Launched in 2014, the Hewlett Foundation’s Madison Initiative focuses on strengthening democracy and its institutions – Congress, in particular – to be more effective in a polarized age. The initiative is nonpartisan in approach and supports grantees across the ideological spectrum – think tanks, advocacy groups, academic researchers and civic leadership organizations – who seek…
Ryan Alexander joined Taxpayers for Common Sense as president in 2006, after serving on its board for more than seven years. Founded in 1995, the organization acts as a nonpartisan budget watchdog that serves as an independent voice for American taxpayers. With a grant from our Cyber Initiative, Taxpayers for Common Sense recently produced a Cyber Spending Database …
Arts for LA is a leading voice for the arts in greater Los Angeles, working to engage individuals and organizations to advocate for access to the arts across all local communities. Its ACTIVATE Arts Advocacy Leadership Program trains both arts education professionals and committed citizens to become more effective advocates for the arts in Los…
In Texas, where “Keep Austin Weird” is still a much-celebrated motto, it’s clear the no-growth mentality that marked the city’s culture in the ‘80s and ‘90s got run over. The laid-back Austin of the cult classic “Dazed and Confused” has become the new Austin where creativity thrives in the self-proclaimed “Live Music Capital of the…
If you’re applying for a job at Bitwise Industries, one of Fresno’s hottest new tech companies and a key player in the city’s redeveloping downtown, don’t forget to put your artistic background on your resume. Painter? Singer? Actor? Dancer? Writer? Be sure to include that experience. It might push you over the top. That’s how…
On a recent afternoon in Jennifer Burgin’s second-grade classroom at Oakridge Elementary in Arlington, Va., some students were working on a fractions game on iPads; others were making colorful drawings of part-whole relationships using crayons and paper; and others were researching national parks or working on poems. One boy held a stuffed panda, another had…
With a global ransomware attack on more than 150 countries creating disruptions for thousands of businesses, hospitals and universities and the repercussions from last year’s DNC hack still a matter of intense public interest, the challenge of crafting effective cyber policies is only becoming more urgent. Earlier this year, the Center for Strategic and International …
Planned Parenthood’s Cecile Richards says the Women’s March on Washington was the largest march in the history of the United States. “Fully one in every hundred people in this country was marching somewhere.” And what was so important, says Richards, is that the 4 million men and women who marched weren’t just in Washington, DC,…
Louise Melling has optimism when she goes to work every day at the American Civil Liberties Union because she believes the right for women and men to access abortion is important for people to take care of their families and participate in any aspect of life. Melling sees people “understanding what the threat is and…