The American Academy of Arts & Sciences in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has announced a $5 million gift from Irwin Jacobs and his wife, Joan, in support of its efforts to foster American democracy.

The gift will support work already underway to advance the recommendations proposed by the academy's cross-partisan Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship in the report, Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century (84 pages, PDF). Released in June 2020, the report contains thirty-one specific recommendations to help a nation in crisis emerge with a more resilient democracy. In addition, the gift will endow the Joan K. and Irwin M. Jacobs Program Officer for American Institutions, Society, and the Public Good, a new position that will work to advance current and future projects in democracy and justice and support facets outlined in Our Common Purpose.

"From elected officials to young children, democratic engagement has been a vital responsibility for all Americans since our nation's founding, and we must accept responsibility for ensuring a broad participation to strengthen our democracy for generations to come," said Jacobs, founding chairman and CEO Emeritus of the telecommunications company Qualcomm, and chair emeritus of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. "Thanks to its long history and valued members, the academy is uniquely positioned to champion America's most indispensable value — our shared belief in democracy — into the future."