The Newest Insights From the Field
Conference Recaps
PACE staff travel to dozens of conferences each year within and beyond the field of civic engagement, including city-focused, regional, and national philanthropy convenings. On this page, staff will catalogue major takeaways from each event and recommendations for how our members can apply these learnings in their work.
Featured Conference Recaps
The Strategic Narratives of the Conservative Media Ecosystem
Event: Learning Session: Conservative Media Ecosystem
PACE Attendee: Kevin Singer, Communications Support Lead
Takeaway #1: Conservative Media tends to promote a few consistent narrative threads. These include rejecting what is seen as a woke agenda, the perception that Americans are under siege, the promise of capitalism, and exposing deception among elites. These are coupled with emphases on patriotism, traditionally conservative cultural values, and conservative marginalization.
Takeaway #2: Conservatives are highly invested in reclaiming American identity. Conservatives hold a particularly sentimental view toward American history and values that call for celebration and recommitment. This exercise is at the center of what conservatives consider love of country. Consequently, efforts to reframe, relinquish, or reimagine ideals like individualism, free speech, and democracy are considered an attack on America itself.
Takeaway #3: Within conservative “tactics,” are there kernels of truth? This presentation was predominantly framed negatively toward conservative media “tactics.” To be sure, as conservatives perceive themselves as an endangered species in mainstream civic-social life in America, they might see themselves as fighting fire with fire, or perhaps even fighting as the Washingtonian patriots once did against “tyrants” on the left. Many will find these perspectives off-putting — but not all. I found myself curious about when — and how — we might try to find the kernels of truth in conservatively-biased media, just as we would with liberal-biased media. As people seek power, they employ narratives to percolate their values. Is there another way to appreciate narratives beyond dismissing them wholesale?
Links: Presentation Slides // Video Recording
More Recaps
"I'm supposed to want to work at the New York Times..."
Conference: The 2024 Media Impact Forum
PACE Attendee: Amy McIsaac, Managing Director of Learning & Experimentation
Takeaway #1: Young journalists want to create new systems. A really interesting panel kicked off the event about the future of journalism, which featured young people who graduated from Columbia Journalism School in May. They talked about the ways that media is shifting, and what really stood out to me was that there was almost a rejection of institutional journalism. One of them said, “I’m supposed to want to work at the New York Times, but I don’t…” and neither do their peers. My takeaway was that they view that as a way to get stuck in a system, and they’re far more interested in creating new systems that go directly to the story and hear directly from the community.
Takeaway #2: Invest in what endures. Another profound experience was hearing Nicholas Ma talk about Leap of Faith, his film that PACE helped to fund through its Faith In/And Democracy initiative. I was inspired by his commitment to invest his time and talents into “what endures.” He pointed out that there is no country or currency from 1,000 years ago that still exists today. But what endures? Music endures, art endures, faith endures. These are the things that connect us as humans. Countries and currency divide us. The things that connect us are the things that endure. “I would put my money there if I was a philanthropist today,” he said. I thought it was really beautiful and thought-provoking.
Overall, the focus of the forum was media philanthropy to bridge a divided world. They took a lot of bites of that apple in a really beautiful way. They went after it from the perspective of photojournalism; they went after it from a news perspective; they highlighted the perspective from young people. I really enjoyed learning from all of these different angles.
Links: Conference Landing // Video Recordings
What is the health impact of your democracy work?
Conference: Grantmakers in Health Annual conference on Health Philanthropy 2024
PACE Attendee: Joy Turner, Head of Member Engagement
This conference was an eye-opener for me — the connection between promoting health as a vehicle for social cohesion was powerfully shown. Through numerous presentations and conversations, leaders demonstrated that funding programs for job training, school psychology, and other initiatives could indirectly support positive health outcomes and in turn, the flourishing of entire communities. I also have to praise this conference for its intentional focus on equity and inclusion. The work invested here was undeniable throughout. This conference makes me want to explore this question with PACE members: What might be the broader health impact of your work? How can you more closely associate the relationship between health outcomes and democracy outcomes? This conference was great exposure to discussions on the relationship between health and social cohesion.
