Philanthropy and the Renewal of Democracy

When Philanthropy Northwest and the Kettering Foundation published the first edition of this booklet in April 2014, the wounds and diseases afflicting our body politic were already causing concern among growing numbers of citizens, including many philanthropists. Our question about whether we in philanthropy should be stepping up our game in our efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and practices was already being answered in the affirmative by a growing number of philanthropists.  In the Fall 2016 edition of the monograph Philanthropy and the Renewal of Democarcy, Daniel Kemmis explores the sometimes-fraught relationship between philanthropy and democracy. Beginning with a wide-ranging stroll through the shared history of philanthropy and democracy, Kemmis examines the current post-Citizens United landscape and asks whether philanthropy can and should do more to strengthen the infrastructure and practices of democracy.