Why do we need the Healthy Democracy Coalition?

We need to restore the sacred in our democracy. The current economic and political climate has highlighted the unmet needs of our communities. Increasingly, Americans feel an urge to address our societal problems more effectively. Public discussions in the media about pressing issues make little progress, while our legislative system suffers increasingly from paralysis. Our zero-sum political culture is increasingly dividing the country, as Democrats and Republicans are channeled into a process that prioritizes the struggle for power over the search for solutions. At the same time, negative campaigning and fear-based political fundraising push many voters away from the electoral process and undermine our civic health. It doesn’t have to be this way. Despite evidence of increasing polarization, most leaders recognize the problems produced by these trends and want change. Good people are caught up in bad processes. There is growing recognition that our adversarial approach to politics and problem-solving needs to be fixed. The health of our democracy is at stake.

Fortunately, solutions exist. There are many examples of collaboration across ideological divides as well as systems and institutions that facilitate better and more effective decision-making. These ideas and initiatives need more visibility, more diverse political support and more funding in order to have national level impact.

The Healthy Democracy Coalition worked to unite donors to work cooperatively with those who have divergent points of view. As a Coalition, we believe that the health of American democracy is important for the future success of the government and the country as a whole. We believe that real collaboration across political divides does not compromise deeply held values or produce weak ideas that excite no one. We believe that real collaboration unleashes creativity and generates new possibilities.

Background

The Healthy Democracy Coalition was created by  NEXUS  with support from  a diverse group of benefactors such as the  Fetzer Institute  and other collaborators. NEXUS is a global organization dedicated to bridging communities of wealth and social entrepreneurship. NEXUS hosted an inaugural meeting of diverse philanthropists from across political divides on June 4th, 2012 in Washington, DC. Operating with the name “Common Ground Donor Network,” NEXUS convened a second group July 24th, 2013 in New York City before the opening of its NEXUS Global Youth Summit at the United Nations. The network and succeeding gatherings led to the creation of NEXUS USA Summits with the White House, the US Congress and other partners. In 2017, after securing support from diverse partners, the Healthy Democracy Coalition was born. Like NEXUS, the HDC operated as a fiscally sponsored project of the Giving Back Fund. As of June, 2020, HDC members and programs are redirected to the Leadership Now Project.