Ford Foundation and Knight Foundation presidents reflect on philanthropy and the work required to strengthen democracy, protect the First Amendment and rebuild public trust

MIAMI –  At a moment when the First Amendment is under threat, Knight Foundation President and CEO Maribel Pérez Wadsworth sat down with Heather Gerken, president of the Ford Foundation and one of the nation’s leading constitutional scholars, for a timely conversation on the state of democracy, civic engagement and the role of philanthropy in this critical moment.

Held today at the 19th annual Knight Media Forum (KMF26), the discussion examined the responsibilities institutions have to strengthen and safeguard democracy, emphasizing the need for sustained, long-term commitment to rebuilding public trust. Gerken and Pérez Wadsworth reflected on philanthropy’s role in defending a free press and free expression, and how institutions can work collaboratively, and with urgency, to meet the challenges facing communities today. 

KEY QUOTES

• “We need to think about how we can build a democracy that can withstand the pressures it’s facing right now,” said Heather Gerken. 

• “As foundations, we sit in a unique place where we’re well resourced and we have independence. If organizations like that are not stepping  up to defend the First Amendment, then we’re doing it wrong,” said Maribel Pérez Wadsworth.

• “I am always the calm person in the room. And I’m enormously optimistic, but it is going to take work to get us out of this period,” said Heather Gerken. 

• “We need to get to a place where having reliable information in community is as standard as having clean water,” said Maribel Pérez Wadsworth.

The conversation reaffirmed a core democratic truth: the power rests with the people. Protecting that right requires continued investment in civic life, news and information and the institutions that support an informed and connected public.

KMF26 brings together journalists, artists, civic leaders, researchers, academics and funders to confront the most urgent issues facing communities across the country today. This three-day conference explores how civic life is shifting in a time of rapid change, including exploring the state of the information landscape, the First Amendment and the rise of artificial intelligence. 

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We are social investors who support a more effective democracy by funding free expression and journalism, arts and culture in community, research in areas of media and democracy, and the success of American cities and towns where the Knight brothers once published newspapers.