Today, the United States is holding pivotal elections, joining many other countries around the world facing major elections this year. By the end of 2024, more than half the world’s population will have cast ballots, from Mexico to India and South Africa. In each of these places, fundamental rights – over food, people’s bodies, livelihoods, and the climate – are at stake. Yet, communities across the globe are showing us that democracy is more than elections. It is about building a world that reflects the needs and aspirations of the people.

While election results matter, they are not the full story. Social movements worldwide remind us that democracy neither begins nor ends at the ballot box. It is about the right of people to make decisions over the everyday essentials that shape their lives – access to clean water, air, food, housing, and more. At the centre of these struggles are everyday people – farmers, peasants, Indigenous communities, women, and youth – who are working to dismantle oppressive systems and build new ones that meet their needs and dreams. True democracy is inherently interconnected, not confined by national borders; it requires creating just systems, not just passing policies; and it flourishes when people have space to come together, learn, and organize. Understanding democracy in this way is crucial for how we address today’s challenges and for the role that philanthropy must play in supporting a more just and equitable future.

Lesson #1: Democracy is interconnected, it’s bigger than borders

The forces eroding democratic rights in the U.S. are not isolated. They are part of a wider, global phenomenon. Far right populist movements operate beyond borders, sharing resources, networks, and tactics worldwide. The same disinformation campaigns that have plagued Brazil, from false narratives about Indigenous rights to the spread of anti-vaccine rhetoric, mirror tactics seen in the U.S. and Europe. Russian interference, including the spread of disinformation during the 2016 U.S. election, further highlights how threats to democracy cross borders. But just as these threats are global, so too is resistance.

…democracy is more than elections. It is about building a world that reflects the needs and aspirations of the people.

Movements recognise this interdependence. As they work to shift conditions in their countries, they often exercise solidarity with communities beyond their borders. When the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe resisted the Dakota Access Pipeline, Indigenous leaders from across Latin America travelled to North Dakota, standing alongside them in their fight against environmental destruction. This solidarity emphasized the shared struggle against extractive industries that endanger ancestral lands. 

A similar spirit of global connection drives the international food sovereignty movement.  In 1996, La Via Campesina, a global coalition of peasant farmers, introduced the concept of food sovereignty—the right of people to control their own food systems and access healthy, culturally appropriate food grown through sustainable methods. This movement confronts the corporate control of food systems and advocates for local, ecologically sound practices that empower communities over profit-driven models.  In 2007, building on this vision, 500 small-scale farmers, Indigenous communities, and fisherfolk from 80 countries gathered in Mali to create the Nyéléni Declaration. Named after a legendary Malian farmer, the Nyéléni gatherings became a central space for the food sovereignty movement to articulate shared goals and strategies. Today, the movement has grown into a network spanning Latin America, Africa, and Asia, where farmers in Senegal have shared strategies with counterparts in India to resist land grabs, while peasant movements in Latin America collaborate with African food cooperatives to protect seed diversity and push for policies that support small-scale farming.

Philanthropy needs to recognize that democracy cannot be won or lost in isolation. The fate of democracy is interdependent, and the forces eroding it – or building it – are inextricably linked across borders. When farmers in India secure the right to grow their food in ways that honour their land and culture, it sets a powerful precedent for food movements worldwide, inspiring others to resist corporate control and demand their own food sovereignty. Similarly, victories like those at Standing Rock empower other Indigenous and environmental defenders around the world, strengthening global resistance against extractive industries. By investing in movements like those at Standing Rock or the international food sovereignty movement, philanthropy can amplify these ripple effects, strengthening the resilience of communities against authoritarianism and ensuring that solidarity and democratic values are fortified worldwide. Supporting cross-border alliances and mutual learning between movements helps build a global network capable of resisting shared threats and imagining new futures together.

