DEMOCRACY LEARNING COHORT
Do you want to help defend our democracy from unprecedented threats, but don’t know where to give? Are you curious about the real differences between all the groups and funds working on democracy issues? Do you find it challenging to track all the latest political developments and the underlying issues – and to make sense of how they should impact your giving?
If any of these questions resonate with you, we hope you will join other donors in our next cycle of the Democracy Learning Cohort (DLC). Kicking off in June, this program is designed to deepen donors' understanding of strategies for funding civic engagement and building long-term power in the face of unprecedented threats to democracy. Participants will join a cohort of like-minded philanthropists on a carefully crafted, eight-month journey committed to strengthening democracy and maximizing their philanthropic impact.
“…Ktisis provided the tools, information, and methods I needed to make strategic decisions around funding to uphold our democracy. The sessions laid the groundwork for all things related to the state of affairs both here and abroad as democracies around the world face threats. There was always room for questions and deep conversation. I couldn’t have appreciated the cohort more—it was time very well spent!”
— Maggie Lear
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Made possible through funding from the Movement Voter Fund, this is a no-cost, solicitation-free learning space. First implemented in 2024, this program features monthly sessions led by expert facilitators who help participants navigate the complexities of funding the pro-democracy movement. Programming will include:
Sensemaking about how we got here (including analysis regarding what happened during the 2024 election)
Exploration of the range of tools and strategies donors can employ to actualize their goals
National analysis regarding emergent needs and opportunities
Guidance on developing and refining strategy for political and 501(c)(4) giving
Critical questions to deepen your thinking about this work in conversation with your peers in a confidential space.
This program also includes unique opportunities to hear directly from national movement leaders. Past participants were particularly inspired by presentations from luminaries like Stacey Abrams and Maurice Mitchell, who helped connect electoral strategy to broader democratic transformation. As one cohort member shared, "They were incredibly effective in helping us understand the big picture in ways we'd never thought of before, appreciating the long game and how elections are a piece of a much larger strategy."
WHO IS THIS FOR?
The program is designed for US-based donors who are currently or interested in exploring funding civic engagement & political work. Donor advisors are welcome to participate alongside their donors/clients. We anticipate approximately 15-20 participants attending each session. In addition to the monthly learning calls, the Ktisis team is available to offer pro-bono 1:1 advising on your democracy-giving plans if requested.
WHEN?
The learning cohort will kick off in June, with regular virtual programming (monthly/ semi-monthly) through 2025. To accommodate schedules, each session will be offered twice at two different time blocks (12:00 pm ET or 3:00 pm ET), usually scheduled 1-2 days apart with some variation across days to work around key democracy conferences & gatherings throughout the year. Participants can attend whichever time block works best for their schedule (or both if they’re so inclined). Participants will receive invitations for all sessions and are asked to confirm attendance for a particular block via the calendar item. The full schedule is outlined below.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Nothing. The costs to design and facilitate this learning cohort are being underwritten by the Movement Voter Fund to build the democracy funding ecosystem. Participation in these cohorts is free for individual donors and their advisors as is any requested 1:1 advising to develop a democracy giving strategy.
WHO WILL LEAD THE COHORTS?
This project will be co-led by a team of advisors from Ktisis Capital, including Estevan Muñoz-Howard, Senior Director, and Michael Pratt, Associate Director, with support from Jason Franklin, Founder and Principal.
Estevan Muñoz-Howard (he/him)
SENIOR DIRECTOR
Estevan Muñoz-Howard is a philanthropic and organizational consultant with over 15 years experience leading programs and coalitions in the nonprofit sector. He currently works as Senior Director with Ktisis Capital, a philanthropic consulting firm. In this role, Estevan organizes donors, convenes field partners, and helps raise and steward funding for community-based organizations working to build the inclusive democracy our nation has never had. He previously worked as Interim Co-Director and Senior Program Officer at the Piper Fund, a donor collaborative that supports community-led efforts to build a healthy democracy.
Estevan also serves as Treasurer for the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation and as a board member of the Progress Alliance of Washington. He was also a founding Co-Chair of First Mile, a donor circle that organizes funding for candidates of color throughout Washington State.
Before joining the Piper Fund, Estevan worked as development director for Arts Corps and Social Justice Fund NW, and as executive director of the Youth Media Institute. He also helped lead the successful Honest Elections Seattle campaign of 2015—the historic initiative to implement the world's first Democracy Voucher program. He is passionate about democracy, community organizing, and the diffusion of power. Estevan is a graduate of the University of Puget Sound.
Michael Pratt (he/him)
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
At Ktisis Capital, Michael serves as a strategic philanthropic advisor, research lead, and project manager. This includes creating and supporting donor learning communities such as the Democracy Action Lab at The Philanthropy Workshop; facilitating Destination Impact, a learning community for donor education and organizing networks across the country; advising the Mannifera Collective, an Australian donor network; and co-authoring “Discovering your philanthropic identity: Giving approaches, strategies, and philosophies” in partnership with Fidelity Charitable’s Private Donor Group.
Before joining Ktisis Capital, Michael spent 5 years at the Johnson Center for Philanthropy, first as project coordinator for the Institute for Foundation & Donor Learning and, later, as project manager on their Learning Services team, where he was primarily responsible for managing The Grantmaking School, a professional development and education program for foundation staff and donors. In his time at the Johnson Center, Michael also led the development of a program officer competency model and served as Assistant Editor of The Foundation Review. Throughout his career, Michael has supported or managed the delivery of 100+ educational and field building programs for donors and grantmaking professionals.
Michael serves as President of the board of Renew Mobility, a West Michigan nonprofit which provides free, permanent mobility solutions for individuals either denied or burdened by systemic inequities in our healthcare system. Michael completed a B.A. in philosophy and a B.S. in psychology at Grand Valley State University.
Jason Franklin, PhD (he/him)
FOUNDER & PRINCIPAL
Dr. Jason Franklin is Founder & Principal of Ktisis Capital through which he serves as a strategic advisor to a mix of progressive individual donors, families, foundations, networks, and philanthropic collaboratives. Building on 20+ years of philanthropic and organizing experience, his work is focused on moving resources to racial, social, economic & environmental justice and building the skills and capacity of individuals and communities to take action. He serves as board chair of the Michigan Alliance and on Proteus Fund board and the Philanthropy Initiative Working Group at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. He is a co-founder and member of the Solidaire donor network and member of the Threshold Foundation, Democracy Alliance, One for Democracy, Generation Pledge, and WINGS: Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support.
Before launching Ktisis, he served as the inaugural W.K. Kellogg Community Philanthropy Chair at the Johnson Center for Philanthropy (the nation’s first endowed chair focused on community philanthropy), where he engaged in research, teaching, and thought leadership to advance the field, nationally and internationally. He received his PhD from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service where he also held an appointment for ten years as an award-winning adjunct professor teaching about philanthropy and social change. He previously served as Executive Director of Bolder Giving, an organization that inspired people to give big & take more philanthropic risks which was credited by Melinda Gates as an inspiration for the billionaire Giving Pledge, and has also worked at the 21st Century School Fund, the Rockefeller Foundation’s Next Generation Leadership Network, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and White House Office of National AIDS Policy