The Democracy Funders Strategy Summit: Democracy that Delivers will be a unique opportunity for funders passionate about the health of American democracy to gather for active strategy discussions, deep learning, and relationship building. This year’s Summit will focus on ensuring that democracy delivers discernable value for the American people, engaging funders around how we can safeguard democracy in the short term while also centering a concern for its improved effectiveness and responsiveness over the coming years.
American democracy is under greater threat than it has faced in generations, with the potential that backsliding will proceed beyond repair. Mistrust of the federal government has reached a boiling point, and many on both the right and the left believe their governments at all levels are failing to meet many of their basic needs. Unlike the price of eggs or the availability of housing, “democracy” is an abstract concept to most Americans, and it will only persist if a broad enough swath of the country perceives and values its utility.
The democracy field has a lot to learn from the many Americans – including individuals without college degrees, the working class, rural Americans, communities of color, and a growing segment of young men – who feel left behind and that the existing system is not worth saving. How can the field listen deeply, meet Americans on their own terms, and build its strategies accordingly? As we approach America’s 250th anniversary, what compelling visions of our democratic future might engage and resonate broadly with the American public?
In this moment of threat, we need a sufficiently broad coalition of Americans to acknowledge the need for reform while also insisting that the United States remain a liberal democracy. As we stare down short-term destruction, we also have to prepare to reimagine and rebuild. Are there strategic opportunities amidst the chaos in 2025 for Americans to experience government making a positive impact on their daily lives? How should communities be experimenting with innovative models of governance that start to model what it looks like to meet people’s needs in the twenty-first century? What can funders learn from how democracy is already being practiced and reimagined at the local level?
Cohosted by the Democracy Communications Collaborative, Democracy Funders Network, Democracy Innovation Fund, Election Trust Initiative, Institute for Responsive Government, Moxie Fund, New Pluralists, Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement, Recoding America Fund, Resilient Elections Network, State Infrastructure Fund, Trust for Civic Life, and Unite America, this Summit will be an unparalleled opportunity for donors, foundation/grantmaking professionals, and donor advisors to take honest stock of work already underway, consider strategies that will be needed over the next 5-10 years, discover new and different perspectives, and expand the coalition committed to the long-term health of American democracy.
Intentionally convening donors who span different geographies, giving levels, areas of focus, and ideological orientations, we will lean into our differences in order to sharpen our understanding and elevate the best collective thinking about how to help democracy survive and truly deliver on its promises to the American people.
Registration for the Summit is now open for members of Democracy Funders Network. General registration will open June 6. If you are a DFN member and have not yet received a link to the registration page, or if you are not a member but would like to become one and take advantage of the member-only registration period, please email DFN Membership Manager Hillary Hooke at hillary@thirdplateau.com. If you would like more information or to register as part of general registration, please contact us at info@democracyfundersnetwork.org.
DFN members are eligible for a $250 discount on registration -- one discount per member family or organization. Note that contributions to DFN from Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) are not able to cover membership benefits, including the registration discount.