Kettering Foundation
@KetteringFdn
Nonpartisan, nonprofit, operating foundation rooted in the American tradition of inventive research focused on the needs of democracy worldwide.
🎙️ What if protest isn’t just about resistance—but reconstruction? In the latest episode of #TheStakes, host @bradrourke sits down with #KetteringFoundation Research Fellow Deva Woodly to explore how today’s protest movements are reshaping democracy from the ground up—building…
🗞️ Headlines matter. When Trump called tariff day “Liberation Day,” only 11% of stories used his framing in headlines. New in #FromManyWe, Subramaniam Vincent explores how newsrooms are learning to resist authoritarian spin—and why that’s a win for democracy.…
Why is polarization getting worse? On the latest episode of #TheContext, @bkeithpayne explains how race and class are driving the divide—shaping not just party identity, but the very issues that define our politics. 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
“This country is phenomenally good at whitewashing its authoritarian past. Most Americans don’t know that we didn’t become a full democracy until 19 flipping 65.” —KF Senior Fellow Steven Levitsky #KFConvos
It was an honor and a pleasure to discuss threats to democracy with Steven Levitsky at the @KetteringFdn Conference this Monday in Washington. I spoke about what unites authoritarian leaders: the politics of fear. As Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear…
☝A reminder from the Global Democracy Coalition about the info we consume online: Before you share, take a moment to question what you're reading—and why it matters. The Kettering Foundation’s Democracy around the Globe focus area is honored to be a partner and supporter of…
This #FactCheckingTuesday is a reminder to pause and think critically about the information we consume, and what we choose to share. Today, we highlight the role each of us plays in upholding democratic integrity. Misinformation doesn’t only spread through deliberate falsehoods,…
"Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted, the indifference of those who should have known better, the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most, that has made it possible for evil to triumph." -Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia
Never before in the Nation’s almost 250 year history has America’s present and future depended more on the free press than it does today.
☝️ Facts don’t change minds—life does. Real belief change is usually self-directed. It takes time and experience—not internet arguments or Thanksgiving debates. 🎧 Hear more on #TheContext with our guest @bkeithpayne.
Honored to give the keynote speech at @KetteringFdn annual event in #WashingtonDC today as a #GlobalFellow2025 #Democracy #Authoritarianism #TheStruggleforFreedomRights #ruleoflaw #courage #standupforyourrights #mediafreedom @EuropesFutures @IWM_Vienna @erstefoundation
“We have seen the ebbs and flows of history; we have seen very dark times. . . . where people are confronted with the worst of evils and yet seek and find hope.” —CFK Global Fellow @IVejvoda #KFConvos
“This is a fight, perhaps the fight of our lifetimes. I hope that if you take away anything from this afternoon’s convening, it is that the Charles F. Kettering Foundation is clear-eyed for the need for that fight to happen through the collective efforts of minds in agreement…
“For the last good 20 years, what we talked to them [young people] about is mythology. Their whole life they have lived through instability, insecurity, and increasing inequality. And so our challenge is to speak to young people, to give them the agency of what happens when they…
![KetteringFdn's tweet image. “For the last good 20 years, what we talked to them [young people] about is mythology. Their whole life they have lived through instability, insecurity, and increasing inequality. And so our challenge is to speak to young people, to give them the agency of what happens when they…](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GwaFyrrWkAALMhL.jpg)
“For the first time in my life, queer people marched with other people side-by-side, and there was no othering. . . . What a time to be Kenyan; all voices matter.” —CFK Global Fellow Chris Muriithi #KFConvos
“When inequality is so pervasive, instead of demanding better from those who have the power to do so . . . the powerful would rather incentivize us to fight each other.” —CFK Global Fellow @Kmoeti #KFConvos
“As an African, the first thing that I always lean into is that storytelling existed for so many years . . . That is how we came together to imagine the future.” —CFK Global Fellow Chris Muriithi #KFConvos
“I know we aren’t supposed to have favorites, but this panel is my favorite because it is forward looking. . . . Our objective is not just to preserve democracy, but to revitalize . . . a democracy that works for all of us. What does it mean to build a democracy that doesn’t just…
“Gatherings like these are critically important, where we can encounter each other across institutional lines. . . . But they are not enough. What does the next step look like?” —KF Chief External Affairs Officer @bradrourke #KFConvos
“The first thing to do is to provide this structure—and I would say that, and of course I’m biased here, as a great enthusiast of building coalitions—for bringing people together. Start slow and start by building those connections that are the basis for any kind of action.” —CFK…
“I don’t want to downplay the role of authoritarianism among everyday Americans. . . . But the majority of us, I continue to believe, and studies continue to show, want the same things. We want clean air; we want good schools. . . . We have far more in common, the vast majority…
“If you look at the history of democratization. . . . in many cases, the biggest advancements in democracy came from the masses organizing.” —CFK Global Fellow @gscheiring #KFConvos
