A new campaign for the Declaration’s anniversary
A new privately funded initiative called “Be The People” is set to launch as official celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence culminate on July 4, the Associated Press reported. Organizers said the effort wants to connect hundreds of millions of Americans with actions aimed at solving local problems, and to counter a sense that the country is hopelessly divided and that individuals have little power to overcome issues such as poverty, addiction and violence.
Brian Hooks, chairman and CEO of the nonprofit network Stand Together, said the anniversary is a chance “to show people that they matter, that they have a part to play, and that the future is unwritten, but it depends on each one of us stepping up to play our part.” He framed the initiative as part of a cultural shift, describing it as a 10-year commitment.
Backed by foundations and donors, with a first-year budget target
The campaign is funded through a mix of 50 philanthropic foundations and individual donors, according to the report. Organizers said they are targeting more than $200 million for its first year’s budget.
The initiative’s founding members include nonprofits such as GivingTuesday, Goodwill Industries, Habitat for Humanity and More Perfect, alongside businesses including Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment and the National Basketball Association, and funders such as the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Hooks pointed to research, referencing a 2024 Pew Research Center survey that he said found most Americans in 2023 and 2024 did not believe the U.S. could solve its most important problems. He described that finding as a “red alert” for the country.
Beyond volunteering: schools, businesses and data tracking
Organizers said the initiative is designed to go further than volunteering or service people might do only in their free time. Hooks said it envisions roles for businesses and schools, and that it will launch a major data collection effort to track whether people become more engaged and whether problems are actually getting solved.
Stand Together, which the report said was founded by Charles Koch, described itself as a convener working across ideological lines. Organizers also said “Be The People” would not incorporate as a new nonprofit, and would instead function as “a banner for groups to organize under” and use to connect to resources.
Example at a Hawks game and a written statement from the Kings
One example cited in the report took place at the Atlanta Hawks game on Monday, when Martin Luther King III and his wife, Arndrea Waters King, linked a program they launched last year, Realize the Dream, to the new campaign. The Kings said in a written statement that their vision is that “Be The People” helps lift up what is already happening in communities across the country and reminds people that service and shared responsibility are “defining parts of the American story.”
Asha Curran, the CEO of GivingTuesday, said small actions can build on each other “like exercising a muscle.” She added: “Our experience with GivingTuesday is that when people volunteer together, when people work together on something to do with positive social impact, they find it harder and harder to demonize each other.”
Research suggests people want a role as problem-solvers
The campaign arrives, the report said, amid deep polarization, economic inequality and what it described as the degradation of democratic norms and institutions in the U.S. Hahrie Han, a political scientist at Johns Hopkins University, said people need more opportunities to authentically participate as problem solvers when connecting with local organizations.
Han said: “They’re more likely to be invited into things where people are asked to let professional staff do most of the problem solving and they show up and give their time or their money.” She said the result is that people feel less committed and do not see their participation as helping achieve their interests or goals.
Kristin Goss, a professor who directs the Center for the Study of Philanthropy and Voluntarism at Duke University, said private foundations have begun funding issues related to the health of U.S. democracy. She said funders are getting more concerned about “the health of American democracy, the future of the democratic experiment and pluralism and inclusion.”
Foundations can’t vote, but can shape policy and public opinion
The report said Goss noted that while foundations cannot participate in elections, they can influence policy or public opinion in other ways. It also described efforts by other funders: including the Freedom Together Foundation, which launched last year a project to recognize people and groups who stand up for their communities, calling it a “civic bravery” award. In a November report, the foundation issued what the report described as a similar call for funders to invest in helping individuals organize together in response to a rise in authoritarianism.
Hooks said leaders of “Be The People” have convened major communications teams to help tell stories they think are lost in the current information ecosystem. He said: “What we’re doing is we’re helping to lift up the story of Americans that is unfolding at the local level, but is not breaking through.” He added: “So we’re holding up a mirror and a microphone to Americans to reveal to each other who we truly are.”