This week's Democracy Notes
Howdy!
For those of you I haven’t met, I’m Gabe Lerner! I’m the publisher of Democracy Notes. My goal is to be a thoughtful curator of your attention, your most valuable resource.
What is Democracy Notes? We’re the trade publication for the U.S. democracy space. (What’s a trade publication, you ask? It’s a publication for a particular field, ecosystem, or sector.)
If you find Democracy Notes useful, I’d love for you to share it with a colleague!
A question for you:
Before we get to the good stuff, a brief reminder: the launch event for Democracy Notes 2025 Trends is next Wednesday! Register here!
Alright, without further ado…
Democracy Notes 1/21
What’s happening in philanthropy:
($$$)
Freedom Together Foundation’s Deepak Bhargava opened his latest president’s letter, “We all must stand with Minnesota”:
“Thousands of masked, armed officers hunt for people of color in indiscriminate neighborhood sweeps, detaining them with no due process. Peaceful protestors are assaulted and sprayed with toxic chemicals by federal agents. And a loving mother of three, Renee Good, is killed despite posing no threat.”
Yesterday, Stand Together (founded by Charles Koch) launched “Be The People,” a 10-year commitment to “connect hundreds of millions of Americans with efforts to solve local problems.”
The initiative is targeting more than $200M for its first year’s budget, according to the AP.
The effort “will not incorporate as a new nonprofit, but act more like a banner for groups to organize under and use to connect to resources.”
Neat!! The Siegel Family Endowment is hosting an “ask-me-anything” webinar on 2/5 about their 2026 strategy and approach.
JMU received a $2.7M U.S. Department of Education FIPSE grant in support of the Madison Center for Civic Engagement’s civic discourse work.
DAFs! They’ve got a lot of money! The Donor Advised Fund Research Collaborative’s 2025 report has lots of great details on how they’re used.
What to read:
(The big news)
How is the Horizons Project approaching their “big tent” organizing work? Julia Roig and Andrew Regalado have lots to share!
Check out Democracy 2076 and Harmony Labs’ new report, all about how to tell better stories for democracy!
They’re hosting a briefing on 1/27 at 1pm ET. Register here!
In the spirit of MLK’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Vu Le (the brains behind Nonprofit AF) launched “The White Moderation Genome Project.”
In The New York Times, Sarabeth Berman, CEO of the American Journalism Project, writes “Local Newspapers Are Closing. Local News Is Surviving.”
Here are some great ways to help Minnesotans this week. For more:
The legal angle from Protect Democracy, “How to stop ICE’s brutality and impunity.”
A piece in The Nation, “Want to Stop ICE? Go After Its Corporate Collaborators.”
A sign of the times:
The National Issues Forums Institute announced its new board leadership. In that announcement, the new board chair described the org’s evolution as:
“…moving NIFI’s work beyond productive and peaceful dialogue toward bold, transformational community action.”
What to watch/listen to/attend:
(Events, podcasts, and more)
A very helpful tool — Voting Rights Lab’s Election Policy Tracker! Join a briefing on how to use it on 1/26 at 1pm ET.
Democracy on the big screen!
1/27 at 1pm ET — join Democracy 2076 and Harmony Labs for a briefing on their two-year-long project examining the entertainment industry’s relationship with democracy. (As mentioned above.)
Community college faculty, staff, and administrators!
2/5 3pm-4pm ET — join Campus Compact and New America for a conversation on bringing civic assemblies to community college campuses!
Where to work:
(Jobs, jobs, jobs!)
Civic Nation Digital Manager — remote (DC preferred), $73K-$80K
Poder in Action Senior Director, Development and Operations/Director Sénior de Desarrollo y Operaciones — Phoenix, $110K-$130K
American Journalism Project Vice President, Growth Investments — remote, $175K-$193K
Issue One:
Vice President, Communications — DC, $130K-$150K
Citizenship Engagement Manager — DC, $70K-$85K
Citizen Engagement Fellow (part time, six months) — DC, $500/month, 20hrs/month (they’re hiring 2-3 fellows)
Whistleblower Aid Communications Director — DC, $100K-$120K
^ These orgs really want to reach great candidates in the Democracy Notes community! If you’d like to promote a role with us, our options are here!
Crankstart Program Director - Democracy & Environment — SF, $275K- $310K
Recruiter LinkedIn post here!
National Civic League Program Coordinator — DC, $5K-$6K/month
PEN America Legal Director — NYC, $145K-$170K
People Powered:
Community Manager — remote, $82K-$90K
Systems and Data Intern (March-June) — remote, $20-$25/hr
Civic Nation ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, Project Manager — remote, $63K-$67K
We the Veterans and Military Families Program Coordinator — Houston, $55K-$75K
New Politics Academy Development Associate — remote, $60K
The Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing:
Senior Development Manager — remote, $90K-$100K
Research Manager — remote, $80K
North Carolina Local News Lab Fund Director — remote (w/in NC), $145K-$175K
Rising Organizers Development and Marketing Manager — remote (preference for greater DC area), $90K
University of San Diego Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice:
Associate Director, Strategic Development & Grants Management — San Diego, $7.9K-$9K/month
Associate Director, Student Practice & Clinical Instructor — San Diego, $7.9K-$9K/month
Women PeaceMakers Fellow — San Diego, $6.5K/month
Border, Peace & Security Fellow — San Diego, $6.5K/month
The Center for Election Innovation & Research Communications Fellow — DC, $55K
Check My Ads Strategic Partnerships Manager — remote, $90K-$105K
Ohio State University Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society Post Doctoral Scholars — Columbus, no $ money info (up to four positions!)
Transitions, transitions:
(Where the movers are moving and the shakers are shaking)
Democracy Notes’ very own Massarah Mikati is now Tiny News Collective’s Response & Resilience Program Manager! Huge congrats!!
Mark de la Iglesia has joined Democracy Funders Network (DFN) as Senior Program Director. Congratulations!!
Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, has joined the Kettering Foundation board of directors!
Jessica R. Wolff is now co-Executive Director of DemocracyReady NY!
Noah Ponton has been appointed an inaugural Non-Resident Fellow at the Cornell Brooks School Center on Global Democracy!
Campbell Dunsmore is now Program Manager for Beyond Conflict’s U.S. Programs! Congrats!!
Margaret Huang is now Senior Advisor to the President on the Civil Rights Forward initiative at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights!
Submit your job transitions (or promotions!) here.
See you next time!
Gabe