What Communities Teach Us About Power and Belonging

📷 credit: RawPixel For the past year, our nation and sector have been defined by division and fear. But the past month has provided a rare glimpse of renewal and hope. Across the country, grassroots campaigns led by immigrant organizers, first-generation Americans, and working-class coalitions have demonstrated that a politics grounded in dignity and care […]

Philanthropy’s Role in a Volatile Political Climate

📷 credit: Miguel Bruna on Unsplash The philanthropic sector is facing a defining moment, as we’ve talked about in previous blog posts, with strategies to defend democracy and specific funding recommendations. The choices funders make today will set the tone for generations to come. While that has always been true, the volatility of our current […]

Rising to Defend Democracy, Part 2: A Donor Action Guide

📷 credit: DenaliNPS This post is a follow-up to a funder action guide we shared in July that was oriented toward foundations. Ten months after the 2024 presidential election, American democracy continues its descent into turmoil. As we’ve covered in previous posts, the current administration has criminalized dissent, undermined judicial independence, threatened the integrity of […]

Rising to Defend Democracy: A Funder Action Guide

📷 credit: Mídia NINJA After nearly 250 years, America’s experiment with democracy is under threat and finds itself facing imminent collapse. Many have watched in horror as the current administration dismantles democratic institutions before our eyes. The criminalization of dissent, undermining of judicial independence, attacks on journalism, targeting of trans and immigrant communities, and  manufactured […]

When Nonprofits Are Under Attack, Security Must Be Funded

📷 credit: LumiNola For justice-focused nonprofits, the work has never been more urgent or more dangerous.  Nonprofits focused on advancing immigrant rights, racial justice, social justice, environmental justice, and defending our democracy are under siege from an escalating wave of attacks. They’re facing politically motivated audits, legal harassment, online threats, and funding retaliation, all while […]

Protecting Immigrant Communities in 2025: A Call for Philanthropic Action

📷 credit: Rawpixel On November 6, the United States of America woke up to face a stark new reality and an uncertain future. We know that this uncertainty and fear is impacting certain communities disproportionately as people worry about their rights disappearing – communities of color, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, and women, to name a few.  […]

After the Votes Are Counted: Strategic Insights for Democracy Funders

📷 credit: Ted Eytan / Flickr Despite record-setting fundraising and massive GOTV efforts during the 2024 election, progressive losses across the board present advocates with daunting political challenges over the next four years. The election resulted in losses of the Presidency and Senate and failed to flip the House, leaving a federal landscape increasingly hostile […]

Systemic Change in the Fight for Democracy

📷 credit: Unseen Histories via Unsplash As we near the November election, many donors are feeling anxious about the role they play in the fight for the future of our democracy. The specters of white nationalism and rising global fascism have progressive donors asking, “How can I direct my investments to best protect and strengthen […]

We’re Not Going to Stumble into the Democracy We Never Had

📷 credit: Josh Barwick via Unsplash We are at a critical juncture for the future of our democracy. From the shifting dynamics of the US presidential race to intensifying fights over election integrity and against disinformation, one takeaway is clear: democracy is in the balance.  Given the stakes, donors are very engaged around the election. […]

Progressive State Governance Project Report, Phase 1

The Progressive State Governance Project is a collaboration between state and national partners to better understand the key factors that influence progressive governance in cities and states across the country. For phase one of this project, Ktisis Capital interviewed 26 sector leaders to examine challenges and opportunities related to transition planning, co-governance and what it […]