Opinion

Nonprofits and foundations have spent weeks debating and deconstructing an essay on pluralism that most Americans wouldn’t bat an eye at. That kind of response raises questions about how the social sector can ever succeed at healing the nation’s divides.

House Republican budget proposals over the debt ceiling threaten many programs put in place by FDR and his vice president, Henry A. Wallace. The answer, say their grandsons, is to support social movements that hold those in power accountable.

When a derailed train leaked hazardous chemicals into an Ohio community, donors and advocates helped residents get the aid and information they needed. They also demonstrated how to effectively address and prevent future catastrophes.

The recent ouster of lawmakers in Tennessee and Montana for their anti-majority-rule views shows how the authoritarian playbook works — and what’s needed to fight back. Philanthropy must take advantage of this moment to thwart autocratic behavior and bolster democracy.

Philanthropic support helped fill gaps in government funding to ensure coronavirus vaccines and care were available to everyone. Those investments are still needed to sustain the long-needed public-health infrastructure built during the pandemic — and to prepare the nation for the next health crisis.

A recent call by philanthropy leaders for greater civility and respect of those with different views appears to be an opening response to critics, especially those in Congress, who want to reform laws governing the field.

Investing in workplace organizing is one of the surest ways to build a thriving and inclusive American democracy — and disrupt movements that fuel division and dysfunction.

Grant makers need to adopt what worked during the pandemic when vaccination rates for Black people improved sharply and apply those approaches to address other stubbornly high health gaps.

One group in Dayton, Ohio, is showing why grant makers should consider funding the people who know how to bring together thinkers and doers to make change happen.

An essay in the Chronicle by six philanthropy leaders urging support for pluralism disregarded the real dangers caused by big donors, especially by those who fund efforts to take away rights and hurt marginalized groups.