The Trust for Civic Life — a collaborative of 15 grantmakers, mostly high-profile national funders — sees small, local groups as instruments of change — modern versions of the organizations that scholars from Alexis de Tocqueville to Robert Putnam have singled out as a distinguishing feature of American democracy.
This photo provided by Sipp Culture shows farm apprentice Kira Cummings working on the Sipp Culture Community Farm in Utica , Miss., on April 21, 2022. Grocery stores in the area closed, so residents came together with the nonprofit Sipp Culture to create a community farm and commercial greenhouse. (Sipp Culture via APMississippi Center for Cultural Production
The trust announced $8 million in funding, the first installment of what it says will be investments of $50 million over five years. Grantees exemplify what the trust calls “everyday democracy” as they bring people together to address often-fundamental concerns, whether that’s a fading industry, a dilapidated park, or access to quality health care.“Pragmatic problem-solving is the most effective way to build trust and counter polarization,” said Charlie Brown, executive director of the trust.
Davis, who advised the Trust for Civic Life funders, was initially skeptical about the effort. National grantmakers, he noted, tend to come and go. “But this is a pretty righteous start.” Sipp Culture began working with Utica residents in 2017, putting them with architects and designers to devise solutions to the region’s challenges. Since then, Utica has created a community farm, a commercial greenhouse, and an artists’ residency.in Iowa, works in small towns in a seven-county region, helping each identify and then address community needs. “We really believe that the best people to build our community are the people that live there,” said CEO Nancy Van Milligen.
In the western North Carolina town of Morganton, one of the grantees is looking to bring civic practices to private industry. Molly Hemstreet and Sara Chester, both natives of the region, co-founded thein 2015 to support workers as free trade and then the Great Recession ravaged the textile and furniture industry at the heart of the region’s economy. The organization is helping create community-owned businesses to increase local wealth and give workers influence in their companies.
Utica Charles Brown Philanthropy General News Domestic News Charles Koch P Business Politics F U.S. News U.S. News
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Major funders bet big on rural America and ‘everyday democracy’Someone may need to tell Carlton Turner that he’s working to save democracy. Turner is co-director of the Mississippi Center for Cultural Production in
Read more »
‘Teen Torture, Inc.’ review: In the troubled teen industry, major profits and major allegations of abuseThe documentary “Teen Torture, Inc.” on Max centers on survivors of programs that use “tough love” and abuse as methods to turn around wayward kids.
Read more »
Country Prodigy Signs a Major Deal and Gets a Major BoostLocal teen musician Ty Myers signs with major label
Read more »
Lionel Messi to miss Copa America match vs. Peru in major blow for ArgentinaArgentina has been stripped of its star power.
Read more »
Phew, Captain America: Brave New World’s Real Villain Is Avoiding A Major Phase 5 MistakeSam Wilson as Captain America and Red Hulk in Brave New World (2025) next to a blurred poster of Ant-Man 3 (2023)
Read more »
Captain America 4 Answers A Huge 11 Year Old MCU Mystery In Major Red Hulk TheorySam Wilson&39;s Captain America in Brave New World with the Red Hulk in Marvel Comics
Read more »