This week's Democracy Notes

We’re so back

Vacation. What a concept!!!!

Before we dive in, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the haters (constructive criticizers) of my summer reading recs from last edition.

Apparently it isn’t cool to ~only~ read non-fiction??? Who knew.

Clearly I’m in need of fiction recs…send ‘em my way! (I just started “Red Mars” by Kim Stanley Robinson.)

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Our COO peer-learning cohort is back for round 2!!

If you’re a COO looking for a high-trust environment to build community with your peers, apply here by September 7th!

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Democracy Notes 8/13

What’s happening in philanthropy:

($$$)

• Congratulations to the Trust for Civic Life’s 2026 Civic Hub grantees!

  • The Trust awarded $7.6M via 20 grants of $300K-$425K (over three years) to organizations working in rural areas to strengthen trust and agency.

• Two op-eds in The Chronicle of Philanthropy call on democracy funders to do things differently:

  • Ben Chou, Program Officer for Democracy, Rights, and Governance at the Packard Foundation, lays out an alternative strategy to “base building” — “majority activation.”

    • He defines majority activation as working “across ideological lines to reinforce the democratic values already shared by the vast majority of Americans.”

    • He estimates that among the top 15 c3 democracy grantmakers (per 2024 990 filings) $359M went to base building and $84M to majority activation.

    • That gap is driven by funders’ discomfort with investing in “organizations that are led by or work with people who hold different policy views, even if they share a deep commitment to democratic values,” he asserts.

  • Rachel Pritzker, philanthropist and co-founder of Democracy Funders Network and Patriots & Pragmatists, argues that democracy funders may be making things worse by:

    • Backing adversarial advocacy which further polarizes the country.

    • Assuming “that our positions are both morally obvious and broadly popular — that we represent the public because we invest in public goods.”

    • Underinvesting in “an affirmative vision that a broad majority of Americans recognize as their own,” rather than defending institutions that haven’t delivered.

• $20K in research funding from the Institute of Humane Studies! (8/31 deadline.)

  • Funding is for faculty studying “the nature of liberal civic virtue: what qualities citizens need to sustain a free, pluralistic, self-governing society, and how those qualities are grounded in the liberal tradition.”

• $250K for local communities to engage in civic action!

  • The National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI) launched a community mini-grant fund, “What’s Next, America?” There are two types of grants:

    • Spark Grants — $1K, applications now open

    • Civic Action Grants — $2.5K-$5K, applications open 9/17

• Funding for service! (Think: national service.)

  • Schultz Family Foundation and Andrew Carnegie Foundation committed $10M to the Service United Fund to help states and territories expand opportunities for service.

    • States and territories can apply for grants ranging from $100K to $1.5M.

  • This investment pairs with the National Governors Association’s 2026–2027 chair’s campaign, Service United (driven by chair Governor Wes Moore).

    • This effort was also supported by the Hewlett Foundation, Einhorn Collaborative, and others.

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What to watch/listen to/attend:

(Events, podcasts, and more)

• 8/18 at 9:30am ET — join Rich Besser, President and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of the NAACP LDF, for “From Representation to Repair: Building a Healthy Democracy.”

• 8/19 at 11am ET — join Bridging Divides Initiative for a briefing on their new research, “Threats and Harassment Against Local Officials in 2026.”

  • Check out the research and register for the briefing here!

• Pro-Democracy Narrative Playbook is hosting a six-part webinar series on the intersections of democracy and other issues!

  • 9/8 — Public Health and Democracy

  • 9/10 — Higher Education and Democracy

  • 9/16 — Environmental & Climate Justice and Democracy

  • 9/17 — Limits on Power and Democracy

  • 9/24 — Human & Civil Rights and Democracy

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Where to work:

(Jobs, jobs, jobs!)

• Keep Our Republic Legal Specialist - Anti-Subversion Task Force — remote, $5K-$8.5K/month (initial 3-month contract)

• Bridging Divides Initiative Research Director — remote, $138K-$154K

• Issue One Digital Content Manager — DC, $70K-$80K

• Partners for Public Good Associate — remote, $103K

• Whistleblower Aid Chief Counsel — DC, $180K-$240K

• Protect Democracy (remote):

  • Payroll Specialist — $72K-$85K

  • IT Associate — $72K-$81K

• Proportional Representation Hub (remote):

  • VP of Communications and Narrative Strategy — $185K-$285K

  • VP of Political Strategy and Outreach — $185K-$285K

  • VP of State and Local Campaigns — $185K-$285K

^ 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!

