Rich Harwood in The Chronicle of Philanthropy about Charities and Political Gridlock
Charities Conquer Political Gridlock to Carve New Paths
By Rich Harwood
October 30, 2014
Most people aren’t paying attention to the midterm elections, and that’s no surprise. This election season offers little promise for breaking the current political gridlock and giving people hope that progress will be made on education, jobs, and other everyday concerns.
But as I’ve been traveling the country for nearly a year, it’s clear the country doesn’t need to settle for the status quo. And it isn’t doing so: New nonprofits are springing up across the United States. In South Carolina, an organization that is barely a year old is lending medical equipment for free to anyone in need. Another group is taking flight in communities across Mississippi, providing resources for early-childhood development.
And as I have spoken to grant makers, many of them are eager to help such organizations make a difference.
It’s clear to me that the acrimony that permeates our political discourse may not inspire a race to the voting booth, but even in the most politically contentious states I’ve visited there’s a yearning among people to get onto a new path of possibility and hope.