Links: Conference Landing // President Cara James Welcomes Participants
Advancing our goals requires strengthening democracy for all
Conference: Unite America Investment in Democracy Summit 2024
PACE Attendee: Joy Turner, Head of Member Engagement
The Invest in Democracy Summit, hosted by Unite America, is a biennial gathering of a cross-partisan network of 150+ philanthropists who are dedicated to defending and renewing our democracy. At this conference, I sensed significant alignment with PACE’s 2024 theme of making democracy larger than politics. I was impressed by Unite America’s nonpartisan approach to philanthropic investment, aimed at fostering functional government and the common good. The conference emphasized the need for funders to consider the health of the broader system that supports their preferred issues. I think that Unite America can provide PACE members with valuable strategies, frameworks, and practical steps toward making democracy larger than politics. For example, the conference put a strong emphasis on the need for fair elections and sound districts to ensure fair policies can be effectively advanced.
paving a way forward beyond partisan politics
Conference: Kettering Conversations on Democracy
PACE Attendee: Kevin Singer, Communications Support Lead
Takeaway #1: Consensus is a better frame than compromise.
Kathleen Sebelius, former governor of Kansas, and Christine Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey, represented different political parties and each had considerable wisdom to offer on how to work constructively across ideological differences. Former Governor Whitman offered that “compromise” suggests that one is going to lose something, while “consensus” suggests that all will find something favorable within an agreement. A consensus framing is more helpful when working across divides.
Takeaway #2: No permanent friends, no permanent enemies.
Former Governor Whitman also offered a perspective she has adopted during her career of public service: “No permanent friends, no permanent enemies.” She offered this as a counterbalance to becoming entrenched in one’s ideological or political camp, or by becoming permanently hardened against those one disagrees with on some issues. When we begin to see those we differ with as “evil,” we can no longer work together constructively. It is for each of us to continue to see the humanity in the other.
Takeaway #3: People want to feel good about the country they live in.
Sarah Longwell, president and CEO of Longwell Partners and publisher of The Bulwark, offered some wisdom on how to reach people with a pro-democracy, nonpartisan message. She explained that people want to feel good about the country they live in; they want to feel good about America. With so much negative press about the state of the country, Americans need to hear more positive and affirming pitches. While conflict entrepreneurs think fear and anger are what lead people to action, a better way is to make an earnest pitch that America is a miraculous place and its democracy still has promise. In turn, the “democracy infastructure” within Americans will resonate.
Links: Conference Landing // Highlights on LinkedIn
Democracy is not lost so long as we are still fighting for it
Conference: Democracy Funders Strategy Summit
PACE Attendee: Amy McIsaac, Managing Director of Learning & Experimentation
Takeaway #1: Fresh storytelling should accompany grassroots efforts promoting democracy. I was struck during this conference that while it is clear there is a good ground game going in support of democracy, the pro-democracy space also needs an air game. In other words, how is the pro-democracy movement winning over hearts and minds?
To put it another way, there is a lot of grassroots activity and movement organization in the pro-democracy space, but where is the comms campaign for all of this? There is far more ambiguity when it comes to who is helping Americans be convinced in their hearts and minds that democracy is still a worthwhile pursuit. My sense is that perhaps there may have been moments in our country’s past where an effective air game was in play. I walked away with curiosity about when this might have been and what achieved it. Was it something educational? A popular candidate? The right moment frame in the right way?
Takeaway #2: Authoritarianism breeds when we don’t stand together. I enjoyed participating in a funders-only space that focused on scenario planning, and particularly looking at how we combat authoritarianism. We discussed how authoritarianism feeds off two F’s: fear and fatigue. I felt like someone gave me the words to describe the experience I feel like I’ve had in the face of authoritarian tendencies – an existential exhaustion. To know that fear and fatigue are part of the “playbook,” so to speak, means that pro-democracy folks can be more vigilant at counteracting these weapons.
This discussion was bolstered by research that looked at countries where democracy has weakened drastically. One speaker shared a funder’s reflection from India, who explained that in India, what went wrong was a lack of a united front; pro-democracy champions should have had a NATO article five approach, where an attack on one is an attack on all. When they weren’t cooperating as a cohesive unit in the philanthropic community in India, things began to fall apart. This felt like a warning sign to American philanthropy: If you want to safeguard against authoritarianism, one of the things you can do is stand together and be clear about what that means and take it seriously that if one person or group is attacked, everyone is attacked.
There was a lot of discussion in that space about how democracy philanthropy evolves within an authoritarian phase of US governance. There weren’t easy answers, but a lot of good questions. I walked away inspired by this quote: “Even if an authoritarian is in the executive office, democracy is not lost so long as we are still fighting for it.” I received this as a call of action on a personal level.
Links: Additional Insights from David Stanley of Arabella Advisors // Coverage in the New York Times
What does it take to launch a philanthropy and democracy center?
