Philanthropy Today

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From senior editor Drew Lindsay: As you may have noticed, we’re expanding the ways we bring stories to you from The Commons. This week, we’ve got something altogether new — an animated video. It’s 60 seconds of counterprogramming to the onslaught of news from the nation’s capital, where the country’s very real and significant divisions are on display.

Our video highlights data that suggests Americans agree on a lot of things, and the numbers offer particular insights about where nonprofits and philanthropy might find common ground from which to advance change. Give the video a watch.

Also: After the death earlier this month of the Aga Khan IV, a revered Muslim spiritual leader, Eboo Patel of Interfaith America writes how the Imam championed pluralism as an antidote to many of society’s ills — including the rising tide of autocracy.

GOP pollster and CNN contributor Kristen Soltis Anderson has some counterintuitive postelection findings: that the country is in a moment when we could restore trust in institutions, including nonprofits and grant makers. I invite you to join me for a conversation about Anderson’s findings on Thursday, February 20, at 12:30 p.m. ET, when she visits The Commons in Conversation. We’ll also talk about her surveys that suggest philanthropy has an important role to play in closing America’s divides.

⭐ The event is free on LinkedIn with registration. ⭐

News and other noteworthy items:

• In the Fulcrum, Craig Helmstetter of APM Research Lab digs into new data showing that one-fifth of Americans are so fed up with the country’s institutions that they’re ready to “let them burn.” Perhaps most surprising: Nearly one-third of the Generation Z participants in the McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s Mood of the Nation Poll agreed with the statement: “When I think about our political and social institutions, I cannot help thinking ‘just let them all burn.’”
• As an answer to growing “hate-fueled violence toward marginalized groups in the country,” a new report highlights the work and strategies of more than a dozen arts groups that aim to build connections across different communities. “Today more than ever,” it says, “supporters and practitioners of the arts, media, and humanities have the opportunity to unite and think innovatively to deepen the impact their work has on addressing these critical issues — to build bridges and transform hate into cross-community cooperation.” A project of the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Doris Duke Foundation, the report features groups such as the Roadside Theater in the Appalachians, the racial-justice group Race Forward, and the Muslims in Brooklyn Project.
• A special report from the Bridging Divides Initiative identifies key political-violence trends from 2024, evaluates the risk of violence in 2025, and highlights effective resilience and response strategies. It says immigrants are particularly at risk, thanks in part to “bounty bills” offering rewards for turning in undocumented individuals.