = Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning…that was news to me

• Start With Us Social Media Manager — remote, $90K-$100K 

  • LinkedIn post by the hiring manager here.

• iF, A Foundation for Radical Possibility Program Associate — DC, $60K 

• Microsoft Democracy Forward initiative Project Manager — New York, $42-$49/hour

  • LinkedIn post by the hiring manager here.

• Public Private Strategies Business Civic Engagement Manager or Director — Houston, no $ info  

• Generation Citizen Vote 16 Outreach and Management Support Specialist — remote, $16/hour 

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Take care,

Gabe