This week's Democracy Notes
Hi y’all!
Happy belated Valentine’s Day to those who celebrate. 💕
Real quick: if you’re a funder and you happen to be free 12-1 ET today (!), come join PACE’s event,“Civic Philanthropy: Key Trends to Know at the Top of 2026.”
You’ll hear from:
Me (talking 2025 Trends),
Democracy Fund’s Robert Griffin (covering their latest pulse survey of 200 funders), and
PACE’s Amy McIsaac (on their recent survey of 170 funders).
And…for the webinar lovers among us, join our event (with the American Academy of Arts & Sciences) on ~proportional representation~ on 2/24 at 1pm ET. You’ll hear from:
Grant Tudor, Policy Advocate at Protect Democracy,
Didi Kuo, Center Fellow at the Freeman-Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University, and
Colin Cole, Director of Policy, Outreach, and Communications at More Equitable Democracy.
Registration is here!
Finally, over at Democracy Notes Perspectives, Voting Rights Lab CEO Samantha Tarazi announced two new initiatives in her piece “The democracy movement shouldn’t be nationalized.” Check it out!
Democracy Notes 2/19
What’s happening in philanthropy:
($$$)
Freedom Together Foundation will again double its endowment payout to 10% for 2026, double the required 5%, Deepak Bhargava announced.
He did so in a LinkedIn post about his essay for HistPhil on The Garland Fund, a foundation launched in the 1920s — with lots of lessons for today.
Library peeps! Apply to the Urban Libraries Council’s new “Civic Makers Lab” for $15K in program support funds.
The Chicago-focused Polk Bros. Foundation will open a $1M RFP on May 4th tied to their “Fostering a Participatory, Multi-Racial Democracy” goal with a focus on “Next Generation Power-Building.”
LinkedIn post here.
Last week’s Knight Media Forum included a conversation between Ford Foundation president Heather Gerken and Knight Foundation President and CEO Maribel Pérez Wadsworth.
You can find videos of other sessions here!
What to read:
(The big news)
Why do state lawmakers leave office? According to “The Exit Interview,” a great new report from Future Caucus, the main reasons include:
Fears around personal (and family) safety,
A struggle to make ends meet,
Feeling stretched thin, ineffective, and unsupported; and more.
Suuuuper interesting polling on Gen Z/generational divides from the SNF Agora Institute’s Scott Warren, Liliana Mason, and Sophia Winner, and YouGov.
I highly recommend a scroll through their very nice charts!
And shoutout to the SNF Agora/Public Agenda collab on “Understanding Evolving Republican Attitudes Towards Democracy.”
Daniel Stid’s perspective on Minneapolis, “An SOS for the Republic,” struck me — both its clarity and who it came from.
Work for America launched its Civic Match 2.0 platform and released data on Civic Match’s usage since its launch (187 former federal employees hired in state and local government!).
From Protect Democracy, The Civil Service Archive is “an online searchable database that captures Trump-era changes to policies governing the federal workforce.”
What to watch/listen to/attend:
(Events, podcasts, and more)
The Principles First 2026 Summit is this weekend outside of DC!
Artists, creators, storytellers, and those working at the intersection of media, technology, and culture!!
Apply for the USC Annenberg Innovation Lab’s 2026-2027 Civic Media Fellowship.
Eight spots in the cohort, eight months, $16K. Due 2/20!
(Supported by the MacArthur Foundation.)
Where to work:
(Jobs, jobs, jobs!)
The Carter Center is requesting proposals to assist with nontraditional communications for its domestic democracy support work.
$200,000 for six months, proposals due by March 6.
ACLU of Georgia Executive Director — Atlanta, $195K-$215K
Center for Christianity and Public Life:
Content and Communications Manager — DC/Baltimore preferred, $75K-$90K
Hospitality Lead — DC/Baltimore, $65K-$75K
Executive Assistant and Office Coordinator (Part-Time) — DC/Baltimore preferred, 20 hrs/week
Future Caucus:
Coordinator, Policy Innovation Lab — DC, $59K-$62K
Associate Manager, Leadership Programs — DC, $63K-$69K
Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Senior Counsel - Midwest Voting Rights Program — Chicago, $90K-$108K
Public Rights Project Senior Staff Attorney, Election Protection Hub — remote, $121K-$182K
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (link to all roles here):
Policy Counsel Fellowship 2026 — DC, $75K
Policy Counsel/Policy Advisor for Democracy Reform — DC, $68K-$98K
Litigation Counsel or Senior Litigation Counsel — DC, $145K-$190K
Managing Counsel — DC, $175K-$195K
Policy Counsel or Senior Policy Counsel — DC, $110K-$160K
Issue One:
Culture and Finance Manager — DC, $68K-$78K
Special Assistant to the CEO and COO — DC, $60K-$70K
^ 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!
$15K RFP for a “Launch Consultant” (March 15 - June 15) for the new Pluralism and Liberty (PAL) Network, a partnership between Interfaith America and A More Perfect Union.
The PAL Network will bring together faith leaders across religious and ideological lines to defend pluralism and civil liberties in the U.S.
Latino journalists, civil society leaders, and content creators!
Applications are open for Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas’s “Latinos, Media, and Democracy Program - The AI Edition,” in collaboration with the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab)!
LinkedIn post here.
Summer 2026 internships!
Five internships with the Partnership for Public Service — DC, $1,500/month
Internships across seven departments at the National Conference of State Legislatures — Denver or DC, $19/hr, 15-20 hrs/week
Vet Voice Foundation Chief Development Officer — remote, $165K-$185K
Interfaith America Senior Director of Strategic Communications — Chicago, $125K-$140K
Mormon Women for Ethical Government Public Relations Manager — remote, $50K-$60K
American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Director, American Democracy Project — DC, $110K-$125K
Proximate Press Editorial Strategy Advisor RFP — $12K, three months
Common Cause Senior Policy Manager, Anti-Corruption and Accountability — remote, $98K-$113K
End Citizens United Press Secretary — DC, $70K-$90K
Work for America Relationship Coordinator, Civic Match — remote, $70K
NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund Policy Counsel — Atlanta (preferred), DC, or NYC, $111K–$140K
Committee of Seventy Digital Media Manager — remote, $60K
Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley Communications Director — Berkeley, CA, $115K-$146K
Run for Something Director of People & Culture — remote, $133K
Recoding America Fund Head of Finance — DC (preferred) or remote, $150K-$200K
Union of Concerned Scientists Organizing Coordinator — remote, $78K
Transitions, transitions:
(Where the movers are moving and the shakers are shaking)
Summer Lopez and Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf were appointed as co-CEOs of PEN America!
Mil Dranoff joined A More Perfect Union as Vice President, Development!
Eric Conrad joined Protect Democracy as a Communications Strategist!
Rosie Berman is now a Communications Associate at Integrity Matters!
Braver Angels has a new Director of Debates! Congrats to Jessica Lowe-Minor!
Kara Revel Jarzynski is now Strategic Director of Deliberative State Governance at FIDE – North America!
Amy Brady is now Chief Development Officer at Solutions Journalism Network! Congrats on the promotion!
Submit your job transitions (or promotions!) here.
See you soon,
Gabe