Democracy Series Wrap Up
In August 2024, SCG’s Public Policy Team kicked off programming for Paving Pathways for Democracy Funding, a series aimed at elevating the importance of supporting democracy through long-term change. These sessions highlighted opportunities for funders to engage in democracy funding through various intersections with arts and culture, gender equity and justice, census work, redistricting, and elections, and policy implementation for climate resilience.
Each session explored how philanthropy plays a role in advocating for the needs of organizations on the ground. On the macro level, a common throughline was the philanthropic sector’s ability to fund innovative projects that allow their grantees to explore different models and infrastructure for programming, and funding tended to be most impactful when made to be flexible, multi-year, and long-term opportunities. In its implementation, this practice looks like funding that allows for deep engagement in communities with controversial political perception, funding that holistically supports an organization’s operations and not just a specific deliverable, or funding for underrepresented initiatives that fill the gaps and missed opportunities for civic engagement.
Another throughline in the series is that the most fruitful relationships between funders and grantees developed when funders were reliable thought partners and trusted messengers of the organization’s work. Funders often have more opportunities to make the narrative connection of how different issue areas play a role in promoting a healthy democracy. Community-based organizations and beneficiaries of funding may need support in framing these intersections, as their work is deeply immersed in the communities they serve. Because the work of philanthropy often takes place “upstream” with regard to systemic change, funders can uplift and advocate for their grantees in legislative spaces or to other funders.
We believe that every funder is a democracy funder, and there is opportunity for every funder to engage in creating fair and just representation. If you missed our series or would like to revisit them, you can find resources for each of our four sessions below.
Session #1: Engaging in Deep Connection to Reduce Anti-Transgender Bias (Slides)
Session #2: Arts and Media, Catalysts for Social Change (Recording)
Session #3: The Interplay of Census, Redistricting, and Elections for Future Cycles (Recording)
Session #4: The Role of Philanthropy in Policy Implementation and Co-Governance (Recording)