Anti-Authoritarian Funder Learning Series Part II: Global Lessons in the Resistance Against Authoritarianism

This program is hosted by their partner, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR), who has extended an invitation to Philanthropy New York members.

Our nation is at its best when we embrace the promise and potential of our multiracial democracy, casting aside the false narratives that seek to divide and weaken us. Unfortunately, both here at home and abroad, autocratic tendencies have taken root, with leaders cynically exploiting people’s fear and material suffering in order to aggregate dangerous levels of power. The moment we currently find ourselves in will require deep unity and resilience to see us through to a renewed and inclusive vision of America.

In this series for grantmakers of all geographies and strategies, you will learn from experts deeply engaged in the study and practice of resisting autocracy and building the systems and infrastructure necessary to defend democratic forms of governance. Together, you will explore threats to NGOs, philanthropy, and other civil society actors; draw on lessons learned around the globe from nations that have grappled with democratic backsliding; and hone in on how philanthropic resources can support local-level defense of communities and democratic norms. Across these conversations, you will also unpack how the scapegoating of immigrants, LGBTQ+, and other communities has divided populations, serving as a precursor to a broader-scale loss of rights.

Part II: Global Lessons in the Resistance Against Authoritarianism

In this second session of GCIR’s Anti-Authoritarian Funder Learning Series, you will lean into the wisdom of advocates, pro-democracy funders, and influential thinkers to unpack the patterns of autocratic governance taking hold in the United States, and explore how philanthropy can help avert our democracy’s decline.

While broad swaths of the American public are grappling with the unmistakable and fearful evidence of our authoritarian drift, the good news is that we do not have to go it alone. The backsliding of democratic norms, attacks on civil society, and centralization of abusive executive power is a story that has played out countless times in fledgling and long-standing democracies alike. The brave, strategic, and resilient resistance of everyday citizens in those countries—along with the documentation and analysis of journalists and historians—offers us not just an understanding of the authoritarian playbook (such as vilifying migrant communities to rationalize immigration enforcement), but a roadmap out of it.

Join in as you learn from international advocates, pro-democracy funders and advocates, and famed author Erica Chenoweth, who wrote Civil Resistance: What Everyone Needs to Know and is the co-author of Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict. Together, we will examine the strategies that have been deployed globally against democratic repression—and, crucially, how philanthropy can resource the movement infrastructure needed over the next 18 months to prevent the consolidation of autocratic rule in the United States.

Target Audience

GCIR programs are open to GCIR members; staff and trustees of grantmaking foundations; philanthropic advisors; and staff of philanthropic support organizations. Under GCIR policy, grantmaking must be the primary function of your organization in order to qualify as a grantmaking institution eligible to register for their programming.

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