Conference: Duke Conference on Philanthropy & Democracy
PACE Attendee: Kevin Singer, Communications Support Lead
Takeaway #1: Leaders are hungry for philanthropy to support democracy initiatives with on-the-ground impact
At my discussion tables, there was strong agreement that philanthropy isn’t the expert on strengthening democracy and shouldn’t position itself that way. Philanthropy can be so “macro” on the challenges facing democracy that it can lose sight of the “micro” — that is, investing in organizations, initiatives, and solutions that provide practical on-the-ground impact in local communities and general regions. I heard several leaders voice that the funded initiatives making the most impact are more than anything, helpful to people in the trenches trying to create change.
Takeaway #2: There are diverse opinions on whether a new center at Duke should rely most heavily on current efforts and coalitions or spark new innovation in the field.
There was some really good reflection on what a center at Duke, given its reputation and resources, might bring to the current environment of philanthropy and democracy. Some encouraged leaders at Duke to center the institution and its unique potential, while others suggested they center efforts already underway in the field by, for example, providing a place of convening for those efforts. To their credit, Duke leaders were fantastic listeners and tipped their hat generously and often to those who have been working in the field. They asked often, “Who is doing this well?” and “What can we learn from them?”
Takeaway #3: There’s plenty to work on now, but we shouldn’t forget about those working to strengthen democracy’s future
One of the most fascinating discussions at the conference was around the question, “What is an idea or initiative that you think will make the biggest impact over the next 10 years?” This question encouraged participants to look ahead to American democracy a decade from now (or even further out!). One organization that kept coming up at my table was Democracy 2076, whose home page reads: “Without long-term thinking in the U.S. democracy field, we are ill-prepared for the changes that will impact America in the coming decades; we must build our democracy proactively, in anticipation for ever-evolving circumstances.” This was the first time that I have discussed the long-game of American democracy with other leaders, and it was a rich discussion that I would encourage other conferences to build into their agenda.
Hundreds of funders gather to discuss bridging
Conference: Council on Foundations Building Together 2024
PACE Attendee: Amy McIsaac, Managing Director for Learning and Experimentation
Takeaway #1: Skills-building made this conference stand out
Major time was devoted to skills-building, which I do not find to be a usual offering for conferences. The largest time block on both days of the conference was devoted to workshops around different skills you need for bridging. I engaged with Resetting the Table’s workshop on Day 2, where I learned about how to “follow” in a conversation versus how to lead in a conversation. Honestly, it was hard! And required me to start to rewire a whole lifetime of training and conditioning. I really appreciated being able to learn about–and most importantly, practice!–a new skill from experts who know more than me.
Takeaway #2: There is a big appetite in philanthropy for an ongoing conversation about bridging and social cohesion.
This conference was further evidence how much of an appetite there is in philanthropy for a conversation about bridging and social cohesion. Some people I met were new to the conversation and others had been working on these topics for a long time. But at the end of the day, there was a gathering of hundreds of philanthropists who are seeking support in this area. That feels like a hopeful tidal change to me.
Takeaway #3: The relationship between pluralism and racial equity is complex, but hopeful.
Throughout the conference, there was a really important conversation about the relationship between pluralism and racial equity, which is a topic that rears its head pretty consistently in PACE’s work. And for good reason–many consider these two things to be in tension. I loved how one fellow conference attendee shared how she thinks about it (paraphrased): “It’s like the body. The eyes don’t get mad at the ears for doing what the eyes do. The liver doesn’t get mad at the lungs for breathing. It’s a cohesive organism that needs all the parts to keep going, and if there is not cohesion, there is unease. But when you break an arm, and more care, attention, and energy needs to go there to repair, the leg isn’t mad that I’m putting a cast on my arm. It knows that it can still do what the leg does, and that in this moment, the arm needs my attention. But it’s annoying when you have a broken arm and then everyone is like ‘let’s talk about the holistic being.’ I’m like ‘MY ARM IS BROKEN! Can we please address that before we talk about the other parts that are not broken??’ That is what the pluralism and racial equity debate feels like to me.”
Links: Conference Landing
We are not going to solve the challenge that is democratic discourse
Conference: Promoting Freedom and Democracy at Home and Abroad: President Reagan’s 113th Birthday Celebration
PACE Attendee: Joy Turner, Head of Member Engagement
Takeaway #1: The “wild problems” are insoluble, and that’s OK
There are problems that we can label as “wild problems.” They will never be solved. Identifying wild problems allows us to rest in the fact that it is not our responsibility to solve them. We can then think about what is our work to do related to those problems. Where is our area to focus on? What is our next right step to take?
Takeaway #2: It’s about who you are, not just what you do
Rather than thinking about civic engagement and civic actions people can/should take to uplift democracy, the conversation can center on civic dispositions. Folks with particular civic dispositions will engage. What civic dispositions are necessary for preserving democracy? What opportunities/locations foster the civic dispositions identified?
