Indian American social activist Deepak Bhargava took charge as the president of the JPB Foundation, one of America's biggest grant-making foundations this month.
As president, Bhargava aims to utilize philanthropy to support the promotion of multiracial democracy and its various institutions and practices. “I'm excited to announce that today I've officially stepped into my full time role as president of the JPB foundation. I'm looking forward to taking on this new role, especially at such a critical moment for our nation and world,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
I’m officially taking the reins at @TheJPBFdn today. At a time when our democracy is under threat, we need to help people who have been denied power to build it, so they can change unjust systems and create a more democratic, inclusive, and sustainable society. (1/2)
— Deepak Bhargava (@dbhargava68) February 6, 2024
Bhargav is a social justice movement expert and co-founder of Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice, which trains and supports early and mid-career social change workers, particularly people of color, women, LGBTQ people, and those from working-class backgrounds. He has been a lecturer at CUNY's School of Labor and Urban Studies since 2019.
Prior to joining CUNY, Bhargava led Community Change for 16 years, where he sought to improve the community organizing field and establish coalitions that resulted in significant federal policy breakthroughs on problems such as poverty, health care, and immigration.
He has trained and mentored hundreds of leaders who have held important positions in progressive organizations and social justice campaigns.
Bhargava has also served on various boards and is a co-author of "Practical Radicals: Seven Strategies to Change the World" and "Immigration Matters: Movements, Visions, and Strategies for a Progressive Future.” He was a senior fellow at the Roosevelt Institute and co-authored "The Statue of Liberty Plan: A Progressive Vision for Migration in the Age of Climate Change" and "The Death of 'Deliverism'" in Democracy Journal.
To mark Bhargava’s appointment to the role, the foundation announced new funding to strengthen democracy. It will commit nearly $500 Million in 2024 with up to $100 Million in new grants aimed at reaching organizations advancing social and economic justice.
“The threat to democracy is the single greatest challenge facing our nation. Saving democracy will require building broad alliances across civil society to unite those who may have differing worldviews but agree on bedrock commitments such as the right to vote and the need for representative and responsive institutions,” Bhargava said in a statement released by the foundation.
“We must work to meet those short-term threats to our formal democratic institutions while also addressing the long-term drivers of our crisis of democracy,” Bhargava asserted.
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