I had the great pleasure to return to my hometown of Boston, MA, to join Philanthropy Massachusetts for their annual convening. It was a packed house right next to the Boston Garden — Big Night Live. Below, I’ve pasted the remarks I prepared for my short keynote before a lively “fireside” discussion with Ali Noorani (CEO, Barr Foundation) and Mary Skelton Roberts (CEO, Philanthropy Massachusetts).
—
Thank you, Mary Skelton Roberts, for your kind introduction. And thanks to Philanthropy Massachusetts for hosting this amazing event every year. Thanks, too, for all the important work you do on behalf of the people of this great Commonwealth, day in and day out.
Though I was born in New York and live now happily in Chicago, I feel incredibly lucky to call Boston my lifelong hometown. I know I am more than a little biased. But I feel so fortunate to have spent so much of my life, my education, and my career right here in the birthplace of American democracy—and so much of my life as a devoted Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, and Patriots fan. (I do note that this is a very special fall, with the White Sox, Cubs, and Red Sox all making the playoffs at the same time!)
I love the themes that you have adopted for this year. I translate them into courage, leadership, and democracy.
I suspect you will agree with me that when we scroll back even just a few years, the threats to our democracy that we are witnessing today seemed… inconceivable. The need to demonstrate courage on behalf of what seem like such simple democratic principles – that too would have seemed… inconceivable.
But here we are. And we’ve all been called upon to act with courage. That “we” even includes us – perhaps to our surprise – in philanthropy.
To me, democracy is a daily act of courage. Courage to not only challenge what is unfair or unjust, but also to shape something better that will long outlast us.
When we think about the people who were right here in Massachusetts 250 years ago, they did exactly what we’re talking about. They decided that the profound injustice in their lives demanded their courage, not their compliance. In the throes of tyranny, they chose defiance.
But as we know well, the story didn’t end with the war. Building a diverse, vibrant, promising republic took a different kind of courage. After revolution came the hard job of debating, deliberating, and ultimately designing a new country that would live up to the promise of freedom for generations to come.
Here we are 250 years later. And even as we stand on the same soil, it is not irrational that we feel that original promise eroding.
I won’t dwell here on the threats but we all know what they are and we all know they are very real. Attacks on our system of voting. Censoring the media. Assailing peaceful protesters. Targeting people literally because of the color of their skin. Limiting freedom of speech. Cracking down on dissent in every form imaginable. Attempting – but not succeeding, I will add – to limit our freedom to give and our freedom to invest.
An astonishing array of the institutions and the values that got their start here 250 years ago are under assault. I know the people in this room feel that deeply. Each of us is here because we think of who will bear the burden if our systems crumble and if those liberties disappear.
Who will be left out of civic life? Who will lose access to healthcare, childcare, housing, affordable food? Whose stories will be excluded from our history? Who will be silenced when truth and scientific progress is sacrificed for ideology? If we let the rule of law disintegrate, we will all suffer the consequences, and some of us will suffer more.
But we are also here because we are bonded by more than our fear. We are bonded by our belief that the American project — and the plurality and possibility that comes with it — is worth protecting.
Some people see that plurality as a problem: that we are just too different to ever be united or equal. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Our founders chose a national motto, “E Pluribus Unum”— of many, one — because they knew, as we do now, that our differences make us stronger.
It gives me tremendous hope.
And in a moment of profound injustice, philanthropy has the unique opportunity to be courageous — and defend the promise of our diverse, multi-racial, vibrant democracy.
For so many years, philanthropies have shaped our society for the better — and we’ve done it while flying a little under the radar.
But now, it’s our turn — in philanthropy, yes in philanthropy — to choose courage over compliance. It’s our turn to choose defiance over deference. And to do it more loudly and visibly.
We in philanthropy often don’t use the voice that we have. I believe we are now called upon to use our voices, on behalf of the grantees and investees we support, the communities we serve, and the values we uphold.
We can, should, and must shield our liberties. We can nurture a vibrant, pluralistic democracy. We can sustain and strengthen the infrastructure of civic engagement: journalists reporting the news freely, advocates assembling peacefully, and people showing up to the polls proudly because they know their vote matters. I hope we will take some time to talk in the fireside chat about a national movement, Press Forward, with its 48 chapters-and-counting—that is supporting a major revival of local news.
And while we don’t have a chapter in Massachusetts yet, funders and other stakeholders have just started engaging and convening to support statewide research being conducted by the American Journalism Project, also known as AJP. And I am optimistic that Massachusetts will soon form a local chapter of its own, rooted in the understanding that strong communities and strong local news go hand in hand.
It all starts with courageous leadership. Challenging what we know must change and creating something stronger in its place.
That is what we at MacArthur, along with so many of you here today, have been striving toward over these last 18 months and beyond.