Takeaways for PACE Members: The U.S. is not alone
The United States is not the first country to encounter a threat to democracy. There are examples of countries fighting to preserve democracy or having fought to preserve democracy that we can look to for blueprints. How do we learn from those examples? Every step forward is a step in the right direction. What positive narratives about sustaining democracy can we share? What stories of success can we point to in our work? What moments of hope can we uplift with and for one another?
Links: Conference Landing // Video
Exploring the intersection of journalism and philanthropy
Conference: Knight Media Forum 2024
PACE Attendee: Kristen Cambell, CEO
Takeaway #1: There is a reckoning about the basic role and relevance of news/media/journalism to people in their everyday lives
Some suggested the most fundamental challenges the media industry is experiencing are not business model sustainability or trust. While those are issues, they are symptoms of a deeper underlying reckoning which is fundamentally about purpose. Operational challenges in the media industry cannot be meaningfully addressed until the “reinvention” of the industry for today’s climate and environment (social, political, economic, technological, and otherwise) is tackled.
Takeaway #2: Keep your eyes on Press Forward, which is making a massive investment in local news.
Some exciting announcements were made about Press Forward, the recently announced $500 million national investment in local news. In particular, 11 new chapters were announced, bringing the nationwide total to 17 and the number of committed funding partners to 40. Press Forward is intended to complement and bolster other innovating fundraising models, including NewsMatch and the Racial Equity in Journalism Fund.
The importance of diversified funding was continually reinforced. As Knight’s new CEO Maribel Perez Wadsworth said, “Philanthropy is not a business model, it’s a revenue stream.” I was also happy to hear it explictly states that Press Forward was designed on the premise that local news increases civic engagement, contributes to community cohesion, and increases government accountability.
Takeaways for PACE Members: Knight announced a 5-year initiative with Pew to understand not only how people receive information, but how they absorb and process it to make decisions and inform their actions, and if/how their beliefs evolve as a result of new information. I will be keeping my eyes on this and imagine it will be relevant for PACE members and other partners.
Links: Conference Landing // Highlights from Day 1 // Highlights from Day 2
"Rise of the nones" Explores the consequences of declining religiOSity on civil society
Conference: “The Rise of the Nones” hosted by the Center for Civil Society at AmPhil, November 2023
PACE Attendee: Kristen Cambell, CEO
Takeaway #1: The Social Dimension of Religion is Underappreciated
Several speakers shared a perspective that while religiosity is decreasing, loneliness and deaths of despair (ie. suicide, overdoses) are increasing. One speaker said loneliness is about the demise of a sense of community, and the social dimension of religion is often underappreciated and underutilized.
Another hypothesis shared was that faith communities are able to affirm the inherent goodness and dignity of each individual for their own sake (as a child of God), and this is harder and/or less natural for secular institutions, because they may focus less on an individual’s worth, and more on the value that individual can or should be contributing to a collective or community.
This gave me some insight into why some religious communities struggle with some types of social policy– it can be perceived to imply that something is wrong about humans and the human condition that needs to be regulated or corrected by government or societal intervention. Social policy can be perceived as “the rise of the modern self” in which people are encouraged to make decisions that may be considered contrary to God’s will.
Takeaway #2: “Traditional Religion” may be declining, but religion as an idea is not.
One panel theme was that people may be shifting away from religious observance in the “traditional” sense of attending service or organized congregations, but they are likely not moving away from religion as an idea or value– it may be that we are in a period in which the definitions and categories of “religion” are evolving and being rebuilt in a more modern context. The panel asserted that people are still very hungry for the values and ideas of transcendence, ultimate truth, and larger purpose, but are struggling with how to talk about those things, and what constructs allow them to make them tangible. This is in part because existing/historical constructs are unfamiliar (partly because of declining religious adherence), and people don’t have language for them in current societal or cultural contexts. Another way to ask the question would be: “are we witnessing a rejection of religion, or a lack of introduction to religion?”– many people report not having been inside a church except for a wedding or funeral. This tracks closely with things PACE has learned and observed through our Faith In/And Democracy initiative.
Links: Conference Landing // OpEd
Obama Forum Exudes “Cautious Optimism” Toward New Democracy Challenges
Conference: Obama Foundation Democracy Forum, November 2023
PACE Attendee: Kevin Singer, Communications Support Lead
Takeaway #1: Don’t Seize Society’s Advances But Open Them to Public Debate.
