Funders have many entry points for advancing a resilient, free, and fair democracy in the United States.

Today, there is broad recognition across philanthropy that civic engagement and democracy are deeply interconnected—and essential to addressing the many challenges facing our society. As attention to these issues has grown, so too has the need for shared language, clearer frameworks, and deeper understanding.

PACE has seen this evolution firsthand, along with a sustained demand for resources that help make sense of democracy and its relationship to civic engagement.

In response, we developed What Is Democracy? The PACE Primer: Democracy—a resource designed to help funders deepen their understanding, reflect on their own perspectives, and consider how democracy might be more intentionally integrated or prioritized in their work.

The Democracy Primer has two components:

1. – a visual that charts civic practices across the five elements of strong and healthy democracies, and
2. – a glossary that clarifies key terms.