In times of political turbulence, the impulse to focus solely on immediate challenges is understandable. Yet history reminds us that democracy has always been a long-term project — one that requires sustained investment, strategic patience, and unwavering vision.

Democracy Is a Long-Term Investment: Democracy as Ongoing Evolution

American democracy has always been an ambitious experiment, expanding incrementally through constitutional amendments, legislation, and cultural shifts. The Voting Rights Act of 1965, the removal of literacy tests for Native American voters in 1972, and ongoing debates about bilingual voting access all represent milestones in this journey — hard-won victories that required both fierce advocacy and continuous vigilance.

What makes this moment unique isn’t just recent political events, but the opportunity to envision something unprecedented: a multiracial, pluralistic democracy where people across all demographics can exercise political power and participate fully in governance. This vision stands in stark contrast to authoritarian systems and represents what Angela Glover Blackwell of PolicyLink calls “the next great U.S. innovation.”

Looking Beyond Election Cycles

I joined a team at The Bridgespan Group to explore how philanthropy can contribute to supporting a healthy democracy. While philanthropic funding for democracy has grown in recent years — including $2.7-$3.4 billion annually from institutional foundations in 2021-2022 — a focus on elections still dominates this portfolio creating inherent limitations. As Bridgit Antoinette Evans of Pop Culture Collaborative notes, “democracy funders often focus on resourcing field partners to drive civic engagement around elections or policy campaigns, and the disconnect between this approach and the totality of what is needed to achieve a deep and resilient democracy in the US is becoming more pronounced.”

This insight suggests a fundamental reframing is called for: rather than measuring success purely through voter turnout or electoral outcomes, philanthropists might instead consider how their investments contribute to the infrastructure needed for democratic participation year-round, and year after year.

Three Horizons for Democratic Philanthropy

For donors committed to this long-view approach, three strategic horizons emerge from our research:

1. Cultural Evolution: Reshaping Narratives and Identities

Perhaps the most fundamental work in building a multiracial democracy involves transforming how Americans understand themselves and each other. Organizations like the Pop Culture Collaborative fund storytellers and cultural strategists who expand conceptions of who belongs in the American story.

Read the full article about philanthropy’s role in supporting multiracial democracy by Farai Chideya at The Center for Effective Philanthropy.