Why Big Philanthropy Is Funding Small Hyperlocal Projects

The Commons in Conversation

The Commons in Conversation
Why Big Philanthropy Is Funding Small Hyperlocal Projects
Jul 22, 2025 Season 1 Episode 4
Chronicle of Philanthropy

As federal Washington burns with division and conflict, some grant makers are trying to repair the country’s social fabric by strengthening communities. Join Rockefeller Brothers Fund president Stephen Heintz and Katie Loudin of the West Virginia Community Development Hub for a discussion of the year-old Trust for Civic Life, an unusual $30 million cross-ideological funder collaborative bankrolling homegrown initiatives.

Members of the trust include the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Omidyar Network, the The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Stand Together, and Walmart.

Visit The Commons, a Chronicle special project exploring how Americans can come together, strengthen communities, and repair our torn social fabric. And sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Watch this interview on the Chronicle's YouTube channel.

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