New Books in Education Democracy and Freedom: The Role of Philanthropy and Education
Nov 23, 2025
Dr. Alvaro Salas-Castro, President and CEO of the Reynolds Foundation and founder of the Democracy Lab Foundation, dives into the challenges facing democracy today. He discusses the alarming global decline in democratic values and how authoritarian regimes coordinate efforts. Alvaro highlights the limited role of philanthropy in supporting democracy and shares innovative approaches in civic education, including Freedom Academies. He emphasizes the importance of building trust among communities and envisions a future where youth and philanthropists unite for democratic renewal.
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Authoritarians Coordinate Globally
- Authoritarians are coordinating transnationally, sharing tactics, tech, and training to undermine democracies.
- The freedom movement is losing ground because pro-democracy efforts remain scattered and underfunded.
Philanthropy Vastly Underserves Democracy
- Only about 1% of global philanthropy funds freedom and democracy work, creating a major resource gap.
- Many philanthropists fund adjacent causes but miss how authoritarianism undermines those very goals.
Use Rapid Labs To Build Freedom Tech
- Fund and test freedom tech via rapid hackathon-style labs that include activists, coders, and philanthropists.
- Deploy beta pilots quickly, gather activist feedback, and iterate for real-world scalability.