How philanthropy can respond to this moment of political violence

At a rally on Saturday, former President Trump was injured by a gunman along with at least one spectator.  The gunman killed a rally attendee as well.  

Political violence has no place in American democracy.  The Trusted Elections Fund unequivocally condemns this violence, and the violent rhetoric that has followed the horrific events in Pennsylvania this past weekend. We must reject violence and engage the existing tools of democracy to navigate our differences. Building resilience to political violence is a core component of our work at the Trusted Elections Fund.  The Trusted Elections Fund (TEF) is a non-partisan pooled fund that distributes grants, engages donors, and coordinates actions to prepare for and respond to high-risk threats to U.S. elections.  

We work every day in partnership with field leaders to prepare for the worst case scenarios, including potential acts of political violence.  None of us could predict the exact scenarios that would play out this year, but we are now in a significant crisis moment, and the threat landscape will continue to grow and evolve.

Because of the investments that we and our donor partners have collectively made to the field, and the networking that we have helped to build, as soon as the news of the violence broke, experts from the field of political violence prevention sprung into action - monitoring the situation, including potential retaliatory acts of violence, and collaborating to craft messaging guidance to lower the temperature, and actions to take to ensure safety and protect American democracy.   

Here are three recommended actions that philanthropy and the pro-democracy field can take at this moment; these are informed by our partners who are experts on political violence: 

1. First and foremost, safety is paramount.  Folks should familiarize themselves with their safety and security protocols. TEF has been checking in with our field partners, and we are making grants to these partners to ensure their safety. We encourage other funders to do the same: check in with your grantees to ensure they have the resources needed to remain safe.  Fund, as well, the service providers that can respond to field leaders, providing physical and digital security, and advising on crisis communications.   

2. It is important for organizations to immediately and publicly condemn political violence. The statement can be brief: it should condemn Saturday’s political violence and urge accountability for violent actors. 

3. Everyone should be careful not to share mis/disinformation, which is growing rapidly in this environment. 

As Saturday’s events revealed so starkly, political violence is an ever-present risk in US democracy, and in particular in this election cycle. The fomenting of violence, along with attacks on the rule of law, is a destabilizing force that we are witnessing before our eyes.  We urge everyone to stay engaged, activated and safe in the coming weeks and months. The Trusted Elections Fund will continue to engage philanthropy, and support the field, in ensuring that our elections are voter-centered, secure, and trusted.