DEMOCRACY LEARNING COHORT
Do you want to help defend our democracy, 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, including donors from Fidelity Charitable, to take part in a new monthly virtual learning cohort organized by Ktisis Capital. Whether you are an experienced or new democracy donor, this is a chance to talk candidly and confidentially with some of the top democracy donor advisors in the country and other peers. Together, we’ll get oriented to the shifting landscape of civic engagement and democracy organizing and develop your own personal giving strategy.
“…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. These monthly non-partisan donor education sessions will explore strategies and lessons for funding civic engagement & political work, with an eye towards impact between now and November 5th. Programming will include regular updates about the 2024 elections, context and framing to help understand the range of organization and funds you can invest with, guidance on developing and refining your own strategy for strategy for charitable, advocacy, and political giving, and critical questions to deepen your thinking about this work in conversation with your peers in a confidential space. Some of the topics and content covered will include:
Key issues, lessons, and strategies in funding civic engagement work
Understanding how to navigate varied opportunities & ways to give to support democracy work, including discussion of the constraints connected to different giving vehicles (direct cash donations vs stock gifts vs donor-advised fund (DAF) vs private foundation)
Translating frameworks and lessons to your personal situation, with the aim of developing and refining your giving plan between now and the election
Approaches for investing long term in community organizations alongside candidate/party giving and your long term charitable priorities
Strategies for amplifying your giving and inspiring your friends & family
Approaches for managing the inevitable flood of last minute fundraising appeals and navigating the challenges of being a strategic and effective political donor
How to evaluate your impact after November and how to integrate political giving into your ongoing philanthropy
WHO IS THIS FOR?
The program is designed for US-based donors who are currently or interested in exploring funding civic engagement & political work. We anticipate approximately 20-30 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 cohorts will kick off in May, with regular programming (monthly/semi-monthly) through the 2024 election, with one or two post-election sessions for reflection, sensemaking,and next steps. Meetings will take place on select Tuesdays from 12-1:30pm PT/3-4:30pm ET. Below are projected dates for each session:
Session 1 — May 7 (optional meet and greet)
Session 2 — May 21
Session 3 — June 11
Session 4 — June 25
Session 5 — July 23
Session 6 — August 13
Session 7 — September 24
Session 8 — October 15
Session 9 — November 19
Session 10 — December 10
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Nothing. Movement Voter Fund (MVF) received a one-time, dedicated gift that allows it to support projects focused on ecosystem growth and development of the democracy field. The total underwritten cost of each cohort is approximately $75,000, but due to this generous support from MVF, participation in these cohorts is free 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. He is currently pursuing a dual M.B.A. and M.S. in Leadership & Organizational Dynamics at the University of Michigan-Flint’s School of Management.
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