• High schoolers!! Applications for Civics Unplugged’s Civic Innovators 2026-2027 Fellowship are now open!

  • Learn more and apply here by 9/4.

• Einhorn Collaborative (NYC):

  • Strategy Lead — $200K

  • Communications & Content Specialist — $115K-$135K

• The Civil Courage Prize Executive Director — remote, $160K-$192K

• Future Caucus Social Media Copywriter (contract) — remote, $4.5K-$6K/month (20 hrs/wk, 6 months)

• Rebuild Local News Coalition & Partnerships Coordinator — remote, $70K-$80K

• Common Ground USA:

  • State Lead New York — remote in NY, $91K-$140K

  • State Lead Virginia — remote in VA, $91K-$140K

• Work for America Social Media Strategist — remote, $80K-$90K

  • Due 8/14!

• Generation Citizen:

  • Program Director, New England — New England (MA, CT, VT), $92K

  • Chief of Staff — remote, $101K-$111K

• Cornell Law School Clinical Professor & Director, First Amendment Clinic — Ithaca, NY, $84K-$237K

• Civic Nebraska Staff Attorney — Lincoln, NE, $72K+

• Open Shadows Program Director, WATCHMEN Archive — remote (DC preferred), $70K

• Public Private Strategies (DC):

  • Managing Director — $120K-$150K

  • Executive Assistant — $75K-$90K

• Constructive Dialogue Institute Senior Program Manager, Leadership Programs — remote, $85K-$95K

• Dolores Huerta Foundation:

  • Director of Organizing — Bakersfield, CA, $76K-$86K

  • Director of Civic Engagement — Bakersfield, CA, $76K-$86K

  • Director of Development — Bakersfield, CA, $95K-$107K

  • Youth Organizer — Tulare, CA, $52K-$58K

• American Enterprise Institute Research Assistant, Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies (Civic Life and Law) — DC, $50K-$54K

• Wesleyan University Program Manager, Democracy 250 — Middletown, CT, $63K-$80K

• Third Plateau Chief of Staff, Democracy — Berkeley, CA, $100K-$120K

• Partnership for Public Service Manager, Major Gifts — DC, $70K-$95K

• The American Sunlight Project Free Expression Fellow — remote, $2500 honorarium, 5-8hrs/wk

• Committee for the First Amendment:

  • Content & Communications Specialist — remote (LA/NY preferred), $80K-$90K

  • Senior National Organizer — NYC or LA, $95K-$115K

• Democracy Forward Senior Attorney, Democracy 2025 — DC, $145K-$170K

• Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center Executive Director — remote, $140K-$175K

• States United Democracy Center Director of Partnerships — remote, $170K+

• PolicyLink Vice President, Governing for All — DC, $225K-$250K

• Issue One Vice President of Philanthropy — DC preferred, $170K-$200K

• University of California, Berkeley Administrative Officer, Nancy Pelosi Institute — Berkeley, CA, $98K-$106K (part-time, 75% FTE)

• Interfaith Alliance Vice President of Finance and Administration — DC, $175K-$200K

• ACLU of Washington Senior Managing Policy Director — Seattle, $154K-$189K

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Transitions, transitions:

(Where the movers are moving and the shakers are shaking)

• Becca Hartman-Pickerill is now Director of Civic Health at CFLeads!

• Ravi Garla is now Chief Program Officer at Voting Rights Lab!

• New faces and promotions at Press Forward Chicago:

  • Taylor Moore has been promoted to Program Manager!

  • Amanda Miley has joined as Director of Strategic Partnerships!

• Katy Launius is departing Lumina Foundation after four years!

  • Connect with her to talk higher ed transformation (or improv)!

• Mike Piel is now Director of Philanthropy at American Promise!

• Jim Lauckhardt is now Chief Impact and Evaluation Officer at Citizens & Scholars!

• Paul Osadebe has joined Democracy Forward as a Senior Attorney and Editor at Red Line for Civil Rights!

• Sarah Valor has joined Civic News Company as VP of Philanthropy!

Submit your job transitions (or promotions!) here.

See you soon,

Gabe