Podcast Summary: Democracy and Freedom: The Role of Philanthropy and Education
Podcast: New Books Network (Democratic Dialogues – Center on Global Democracy, Cornell University)
Host: Rachel Beatty Riedl
Guest: Dr. Alvaro Salis Castro (President & CEO of the Reynolds Foundation)
Date: November 23, 2025
Episode Overview
This episode explores the current global challenges facing democracy and the critical roles that philanthropy and education play in its defense and evolution. Host Rachel Beatty Riedl is joined by Dr. Alvaro Salis Castro, President and CEO of the Reynolds Foundation, to discuss trends in autocratization, the strategies of authoritarian regimes, the philanthropic landscape, and the importance of educational initiatives in strengthening democratic resilience and building global coalitions.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Decline of Democracy and Coordination of Authoritarianism
[02:56 – 07:05]
- Dramatic Shift: Over the past decade, the percentage of people living under democracy has fallen from 70% to 40%.
- Authoritarian Playbook: Authoritarian regimes are increasingly coordinated, sharing surveillance tactics, educational resources, and regular meetings.
- "They’re not stronger, but they’re better coordinated." (Dr. Salis Castro, 03:36)
- Philanthropic Gaps: Less than 1% of global philanthropic giving supports democracy; coordination is urgently needed.
- Need for a Unified Narrative: Fragmented efforts among democracy defenders and philanthropists make progress challenging; there's a call to consolidate efforts into a global movement.
2. Challenges and New Strategies for Democracy Defenders
[07:05 – 14:48]
- Repressive Sophistication: Authoritarians target and divide opposition through fear, imprisonment, and torture.
- "Fear is their weapon." (Dr. Salis Castro, 08:04)
- Capacity Building & Education as Solutions: The Reynolds Foundation invests in "Freedom Academies," which tell the stories of activists and their families to foster civic education and resilience in the Global South.
- Science & Technology: Dr. Salis Castro emphasizes the importance of up-to-date research, new democratic indexes, and "freedom tech"—tools like blockchain and AI to empower activists via hackathons and pilots.
- Debates in Democracy: Complexity around regimes like El Salvador highlight the blurred lines between populist democracies and emergent autocracies.
3. Research Framework for Democracy’s Defense and Offense
[14:48 – 17:47]
- Three Pillars of Research:
- Democratic Defense/Resilience: Studying resistance movements, strategies, and support structures.
- Democratic Offense/Futures: Exploring new tools, global imagination, and participatory models for democracy.
- The Meta-Ecosystem: Understanding and mapping the interconnected players—researchers, activists, philanthropists—and how assets and strategies come together.
- Translating Research to Practice: Feedback from activists is crucial for effective, actionable research.
4. Emerging Collectives and Coalitions
[17:47 – 24:28]
- World Liberty Congress: A global, regionally-represented activist network bringing the voices of those on the ground directly to philanthropists.
- Bliss Summit: A collaborative, trust-building space for philanthropists, activists, journalists, and families to reimagine the future of democracy support.
- Austrian Forum: Cited as successful in sustaining diverse coalitions for over 20 years.
- "Building the community is also part of the strategy." (Dr. Salis Castro, 20:14)
- Trust and Integrity: Strengthening collaborations and coalitions depends on depth of trust and integrity, providing courage in the face of fear.
5. Philanthropy: New Models and Transparency
[24:47 – 32:05]
- Philanthropy Rooted in Love and Purpose: The Reynolds Foundation focuses not just on results, but on nurturing, trust-based relationships and open dialogue.
- "What we need more is togetherness and love." (Dr. Salis Castro, 24:56)
- Open Source Philanthropy: Ambition to make failures, governance, and impact openly accessible, thus accelerating learning and reducing duplication of errors.
- Freedom Accelerator (Investment Banking for Democracy Philanthropy): Proposes dividing projects into tiers by risk and impact to guide donors in strategic giving. Collaboration between philanthropists, researchers, activists is essential.
6. The Interdependence of Democracy and Education
[32:05 – 38:33]
- Education as Foundation: Personal stories, like Dr. Salis Castro’s journey from rural Costa Rica to Cornell with crowdfunded support, highlight the transformative power of education and networks.
- Freedom Academies & Reynolds Fellows: Initiatives offering open-source, digitally based civic education and leadership development globally, especially for young activists from conflict or closed societies.
- Dream Team Vision: Proposal for a "Freedom Genius Fellowship," uniting top minds across activism, philanthropy, and research for dedicated collaboration on democracy's big questions.
7. Hope for Democracy’s Future
[38:33 – 44:23]
- New Generation of Activists: Young people, even those as young as 12–15, are actively participating, bringing nuance and commitment honed through personal and family experience.
- Philanthropist Champions: Leaders like Tim Reynolds are personally invested, risking comfort for hands-on participation.
- "All roads...lead to dictators. The way of tackling a lot of the issues that we care, like education and climate change...is by tackling the rise of authoritarianism." (Dr. Salis Castro, 41:04)
- Scholarly Engagement: Researchers and academic centers are critical for factual, rigorous activism and network building, translating hope into structured, collective action.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
Dr. Alvaro Salis Castro on Authoritarian Coordination:
“Authoritarians are not stronger than us … but they're better coordinated.” – [03:36]
-
On Fear as a Tool:
“Fear is their weapon.” – [08:04]
-
On the Value of Process Over Outcome:
“...sometimes the process is equally more important than the outcome.” – [26:01]
-
On Openness in Philanthropy:
“What about if we do everything open source—our failures, our mistakes, our governance issues...to mitigate their learning curves and their risks.” – [28:13]
-
Mission of the Reynolds Foundation:
“We're driven by purpose, but also driven by love.” – [24:47]
-
On Hope for Democracy’s Future:
“...the next generation of this activist is extremely sophisticated and they have a lot of nuance despite their young years...” – [38:33]
-
On Why Democracy Matters for All Social Goods:
“...democracy itself is a provision of the foundation in which we can pursue other goods, in which we can seek health and thriving and well-being in all different manners, you know, but the Democratic foundation is necessary so that we can pursue those things.” – [43:02]
Important Timestamps
- 02:56 – The declining state of democracy and rise of authoritarian coordination
- 07:05 – The challenge for democracy defenders and the double-edged role of philanthropy
- 09:16 – The problem of fear and the importance of activists’ courage
- 13:00 – Technology, research, and hackathons against repression
- 14:48 – Research structure: defense, offense, and meta-ecosystem
- 17:47 – New collectives: World Liberty Congress and the importance of trust
- 24:56 – Philanthropy anchored in love and togetherness
- 28:13 – Proposal for open source philanthropic collaboration
- 32:05 – The Freedom Accelerator and tiered investment philosophy
- 33:37 – Dr. Salis Castro's personal story: education and social mobility
- 38:33 – What gives hope for the future of democracy
- 41:04 – The necessity of tackling authoritarianism for broader social change
- 43:10 – Announcement: expansion of the Reynolds Foundation’s support and network-building
Conclusion
This compelling conversation between Rachel Beatty Riedl and Dr. Alvaro Salis Castro highlights the precarious position of democracy globally, the urgent need for collaborative, trust-based efforts among philanthropists, activists, and researchers, and the deep interconnection between education, democratic practice, and societal flourishing. Despite daunting challenges, the emergence of innovative coalitions, technology-driven activism, and a new generation committed to freedom inspires hope and guides the future of democratic renewal.