Foundations and Democracy: What Is Philanthropy's Role in a Time of Division and Mistrust?

While polarization and mistrust have been building for decades in the United States, our political climate seems to have reached new levels of anger and divisiveness. Given the magnitude of the many challenges facing our society, our country urgently needs to come together; despite this, we are more divided than ever. Moreover, such a climate has implications for philanthropy, as disagreements over philanthropy’s public purposes intensify, and the very notion of a “common good” is threatened. Building on a new report by the Council on Foundations and the Kettering Foundation, Our Divided Nation: Is There a Role for Philanthropy in Renewing Our Democracy?, this session aims to catalyze thinking on how the philanthropic sector can best serve our democracy, and itself, in these challenging times.

Organized by the Kettering Foundation and the Council on Foundations

This session is by invitation only.