President Obama and others weren’t afraid to admit that institutions have broken things, but that we shouldn’t write them off completely. In his presentation on inclusivism capitalism, a major emphasis from the President was that capitalism has redemptive qualities, but should be open to scrutiny about welfare concerns and ensuring the benefits of capitalism are accessible to everyone. The President suggested that institutions are capable of being run well, operating transparently, and building trust with the public. Though a critical lens is necessary, we should nonetheless acknowledge the growth that free markets and competition incentivize, even as these systems are facilitated by institutions. “Bonds of trust are important to an inclusive economy,” President Obama said.
Takeaway #2: Cooperation is Critical to Build a Society Where Everyone Benefits.
Forum speakers, including the President, emphasized the need for unlikely allies to come together toward tackling challenges – some old, some new. We need to learn to “disagree, even bitterly, without losing sight of the ties that bind us together,” President Obama said. The President also emphasized the need to have a “cautious optimism” about the good of other people. If we write people off because they haven’t had the same experiences we have, we will never choose to cooperate and our most profound challenges will fester and metastasize. A major point of emphasis during the Summit was the possibilities and challenges brought on by AI. Everyone has a stake in ensuring this new technology works for the good of democracy, not to its harm.
Takeaway #3: Depoliticize Politics.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore, during a panel conversation, pressed on the polarized nature of politics in America today. He continually thinks about how his office and team can “depoliticize politics,” or, work toward establishing a more healthy and constructive culture in politics. Foundations can aspire to do this through their giving as well.
For democracy to keep up with new and complex challenges to our democracy and civic infrastructure, we need all hands on deck – even those with whom we struggle to embrace. President Obama emphasized that without meaningful and productive cohesion efforts, we might be able to come up with solutions to challenges in small communities where everyone already agrees with each other, but not solutions that will change nations. Foundations can direct investments to organizations and outlets promoting cohesion.
Links: Forum Home // Full Summit Video // Obama Talk
Three years after January 6, this event examined the threat of political violence to American democracy
Conference: Kettering Conversations with Democracy Innovators: “Political Violence in the US: Are We Ready?”
PACE Attendee: Kristen Cambell, CEO of PACE
Takeaway #1: Threats of violence to public officials (and others) have become more normalized and more socially acceptable in the public.
The first panel, featuring former Congresswoman Donna Edwards, Alan Jenkins from Harvard Law, and Alex Theodoridis of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, discussed the consequences of political violence becoming more normalized. For example, threats of violence influence who can (and will) run for office and serve in volunteer positions (poll workers and election officials, for example).
I was also intrigued by this note: Partisan polarization (aka affective polarization) is becoming more dominant and provides an incentive to undermine democracy as a process and system — the “ends” of defeating the “evil” other side justify the “means” of violence and that inherently whittles away the power and mitigating influence of social norms and public institutions.
Takeaway #2: There is a critical distinction between the “Threat” of political violence and “threats” of political violence.
Former FBI Director James Comey made an interesting distinction between the “Threat” of political violence and “threats” of political violence. Capital-T Threat being the existential and societal level, and lowercase-t threats being individual acts focused at specific people. He suggested “the Threat” is something the FBI and other law enforcement agencies are largely equipped to handle and is able to be deterred (he cited the lack of riots at the arraignments of Donald Trump as evidence). He talked about “threats” being more cultural in nature (reflective of a deterioration of norms, and the implicit permission structures that allow them to happen), therein, they are somewhat harder to deter at scale. Comey said that’s why he believes two things are needed to address political violence: the foundation of rule of law and the “control rods” of culture– both are under stress test and are important, but neither is enough on its own.
Takeaway #3: It is important to recognize and celebrate progress while still acknowledging the unfinished project of democracy and the work ahead.
Kelley Robinson of the Human Rights Campaign brought the house down when she spoke powerfully about the importance of recognizing and celebrating progress while still acknowledging the unfinished project of democracy and the work ahead. These things are not “either/or” they are “both/and.” She talked about how violence is often a response to progress because “freedom is becoming more visible for more people” and that can fuel backlash when some people view freedom for others as a loss of power for themselves. She reinforced a point made by Alan Jenkins in the first panel that “acknowledging the humanity of others makes violence nearly inconceivable” which it is so important to find moments of human connection that transcend politics and identity.
Links:
General Info on the Event (Video Forthcoming)
Political Violence & US Democracy (ProtectDemocracy and SNF Agora Institute, November 2023)
Polarization, Democracy, and Political Violence in the United States: What the Research Says (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, September 2023)
Five Strategies for Funders Interested in Political Violence Prevention | by Carly Straus (Democracy Funders Network for PACE, 2022)
We need to take political violence seriously (Brookings Institution, August 2022)
Political Violence in 2021: How did we get here? How do we move forward? (OverZero for PACE, 2021)