"Philanthropy has grown accustomed to funding solutions. It buys land, backs technologies, underwrites services, and supports policies designed to address clear and urgent problems. Less often does it invest in the fundamental conditions that make those solutions possible. Among the most fragile is the shared information ecosystem on which collective decision-making depends."
"This fragility of the information ecosystem is not limited to the spread of falsehoods. It also shows up as indifference to accuracy, fatigue from complexity, and a growing inability to decipher what deserves attention at all. In many places, facts still exist, but they circulate weakly. They arrive late or without context, or in a flood of mixed messages that strip the facts of credibility."
"Philanthropy's support of the information ecosystem is not merely an act of charity or a hedge against misinformation alone. It is a form of civic infrastructure that preserves society's ability to see problems as they are rather than as they are presented."
Philanthropy traditionally funds direct solutions to problems, but increasingly must address the fragility of the shared information ecosystem underlying collective decision-making. Information ecosystem erosion manifests not only through misinformation but through indifference to accuracy, complexity fatigue, and inability to identify what matters. Facts circulate weakly, arriving late or without context, creating disengagement rather than disagreement. For foundations addressing climate change, biodiversity, public health, or governance, this erosion poses significant risk. Well-designed, well-funded programs fail without trusted, usable information. Supporting the information ecosystem represents civic infrastructure enabling society to perceive problems accurately rather than as presented.
#information-ecosystem #philanthropic-strategy #civic-infrastructure #misinformation-and-disinformation #collective-decision-making
Read at Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.
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