What Does Philanthropy Have to Do with Freedom?

What does philanthropy have to do with freedom? More than one might think. A free and democratic society does not rely on public institutions alone. It also needs people who take responsibility, enable new ideas and invest in areas where social change can emerge.

Philanthropy can play a crucial role here: It can support independent media, educational initiatives, civil society organisations and concrete democracy projects. It can take risks, enable new ideas and fund innovations for which established structures or public funding programmes do not yet exist.

One example is factchecker: a digital innovation designed to help people quickly and reliably verify information and claims. At a time when disinformation, manipulated content and artificially generated information are increasingly influencing public debate, independent tools of this kind are becoming ever more important for a democratic society.

But how much freedom does philanthropy need – and how much philanthropy does freedom need? What responsibility do private funders have for democracy? Where should philanthropy deliberately take risks? And how can good ideas become concrete, effective projects?

Philanthropists, democracy and communication experts, as well as representatives of innovative projects, will discuss these questions. The event combines a fundamental debate with concrete examples and highlights a simple point: If we want to protect freedom, we must also be willing to invest in the conditions that make freedom possible.

Online via Microsoft Teams.