As one example, I think back to early 2025, when federal funding cuts and attacks on charitable freedoms called us to be courageous and challenge what was happening in front of our eyes. I realize our approach was very similar to Philanthropy Massachusetts’ LEAP framework that you adopted recently: Learn, Engage, Act, Partner.
Starting with learning. We saw the obvious challenges: Funding cuts to nonprofits that make life more equitable and inclusive would be catastrophic for communities across the country. But we also wanted to learn what our opportunity was: Where could we add value? Where could we lead? Where could we make lasting change?
So, we engaged our partners and community. We talked with all our grantees to hear how policy changes were affecting them, how they were adapting, what they were worried about, and what challenges and opportunities the moment presented.
We also connected with our peers to understand how they were responding and what risks they were seeing for both charitable foundations and the nonprofits they fund. We were all hearing the same stories of urgent, unmet needs and fears about changing policies.
Then we acted.
We committed to raising our charitable payout to 6 percent for at least two years to support civil society at a time of crisis. I’m thrilled to say that in 2025 we exceeded that goal, with a payout of over 7 percent. And we just extended our commitment through 2028.
I also know that many of the organizations you all represent made incredible commitments of your own, here in Massachusetts and far beyond — let’s take a moment to applaud that! And if you haven’t done so — yet! — check out the Level Up Pledge. There is ample opportunity for us all to Meet the Moment in philanthropy and on behalf of the larger charitable non-profit sector.
Finally, we invested in partnership, which is really at the core of our work. And I don’t mean a one-off relationship here or there. I’m talking about a big, broad, bold network of actors who are engaging, investing, and creating together. We are connecting and collaborating at scale.
For those of you who are familiar with the author Timothy Snyder, we took a page from his book “On Tyranny”. His first rule is: “Do not obey in advance.” But instead, we decided to “Unite in Advance” with our peers, including Philanthropy Massachusetts and several of you in this room.
The truth is, under the thrall of power and pressure, many other institutions have folded like cheap tents. But our sector has stood firm. More than 700 charitable foundations joined us, spanning all 50 states and a broad ideological spectrum. Together, we’ve spoken loudly, courageously, and unanimously to defend our fundamental freedoms.
We knew this would expose us, but rather than lounging around like sitting ducks, we’ve made ourselves more like spiky porcupines. We thought if we became a difficult target, the groups who want to come after us would think twice. And if one of us is attacked, we are all ready to defend. That unity has helped us stand strong through threats, speak up when we see injustice, lift up stories of courage, and show the true value of the charitable sector. We have proven just how much power there is in partnership.
In doing so, we pay homage to the spirit of our democracy, and the motto chosen for our country so many years ago: E Pluribus Unum.
And if we truly want to honor what we started here in Massachusetts, if we truly want to build something that will outlast us and withstand the tests of time and tyranny, we can’t stop now. We have to collaborate beyond crisis.
For too much of our history, we’ve practiced philanthropy as if we’re playing an individual sport like tennis: only accountable to ourselves or maybe to one partner. And don’t get me wrong, I love tennis!
But, appropriately, since we’re right next to TD Garden — Go Celtics! — we need to treat this more like basketball.
Philanthropy is a team sport. We’ve always been on the same court, and it’s time we recognize that we are working toward the same goal. If we’ve learned anything, it’s that we are much more effective when we work together.
At MacArthur, we know that our work succeeds, in part, because we partner with remarkable peer funders — locally and around the country, through Unite in Advance, through major partnerships such as the GroundBreak Coalition in Minneapolis, like the Courage Project in all 50 states, like Be the People, like More Perfect. We see the results of our shared resources in every area of work: from reducing violence in the city of Chicago, to reimagining an AI future with humanity at the center, to revitalizing the future of local news.
But it takes more than a one-time commitment. It works because we build deep, long-lasting partnerships with a wide range of funders and grantmakers. It works because we are strategic about coordinating giving. It works because when we share our voice and our influence, we can achieve a greater scale of good than we ever could alone.
And as we tap into our courage and build the infrastructure for long-term commitment, we bend the arc of history toward an irresistible future. A future where everyone feels safe to participate in civic life. A future where more people have a seat at the table. A future where we’re refining and perfecting the work-in-progress democracy that our founders started.
As we defend that system for generations to come, we must stay united and embody the spirit of E Pluribus Unum.
That’s what I hope for the people of my home state, and people across our country. Not deferring that irresistible future, but creating it today. All it asks of us is a little bit of courage. I believe that courage can be found in this room and in our broader non-profit community. I know we can renovate our democracy—and that we can do it with what we have at hand, here and now. Honestly, I didn’t think we’d have such an opportunity in our lifetimes to lead and to serve – with courage – as we do today. Let’s not squander it. Thank you.
Discover more from John Palfrey
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.