Archive - The Art of Association

Gradually and Then Suddenly: The Sixty-Year Crack-up of Federal Funding for Nonprofits (1 of 2)

The Trump Administration has decimated longstanding patterns of federally-funded, nonprofit-delivered services. But the system's many and mounting…

Jun 19 •

Congress Should Measure Twice and Cut Once on Charitable Sector Reform

The House GOP's ill-considered excise tax hike on foundations would put these institutions – and the pluralistic charitable sector they support – on a…

Jun 5 •

May 2025

The Meaning of Democracy

In 1943, amid World War II, E.B. White received a request from the Writers’ War Board asking for his definition of “The Meaning of Democracy." His…

May 22 •

Civil Society in the Second Trump Administration: Reckoning with the Meaning of "Nongovernmental"

100 days in, President Trump has profoundly disrupted civil society. This presents a massive set of challenges – and two opportunities.

May 6 •

April 2025

Peter D. Stid, Citizen, Rest in Peace

Reflections on a civic life well-lived.

Apr 21 •

Competitive Authoritarianism Comes for Civil Society

Should the Constitution's self-defense mechanisms give way, civil society will be the last bulwark against authoritarian drift. Five vital signs will…

Apr 6 •

March 2025

Needed: Grantmakers for Civic Education

The civic education field is brimming with promising new developments that can help reboot our constitutional democracy. More far-sighted philanthropy…

Mar 20 •

Time to Start Thinking about the Nonprofit Sector

“Gentleman, we have run out of money. It is time to start thinking.” — Ernest Rutherford

Mar 6 •

February 2025

Philanthropy's Fork in the Road

The Trump Administration is hellbent on "deconstructing the administrative state" and consolidating power. This is blowing up the strategies of many big…

Feb 21 •

PS: Three Further Reflections on "Pluralism in the Trump Era"

Convening with nearly 200 dedicated pluralists sparked some additional riffs on last week's post.

Feb 6 •

January 2025

Pluralism in the Trump Era

A growing movement of "new pluralists" has made real headway. But now we have come to the hard part of the journey.

Jan 28 •

Martin Luther King Jr. and the American Political Tradition

A bonus post to commemorate MLK day

Jan 17 •

#nojs-banner { position: fixed; bottom: 0; left: 0; padding: 16px 16px 16px 32px; width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; background: red; color: white; font-family: -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; } #nojs-banner a { color: inherit; text-decoration: underline; } This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts