by Deb Dubin, Chief Philanthropy Officer
Philanthropy has a role to play in fostering healthy civic discourse.
As political polarization in the United States intensifies, some donors are turning with both concern and purpose to nonprofit organizations that focus on constructive citizen engagement, building trust and connections across differences through dialogue and debate.
One Moneta client, a political independent who lives in Washington, DC, is an enthusiastic advocate for the nonprofit Braver Angels, a civic organization that is “leading the nation’s largest cross-partisan, volunteer-led movement to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic.” Braver Angels connects people who are divided over politics with civic education tools, workshops and gatherings, envisioning a country that offers a more “respectful embrace of political disagreements.” The goal is not to change people’s views, but to change their views of each other.
In boosting “civic friendship,” Braver Angels believes that we can strengthen democracy by finding common ground. The organization amplifies citizen-led solutions that can help break down gridlock over contentious issues.
Our client has been active in this organization for several years as both a volunteer and as a donor, and she shared that she first connected with them to better comprehend the silos of opinion—leading to narrower ranges of perspectives and limited understanding of opposing viewpoints.
The idea that we can disagree without denigrating each other is not new. The Braver Angels name derives from Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural address in 1861, when he called upon the “better angels of our nature,” in a plea for national unity.
If you’re interested in learning more about nonprofit resources in this “constructive disagreement” space, and potentially investing your time, talent and treasure as a way to improve civic understanding, here are a few additional organizations to explore:
- Disagree Better: A bipartisan organization, founded by leaders of the National Governors’ Association, offering curated resources and techniques to help foster healthy conversations. See this capsule How-to Guide.
- One America Movement: The organization partners with faith communities across religious, political and racial divides to confront and eliminate toxic polarization.
- More in Common: Asserting that the “Exhausted Majority” of Americans are fed up by the country’s polarization, the organization works in various democratic societies around the globe and seeks to understand the forces driving us apart to help find common ground.
There are many ways to engage. Reach out to your Moneta wealth advisor and our Chief Philanthropy Officer if you’re curious to learn more about initiatives that promote respectful, thoughtful dialogue across the political spectrum.
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