Insights From  Our President - Democracy Alliance

Funding the Defense of our Democracy: A Conversation with Pamela Shifman

Pamela Shifman joined Nathaniel G. Perlman's "The Great Battlefield" podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about her lifetime of activism, the values that ground...

How I learned a lesson about power

By Pamela Shifman, Democracy Alliance President Our friends at the Kataly Foundation recently launched the “F Word”, an honest and illuminating series about failure...

Charitable Platforms Have Empowered Trump’s Attack on Dissent

Originally published by Newsweek on May 19, 2026. By Pamela Shifman and Rajasvini Bhansali Last month, Fidelity Charitable, Vanguard Charitable, and Charles...

The crisis hiding in plain sight this Women’s History Month

A letter to the Democracy Alliance community from president Pamela Shifman Dear Partners: Women's History Month has always been a chance to remember the women whose...

DA Spring Conference Opening Remarks from Pamela Shifman

Democracy Alliance President Pamela ShifmanOpening Remarks — DA Spring Conference 2025 June 2, 2025 Community, this moment calls us to bring many things to the...

‘We Have Power Together’: Three Social Change Leaders On Solidarity And What We Can Learn From History As We Build A More Equitable Future

By Marianne Schnall, Contributor. Originally ran in Forbes: May 5, 2025 Reflecting on the historic figures and events that have advanced rights and freedoms in the...

‘What did each of us do?’ A call for bravery—and boldness

Solidarity is how we win. Last month, the Democracy Alliance – a network of foundations, individual donors, and unions – took the first trip of its kind for our...

Trump Isn’t Defending Women. Women Are.

By Fatima Goss Graves and Pamela Shifman As Donald Trump canceled $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania earlier this month over their...

The fight for racial justice is the fight for democracy

A letter to DA Partners from President Pamela ShifmanFebruary 2025 Just as we mark Black History Month, we have received sad news. Rev. Dr. Nelson N. Johnson, who...

It’s Not Just Swing States That Decide on Election Day

Old thinking about red and blue states leaves us one election from catastrophe. Originally appeared in U.S. News & World Report By Pamela Shifman Vice President...

Unions are vital to the future of democracy

Originally appeared in The Hill on Labor Day, September 2, 2024 Labor Day isn’t just about picnics and barbecues; the holiday serves as a moment to reflect on the...

There Is No Democracy Without Gender Justice

By PAMELA SHIFMAN, May 13, 2024 “We, women of South Africa, claim our rights. We claim full and equal participation in the creation of a non sexist, non-racist...

Women are an unstoppable force for democracy

A letter to the Democracy Alliance communityFrom DA President Pamela Shifman March 8, 2024 “Clearly, those bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade have no clue about...

Racial justice is the test for our democracy

A letter to the Democracy Alliance communityFrom DA President Pamela Shifman February 1, 2024 There is no democracy without racial justice. This fundamental truth...

Democrats Can Stand Up for Trans Kids—and Win

Originally published in The Nation on September 21, 2023 By Pamela Shifman Over the past few election cycles, many Democrats have been running scared. Back in the...