Is Bipartisan Change Still Possible?

The importance of accurate messaging, the role of philanthropy in advocacy, and how to build trust across political ideology while avoiding the pitfalls of partisanship

By Carnegie Corporation of New York March 9, 2022

Citizenship

On March 3, 2022, Philanthropy New York hosted the webinar Pursuing Meaningful Change in a Hyperpartisan Environment, featuring advocates and funders who have achieved progress on a range of issues —immigration, criminal justice, and climate — by working across the political spectrum. They discussed the difficulties of this work and how their experiences can be translated to other issue areas.

Carnegie Corporation of New York’s Andrew Geraghty, moderated the panel discussion. “It is hard to imagine bipartisanship and compromise these days,” he remarked, “but private foundations and the nonprofit advocates that we fund are in a great position to work across the ideological spectrum and to model the cooperative spirit that we want politicians to follow. By doing so, we can create the appropriate atmosphere for members of Congress to do the same.”

The panel featured Murad Awawdeh, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition; Tanya Coke, director of Ford Foundation’s Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice team; and Kristie De Peña, vice president for policy and director of immigration at the Niskanen Center.

The panelists discussed the importance of establishing relationships and expanding access to information in the process of alliance building, with each contributing how their own experiences in New York, on Capitol Hill, and elsewhere have shaped their messaging priorities and areas of collaboration.

The report Building Bridges on Immigration was shared as an example of the Corporation’s advocacy and support for alliance building on immigration, the history of this work, and opportunities for the future.

Watch the full webinar Pursuing Meaningful Change in a Hyperpartisan Environment.

Top: U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R–AK) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on March 3, 2022, in Washington, D.C. A bipartisan group of U.S. Congressional members held a news conference to discuss the Banning Russian Energy Imports Act. (Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)