Family foundations can move quickly. That is a gift in this uncertain landscape when urgency is high. At the David Rockefeller Fund, we are inspired by the vision and generosity of founders David and Peggy Rockefeller, and we seek to not only continue—but also expand and reimagine—their legacy of philanthropy in this spirit of responsiveness.
The superpower of family philanthropy is our nimbleness and capacity to move with purpose.
Working with our boards—family and independent trustees alike—we must meet the moment without delay. It is this flexibility that allows us to deepen our commitment to civic engagement and democracy. We Work in order to form a more perfect union. It took me years to understand what the opening phrase of the Preamble to the United States Constitution means: that this country is a work in progress (see footnote). Our democracy is shaped by so much more than the results of an election. It is shaped by the ways we make room for fresh perspectives and create mechanisms for accountability and co-governing. That is ours to do at the DR Fund and at other family foundations.
Democracy as a Common Thread
DR Fund’s support for democracy work—mainly in the form of get out the vote efforts—began in 2017 and predates my tenure as CEO. Since joining the DR Fund in 2022, I, along with our team, have had countless conversations with grantee partners across our program areas. Through our listening, it became evident that, while we organize across three program areas—justice, climate, and the arts—democracy is the thread that connects them:
- In the justice program, grantees are fighting to ensure voting rights of the formerly incarcerated are restored after they return home.
- In the climate program, grantees are fostering civic engagement and get out the vote efforts to drive environmental impact.
- In the arts program, grantees bring creativity to invite us to be active participants in the exercise of democracy.
This observation of civics and democracy as a connective tissue is why the DR Fund jumped at the opportunity to participate in the Democracy Fund’s 2024 All by April campaign, an effort to provide nonpartisan election-related grants. In the fall, I signed up for NCFP’s Strengthening Democracy Learning and Action Cohort to sharpen our skills as we further define the DR Fund’s role in democracy efforts.
After all, democracy is not a spectator sport.
Sharpening my Thinking About Democracy
Joining the Strengthening Democracy Learning and Action Cohort came with a sense of urgency and, as a public health expert, it allowed me to build on my understanding of democracy work. NCFP’s learning and action cohort explored issues such as representative democracy, voting rights, movement building, and community journalism, helping attendees understand how civic investments can strengthen and sustain democracy in the United States. I have spent much of my career observing the impact of public policy on people, and NCFP’s approach resonated.
Being in community with a group of 14 colleagues from 11 family foundations—varying in size, areas of interest, and worldviews—helped me examine democracy in 3-D, broaden the views informed by my public health training, and move beyond the singular action of voting as the measure of a healthy, participatory democracy.
The give and take of our work together deepened my understanding of the complexities to consider when working with grantees on their approaches to civic engagement.
It also positioned the DR Fund to be a more effective philanthropic leader.
Facilitated by Panorama’s Jennifer Cho and Sayu Bhojwani of the Women’s Democracy Lab, the cohort covered a variety of timely topics, from understanding the advantages of a multiracial democracy, to examining current threats and opportunities for our democracy. We also unpacked the logic behind how we select the candidates who represent us.
Our cohort of philanthropic families are committed to doing what we can to build a vibrant, equitable, and resilient world. Getting the full picture was the first step. But an inclusive, multiracial democracy is how we realize that world. It is also how we protect the principles, practices, and institutions that are at risk of erosion—and erasure.
That is something we can bring to our grantee partners as they work, year in and year out, during and in-between election cycles.
Because change doesn’t just happen at the ballot box.
With my NCFP peers, I learned that the work of advocacy can be for naught if support is not consistent. We need longer funding cycles for projects. I also learned that there is so much more to fund than getting people into the voting booth. Campaign finance reform, safety and security of election processes, legal costs to nonprofits whose lawful activities are caught up in frivolous legal battles—these are essential investments for progress.
Taking Action: All By April
All By April seeks to move 501(c)(3) election-related funding to nonprofits by April 30. This allows nonpartisan, pro-democracy organizations that safeguard free, fair, and representative elections to access the resources they need to plan and strategize earlier and more effectively than when dollars reach them closer to election time. For the DR Fund, participating in All by April was strategic and urgent and allowed us to act on what we had learned by participating in the cohort. Strategic because it helped shore up the important work of our grantee partners and advanced the DR Fund’s vision of helping to create a more just and flourishing world. Urgent because the 2024 election cycle was fast approaching with debates about crime and climate looming.
In 2024, we moved $1.27 million in grants in response to the All by April campaign, representing 44 percent of our arts, climate, and justice programs’ grantmaking budget for that year.
This included both new grants and previously scheduled grant payments that would have been disbursed much later in the year. Early election-related funding allowed our partners to engage in greater internal strategic planning and collaboration with their community partners. They were also able to hire and train new staff members earlier, allowing more time to develop trusting relationships within their communities, which is essential to the success of relational organizing approaches. This approach also alleviated fundraising pressures, freeing up time and energy to direct towards the greatest levers of impact. Expediting previously scheduled payments that would have been received much later in the year simultaneously deepened our trusting relationships with our grantee partners, who saw the DR Fund’s flexibility in processing their payments for what it was: signaling deep attunement and responsiveness to their organizational needs.
Family foundations can move quickly. Let’s seize that opportunity so the people closest to the work–those most likely to drive progress–can do their part on our democracy in progress.
Footnote: I call work (with lower case) the things we do as part of our job responsibilities, and Work (with upper case), what we are called to do—individually or as a collective—and that we carry with us, regardless of the current job. I use “Work” here to refer to our democracy as something we are all called to participate in.
The views and opinions expressed in individual blog posts are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the National Center for Family Philanthropy.