As official celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence culminate on July 4, a well-funded, privately funded initiative will launch to try to connect hundreds of millions of Americans to efforts to solve local problems.
The Be The People movement aims to change the perception that America is hopelessly divided and that individuals are powerless to overcome problems such as poverty, addiction, violence and stagnant economic mobility. It also hopes to prompt action to address these issues.
Brian Hooks, chairman and CEO of the nonprofit network Stand Together, said the 250th anniversary is a unique moment “to show people that they matter, that they have a role to play, and that the future is unwritten, but it’s up to each of us to step up and play our part.”
Be The People is funded by 50 philanthropic foundations and individual donors, and its research shows many people want to contribute to their communities but don’t know how. The initiative has raised more than $200 million for its first-year budget.
Founding members include nonprofits such as GivingTuesday, Goodwill Industries and Habitat for Humanity, businesses such as Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment and the National Basketball Association, and funders such as the John D. MacArthur Foundation and the Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Hooks said it was a 10-year commitment to work toward profound changes in behavior and culture. He cited a 2024 Pew Research Center survey that found that a majority of Americans in 2023 and 2024 did not trust the United States to solve its most important problems, calling this a “red alert” for the country.
Hooks said the initiative envisions actions that go well beyond volunteering or serving in people’s free time. He pointed to the role of businesses and schools and said the plan would launch a major data collection effort to track whether people are actually more engaged and whether problems are actually being solved.
Founded by billionaire Charles Koch, Stand Together addresses a wide range of issues and communities in the United States and has carved out a role for itself as a convener who can bring together coalitions across ideological lines.
“Be The People” will not be incorporated into a new nonprofit, but more like a flag for groups to organize and use to connect resources. For example, at Monday’s Atlanta Hawks game, Martin Luther King III and his wife, Adria Waters King, tied into a new campaign a program they started last year called “Living the Dream,” which is designed to increase acts of service.
“Our vision is that ‘Being the People’ helps elevate what is already happening in communities across the country and serves as a reminder that service and shared responsibility are an important part of the American story,” the Kings said in a written statement.
“Be The People” operates similarly to the nonprofit GivingTuesday. While GivingTuesday began as a hashtag encouraging people to donate to nonprofits on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, it has grown into a platform that provides nonprofits with tools, such as fundraising toolkits and advice on how to reach and mobilize their supporters. Nonprofits can get involved as much as they want, but can gain some momentum by joining forces with many other groups.
“Our experience at GivingTuesday is that when people volunteer together, when people work together to do something that makes a positive social impact, they find it harder and harder to demonize each other,” said its CEO Asha Curran.
The initiative comes against a backdrop of deep polarization, economic inequality, and the degradation of democratic norms and institutions in the United States
Professor Christine Goss, director of the Center for the Study of Philanthropy and Voluntaryism at Duke University, said a growing number of private foundations have begun funding issues related to the health of American democracy. Goss said that while foundations cannot participate in elections, they can influence policy or public opinion in other ways.
“Funders are increasingly concerned about the health of American democracy, the future of the democratic experiment, and diversity and inclusion,” Goss said.
Another group of funders, including the Liberty Mutual Foundation, launched a program last year to honor individuals and groups who defend their communities with what they call the “Civic Courage” Awards. In a November report, they issued a similar call for funders to invest in helping individuals organize to combat rising authoritarianism.
Hooks and other Be The People leaders have also assembled key communications teams to help tell these stories, which they believe have been lost in the current information ecosystem.
“What we’re doing is helping elevate American stories that are unfolding at the local level but haven’t yet broken through,” Hooks said. “So we hold up a mirror and a microphone to Americans and show each other who we really are.”
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