The Commons Visits the Twin Cities
Chronicle of Philanthropy editor-in-chief Andrew Simon and I hosted a conversation at last week’s Council on Foundations “Leading Locally” conference on local solutions to our country’s divisions. Our guests:
- Roque Barros, executive director of the Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation in Southern California, talked about his work to help communities in the rural region have voice and visibility as it evolves.
- Tracy Cutler, executive vice president at the Lancaster County Community Foundation, discussed how the grant maker came to be a leader on equity and bridging in the region.
- Tito Llantada, director of networks and programs at the Trust for Civic Life, talked about the $50 million funder collaborative’s early grant making targeted at rural communities.
“Tracy, Tito, and Roque helped bring to life the challenges and potential for bridge-building work,” Simon said. “Whether it’s communities coming together through the lithium industry or warm cookies, these leaders speak to the variety of ways polarization can be addressed.”
If democracy is unraveling, what can save it? Scholar, author, and nonprofit leader Danielle Allen will join The Commons in Conversation to talk about a range of solutions championed by philanthropy and nonprofits. These include reform of institutions like Congress and the Supreme Court, investment in civics education, and a rekindling of civic spirit in local communities.
Allen leads the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation at the Harvard Kennedy School and is director of Democratic Knowledge Project, a civics-education research project. She’s also the founder of Partners in Democracy, which advocates for democracy reforms.
She’ll talk with Chronicle senior editor Drew Lindsay on Thursday, July 10, at 1 p.m. ET on LinkedIn Live.
Register for this free event.
“While nonprofits are still among the most trusted institutions in American life, their communications often fail to reflect that trust across ideological lines. The sector struggles with strategy, audience understanding, and platform obsession. As influencers dominate new media spaces, nonprofits risk becoming invisible to millions of Americans.”
— Dimitrios Kalantzis, communications strategist and founder of Five 15 Media; Giving Review
“A poll we recently conducted suggests that people from all political backgrounds urgently want politicians to try to heal the divisions in this country, even as they worry about whether it is possible. An astounding 94 percent of voters agreed with the statement that ‘it is important that both Democrats and Republicans come together to solve the problems that are facing America.’ When you get numbers like that, you know that the sentiment goes way beyond a simple partisan sensibility.”
— Tom Z. Freedman and Jim McLaughlin; Washington Post
“In rural areas like this, the deeper problem is that we’re socially hollowed out. That happy buzz of community life? That’s not here. There are fewer meetings of the Masons, the Rotary Club, the Red Hatters. Our church benches are empty. In the mountains, there’s no safe place against drugs. One elderly woman told me, ‘I don’t open my door anymore.’ I’ve heard teens say, ‘There’s nothing to do.’ A lot of kids are alone in their rooms online with Dungeons and Dragons. I think MAGA plays to a social desert.”
— Rob Musick, religious studies instructor at the University of Pikeville, Pikeville, Ky.; quoted in the New York Times
