The Democracy Collaborative is a think tank that works to advance an economic system that works for all and avoids the extractive and predatory nature of American capitalism.
Founded in 2000 by Ted Howard and Gar Alperovitz, the research group—with offices in Washington, D.C., and Cleveland, Ohio—works with stakeholders and lawmakers at every level of state, local and federal governments to find solutions to the negative effects of an unequal system.
Alperovitz told Open Democracy in June that the collaborative chose Cleveland in part because of its proximity to Youngstown, where he had advised workers on taking ownership of closed mills in the city. The measure failed—but it opened Alperovitz’s eyes to what was possible, he said, especially in Ohio.
“There’s a lot of worker ownership and community development in different parts of the state,” said Alperovitz.
Initiatives
“Our goal is an American community in which wealth is democratized, ecological resilience is regenerated, and the marginalized become the core of concern,” the group declares in its mission statement.
Democracy Collaborative does this by supporting initiatives and coalitions around the country like the Learning/Action Lab for Community Wealth Building and the Next System Project. The collaborative has also invested in providing space for anchor networks where large groups can come together under an umbrella organization that gives them the opportunity to discuss the ways in which they can advance the democratic economic goals of the collaborative.
Those anchor networks include the Healthcare Anchor Network, a coalition of over 45 hospitals and health systems; the Anchor Learning Network, made up of 35 universities and co-founded by the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities; and the Anchor Collaborative Network, a grouping of 22 local initiatives.
Community wealth-building, the group believes, is the key to pure democracy. In the view of the Democracy Collaborative, closing the racial wealth gap is of primary importance to creating a more democratic and equitable society.
Funding and a 30-year perspective
To that end, the group has fundraised aggressively in recent years, bringing in millions from foundations and philanthropic organizations around the country. In 2019, the Democracy Collaborative received $799,894 from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation and $150,000 from the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation—two large donations that together amount to nearly $1 million.
But that was dwarfed by the group’s fundraising in 2018, when the group took in $4,000,000 from the Tides Foundation, $1,100,000 from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, a total of $620,000 in two grants from the Kendeda Fund, $293,198 from the Kresge Foundation, $200,000 from the Nathan Cummings Foundation and $150,000 each from the Foundation to Promote Open Society and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
The group is in it for the long haul, Alperovitz told Open Democracy. “Don’t play this game if you’re not willing to throw 30 years on the table,” said Alperovitz. “Those are the chips. 30 years minimum.”
