News

In a statement, RBF President Stephen Heintz writes, "The violent attack on the U.S. Capitol yesterday was distinctly un-American and an affront to our system of democratic government. Politicians who supported or enabled, actively or tacitly, this insurrection must be held to account."

The RBF committed an additional $9 million to support 11 long-term partners and new organizations, coalitions, and initiatives.

Democracy reform is not a partisan issue but an existential one.

“Repairing the fabric of our democracy will require extraordinary stewardship by leaders across society.”

The letter reflects an unprecedented consensus among national, state, and local grantmakers and philanthropic institutions.

The movement leaders we met with emphasized the need for long-term investment in a vision of a post-patriarchal, pluralistic democracy to advance the goals of economic, racial, and environmental justice.

"The climate crisis is really the forcing mechanism: it is so big, so existential, so serious. But it reveals these bigger issues around humanity—the sense of fairness and justice and equality. Unless we reestablish an ethos of caring and sharing as a way of acting on this planet, we’re not going to solve this crisis.”

Private investment alone cannot provide the resources to ensure a fair and accurate 2020 Census.

In November 2018 the Fund's board of trustees approved a new strategy to support movement building for systemic reform of democratic institutions to advance economic and racial justice.

An evaluation of the RBF's grantmaking work in the global Democratic Practice portfolio 2010 to 2015 found that it was successful in its primary goal of strengthening the vitality of democracy in global governance. Program director Thomas Kruse's memo reflects on the evaluation and outlines the continuing strategies of the portfolio.