This week's Democracy Notes
Howdy!
Before we dive in…a quick announcement: we want to publish your writing!
Over at Democracy Notes Perspectives, we’re launching a call for submissions. Submit your pitch (or your finished 300-400 word piece) here after checking out our contributor guidelines.
We’re looking for writing on three topics:
We did a thing! Are you really good at grassroots fundraising? Did you run a comms campaign that you’re particularly proud of? Tell us how you did it. Help the field learn!
Pieces can be about any success or best practice, just not comms/fundraising.
Something’s not working. How is the democracy space (or some piece of it) getting in its own way? What needs to change?
What I wish I had known. What do you wish you had known when you first got into this work? Teach us!
We can’t wait to see what you come up with!
The vibes in last week’s poll were…not great. It sounds like we all need a vacation. (And perhaps less craziness in the news…)
Alright, on to the good stuff!
Democracy Notes 4/24
Emergency resources:
(Help! 🎵)
Last week, rumors swirled that President Trump would target environmental nonprofits’ c3 status (he also mentioned a democracy nonprofit, CREW, by name).
That said…here are some helpful resources for nonprofits:
Separately, are you a federal worker who needs pro-bono legal support? Check out the Federal Workers Legal Defense Network!
And lawyers, sign up to offer your volunteer support!
Share these resources (and the jobs below) with your friends at the Millennium Challenge Corporation. They got DOGE “fork in the road” emails yesterday :(
What’s happening in philanthropy:
($$$)
There’s a new $20M campaign to raise money for the democracy space! (In particular from foundations not yet investing in democracy.)
Courage Calls Us was announced in a Chronicle of Philanthropy op ed by Joe Goldman (Democracy Fund) and Skye Perryman (Democracy Forward).
$5.2M is already committed from private foundations.
The “initial” $20M will go to orgs:
Standing up for the rule of law,
Helping the American electorate make meaning of government actions,
Protecting civil society, and
Ensuring the continuation of free and fair elections.
Money will flow to a pooled fund which will invest in c3 organizations.
Advisors to the effort include:
Vanita Gupta, former associate attorney general,
Jess O’Connell of the Democracy Security Project,
Maurice Mitchell of the Working Families Party,
Eric Ward of Race Forward,
Erica Chenoweth of Harvard University, and
Sulma Arias of People’s Action Institute.
Is your non-profit ~or for-profit~ venture using AI to strengthen trustworthy media ecosystems? Reimagine civic engagement? Enhance civic life?
New RFP from Omidyar Network and the Ford Foundation focused on responsible tech!
In their words: “Our aim is to support research that clarifies investors' fiduciary duties in the context of technological risks, ultimately empowering them to make more informed decisions about their tech portfolios.” Super cool approach!
“Funders, here’s the blueprint for saving democracy,” writes everyone’s favorite philanthropy critic, Vu Le.
Congratulations to the Carnegie Corporation of New York’s 2025 class of Andrew Carnegie Fellows!!
26 scholars will receive $200K for research into the forces hurting and shaping our democracy — polarization, in particular.
Brief descriptions of the fellows’ projects can be found in the press release.
What to read:
(The big news)
Who’s been courageous lately? LOTS of courage across many sectors.
384 (!!!) college and university presidents signed this statement “against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education.”
75 civil rights groups joined "The Pact: A Civil Rights Coalition Unity Commitment,"led by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
61 press freedom groups joined an amicus brief led by The Intercept urging SCOTUS to strike down the EO that imposed sanctions on Perkins Coie.
86 higher ed institutions joined this amicus brief filed by the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration.
They say arresting and deporting student protesters fuels a nationwide “climate of fear.”
Last but not least, Campus Compact’s statement of solidarity with AmeriCorps after many staff were put on leave and NCCC was shut down.
Great explainer of the Trump Administration’s reorganization of the State Department, courtesy of Just Security.
“Muscular institutions” are positioned to be better at bridging work, says Jason Mangone, Executive Director of More In Common in Connective Tissue.
Two questions pose a great litmus test:
Is the thing the institution is doing organically appealing to lots of different people for reasons that have nothing to do with bridging?
Is the leadership of the institution so zealous about its mission that they’d have no problem enforcing their institution’s codes of behavior?
I’ve been on a bit of a soapbox lately about STEM folks needing civic education…
Purdue University’s civic literacy requirement for undergrads is a great model!
What to watch/listen to/attend:
(Events, podcasts, and more)
Chicago friends! Join UChicago’s Center for Effective Government for an all-star event on mistrust in government (with a post-event reception). 4/29 at 5:45 pm CT!
