Philanthropy-funded projects show potential to overcome toxic polarization and build trust and community on local and national levels, a report from the Council on Foundations (COF) finds.

Produced in partnership with the New Pluralists and PACE, the report, Coming Together, Not Apart: Inside the Work of Turning Conflict Into Collaboration (47 pages, PDF), is the second in a three-part series exploring philanthropy’s investment in helping Americans connect and collaborate across differences. The report details five case studies, including efforts by Resetting the Table to support racial healing in Buffalo after a mass shooting by engaging predominantly white conservative evangelicals and progressives of color to start “healing action groups” and build relationships; a pilot program through the Trust for Public Land that paired diverse community members to plan local park events, leading to a more than 50 percent increase in “connections across difference”; and a pandemic initiative to overcome political differences from the Rockefeller Foundation, which created a national testing plan that helped increase capacity from one million tests per week in March and April 2020 to more than 25 million per week by the end of the year.

Additional case studies include the StoryCorps One Small Step Initiative, which fosters conversations between people with opposing political beliefs, and the Lancaster County Community Foundation Bridge Builders Program, which funds community-born programs such as the Lancaster Unity Cup, a soccer tournament celebrating new and diverse residents. Key takeaways in the report include the need for flexibility as well as planning; that this work takes time and resources; and that when measuring success, showing impact is decidedly more difficult than in other kinds of work.

“We’re excited to see communities across the nation taking steps to engage with their differences—and in ways as diverse as they are,” said Kristen Scott Kennedy, COF chief of staff and vice president of strategy and organizational effectiveness. “As more foundations and nonprofits commit to this work, we look forward to seeing more communities find their own paths to building an inclusive democracy where everyone belongs. We hope this report can be a resource for that journey.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/shapecharge)