News

When Deborah Simpson decided to run for a seat in Maine's House of Representatives in 2000, she was an unlikely candidate for elected office: as a waitress and single mother, she lacked connections to deep-pocketed donors. She had, however, heard about the state's new Clean Elections Act and figured she could campaign by talking about issues instead of asking people to write her checks.  Read more

While the 2008 U.S. presidential election was hailed largely because it put an African American in the White House for the first time, another celebrated success was the explosion in civic participation: thousands of new voters registered for the first time, volunteered, and turned up at the polls to cast their ballots. 

Three issues, six grantees, and a wonderful mix of opinions converge as the health of democracy in America is explored in the 2008 annual review.

The Georgetown State-Federal Climate Resource Center at Georgetown Law has announced that the newly formed Governors' Energy and Climate Coalition has pledged to address climate change and provide the nation with a comprehensive energy strategy.

Bank Information Center consultant Heike Mainhardt-Gibbs, author of an RBF-funded study, will defend her latest findings in a panel discussion at the Civil Society Policy Forum at the 2009 World Bank/International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings from April 25-26.

International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives U.S.A., Inc. (ICLEI USA) will hold a National Conversation on Climate Action on April 22 that will engage hundreds of communities in solutions-oriented dialogues about local opportunities for climate action.

On April 18, 2009, RBF grantee Green House Network's Focus the Nation project will begin a groundbreaking national discussion on America's energy future.

The International Monetary Fund is pushing to scale back on loans to the world's poorer countries, which make up more than 47% of the world's $55 trillion economy.

The Center for Public Integrity, bipartisan watchdog and RBF grantee, has launched the Broken Government project, which provides a comprehensive online inventory of 128 executive branch failures during the Bush administration across the U.S. federal government.

Newsweek magazine has named Peter Barnes' commons-based solution to global warming as one of four "truly transformative" ideas of 2008.