2025 Radically Rural Summit is happening in NH, 10/7-10/9! Info here.
For journalists looking to attend, apply for a sponsored ticket through the Knight Foundation — deadline 5/5.
Hosting a democracy-related conference? Add it to our conference tracker spreadsheet!
Looking for courage? Listen to Sharon L. Davies, President and CEO of the Kettering Foundation, on their podcast, The Context (30 min interview).
Where to work:
(Jobs, jobs, jobs!)
Protect Democracy Director of Partnerships — remote, $182K-$257K
Kettering Foundation Director of Program Administration and Evaluation — Dayton (OH), $120K-$150K
Institute for Strategic Dialogue Program Manager — Canada, $92K-$121K
Rhizome Co-CEO, Power-Building and Fellowship Impact — remote, $144K
Partnership for Public Service Press Secretary — DC, $70K-$95K
Harvard BKC-Allen Lab Fellowship (1 year, full time) — Cambridge, MA, $75K
Interested in ethics, science/tech, and public policy? Perfect fit!
Over Zero:
Executive Director — remote, $200K-$250K
Administrative Assistant/Associate — Ohio, $28K-$30K (20hrs/week)
Demos Senior Data & Policy Analyst / Data & Policy Analyst, Democracy Reform — New York, $87K-$110K
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Chief Operations Officer — New York, $215K-$270K
University of Wisconsin-Madison Program Coordinator, State Democracy Research Initiative — Madison, $19/hr
The University of Chicago Director, Civic and Campus Engagement — Chicago, $90K-$110K
AFL-CIO Civil, Human, and Women's Rights Director — DC, $165K
Public Citizen Public Interest Litigator — DC, $101K-$167K
The Volcker Alliance Program Manager — New York, $80K-$95K
The Guardian Foundation Executive Director — United Kingdom, £90K+
Points of Light Manager, Corporate Partnerships — remote, $55K-$60K
The Greater Good Science Center Bridging Differences Content & Engagement Manager — Berkeley (remote possible), $90K-$100K
National League of Cities:
Program Associate, The National League of Cities Risk Information Sharing Consortium (NLC-RISC) and NLC Mutual — DC, $50K-$55K
Program Manager, Strategic Partnerships — DC, $70K-$88K
Legislative Research Manager — DC, $70K-$88K
Big Local News Managing Director — Stanford (remote possible), $111K-$132K
Outlier Media Community Giving Manager — Detroit, $40/hr, 20 hrs/week
Wabash College Program Associate for Wabash Democracy and Public Discourse — Crawfordsville (IN), no $ info :(
Jobs are great, but have you tried…fellowships? We found a bunch this week.
Harvard Berkman Klein Center Fellowships — Deadline 4/30! Open to scholars and practitioners working on AI, tech, and safety.
UpTide Accelerator (92NY) — Fellowship for 5 nonprofit CEOs/EDs. Includes mentorship, coaching, and a pitch day. (Plus a $5K stipend.)
Do you love books and roadtrips??? Are you 18-30?
Apply for Roadtrip Nation’s Libraries Roadtrip! (And be on a TV show!)
Calling mid-career changemakers! Check out the Mira Fellowship. It includes coaching, convenings, and micro-grants.
For journalists:
Apply for the New York Times Editing Residency (2025–27).
2-year paid gig for early/mid-career editors! (Now with a visual/non-traditional journalism opening.)
Pulitzer Center’s StoryReach Fellowship for Midwest-based reporters.
Deadline 5/1! $30K, 12-month, part-time program.
Transitions, transitions:
(Where the movers are moving and the shakers are shaking)
Aaron Blacksberg is now Federal Policy Counsel at Institute for Responsive Government! Neat!
Dani Schulkin has joined Just Security as Director of Democracy Initiatives!
She previously served as Senior Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General and Senior Advisor to the Homeland Security Advisor at the White House.
Kasiana McLenaghan is now Group Product Manager of New_ Public’s Public Spaces Incubator project!
She previously was a product director at the NYT. Congrats!!
Grace Boone is now Program Manager of Essential Partners’ Community of Practice. Congratulations!!
Matt Vasilogambros is now Senior Writer at States United Democracy Center!
He was previously the Voting Rights Reporter for Stateline.
Submit your job transitions (or promotions!) here.
Welcome to the end. Not of our democracy, just of this week’s newsletter.
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See you next week,
Gabe