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The March elections in California recorded historically low voter turnout for a primary election. As we look ahead to November, it’s one more piece of evidence that the time is now for funders in California and beyond to invest in strengthening our core democratic systems and building the power and voice of underrepresented communities.
At Haas Jr., we have always believed in getting people and communities involved in offering solutions and shaping a better future together. With the launch of our Democracy program in 2021, we decided to take this work to another level by investing in community engagement, greater representation, expanded access to voting, and grassroots leadership. Just last week, we announced that we’ve joined with other funders to support the launch of the new Democracy Policy Initiative at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy. The initiative’s focus: to inspire and support policy innovation, research, and leadership that can move us towards an inclusive, representative, and
multiracial democracy.
Today, the Haas, Jr. Fund's grantmaking is focused on some of the key issues up for debate in the 2024 election. It’s not just our Democracy program, but for our Immigrant Rights and College Success programs too, it is not a stretch to say this is a pivotal year for the
communities we care about.
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