Stavros Niarchos Foundation Gives $150M for An Initiative To Elevate Civic Discourse
Great Britain’s exit from the European Union followed by the unexpected victory of Donald Trump in the 2016 U.S. presidential election has sent shock waves throughout the western world. Voters, political parties and media organs on both sides of the Atlantic are sharply polarized. Liberal elites, in particular are aghast that a populist torches-and-pitchfork rebellion has assailed the establishment from the right, not the left. Suddenly, conservatives seem to be on the side of the “commoner,” and liberals everywhere are on the political defensive, struggling to be heard above the din of vocal, often-rage-filled protest.
Into this maelstrom, some prestigious academic institutions and philanthropies have slowly dared to enter. This month one of Europe’s largest foundations, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation—based, fittingly, in Greece—agreed to donate a whopping $150 million to a joint research, education and public policy program with Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore that’s intended to promote the ideal of intelligent and restrained civic and political discourse.
The tie between the two institutions turns out to be a long-standing one. SNF, which claims to be active in 130 different countries with an annual program portfolio worth over $2 billion, has supported over 20 different projects with Johns Hopkins in the past, mainly in the areas of health, medicine and social welfare. . .