Lesson #2: Democracy is about systems and practices, not just policies

At its core, democracy relies on the active engagement of its citizens. Yet, it is often narrowly defined as a set of policies or laws designed to ensure voting rights, civil liberties, or free speech. But this understanding is not enough. Policies may set the framework for democracy, but they don’t protect it, nor do they guarantee systemic changes.

Recent years have shown how fragile these frameworks can be – voting rights in the U.S. have faced renewed attacks through voter ID laws and restrictions, while in Peru, abrupt reversals of protections for Indigenous land rights have left communities vulnerable to exploitation. Similarly, progress on LGBTQ+ rights has been rolled back in places where legal protections are stripped away, highlighting how gains in equality can quickly be undermined without deeper cultural and systemic change. Without just, equitable systems and daily practices of accountability, even the best policies are hollow. 

Global social justice movements show that democracy is far more than what happens at the ballot box – it’s about creating systems where both people and the planet can thrive. Many movements engage in ‘multisolving’ – addressing interconnected issues like food security, environmental justice, and community empowerment all at once. They remind us that true democracy is about more than policy; it’s about the power of communities to shape the systems that sustain their lives and the environment. By building new governance rooted in equity and respect for the earth, they show that democracy is most resilient when grounded in justice for both people and nature.

Philanthropy has a vital role to play – not just in funding specific policy outcomes but in investing in the systemic transformations that movements make possible. Social movements are the lifeblood of democracy; they cultivate an engaged citizenry, challenge entrenched power, and build resilient communities. Supporting these movements means empowering people to reimagine and reshape the systems that govern their lives, from economies to ecosystems. Democracy is more than a policy goal – it’s a living practice that thrives when communities have the power to create just and sustainable systems. Philanthropy can strengthen democracy’s roots by backing the long-term efforts of those on the frontlines, ensuring that the pursuit of justice is grounded in the needs and visions of the people themselves.

Lesson #3: Democracy is about everyday people and everyday learning

At its core, democracy is about people exercising their collective power. It’s not just the result of elections or legislation but the continuous process of organizing, learning, and building together. Democracy is forged in the daily efforts of communities coming together, creating spaces where they can imagine new futures, strategise collectively, and push forward even when the odds are against them. These spaces are where movements thrive, where people can gather to make sense of their everyday realities. Popular education has been a critical tool for this work around the world, helping communities build political consciousness, leadership, and resilience. In the Dominican Republic for example, our partners at the Federación de Campesinos Hacia el Progreso (FCHP) have created spaces where small-scale farmers come together to learn about their rights, understand sustainable farming practices, and build self-sufficiency. FCHP’s approach to popular education emphasises holistic development: they work to advance food sovereignty, access to healthcare, and economic opportunities for campesino families, fostering a community-driven model of resilience that reduces dependency on external aid. By promoting sustainable agroecological practices and strengthening community-run cooperatives, FCHP helps farmers reclaim control over their food systems, land, and livelihoods.

In these spaces, FCHP members and other campesinos ask essential questions about their conditions: Why is food sovereignty so difficult to achieve despite fertile land? Why don’t small farmers have more control over local resources? Why are basic services, like healthcare and clean water, often inaccessible? These everyday questions form the foundation for deeper analysis, encouraging communities to connect their local struggles to broader systems and envision pathways toward systemic change.

For democracy to truly flourish, movements need space to grow, they need to expand their political education work, and they need resources to sustain them. Philanthropy can play a transformative role here by investing not only in policy outcomes but in the infrastructure that allows communities to come together, learn, and build power. By supporting long-term opportunities for peer-to-peer capacity building, philanthropy can be an ally for movements as they continue to create spaces where everyday people can develop their analysis, build confidence, and gain a sense of agency through collective learning. These spaces are where individuals become a powerful collective, capable of challenging unjust systems and reshaping their conditions. Democracy is built from the ground up, through people learning together, daring to question the status quo, and organising to bring about change. 

In election years, the significance of electoral politics naturally takes centre stage. Yet, it’s the lasting actions beyond election results that shape the future of our societies. The work of preserving democracies, restoring our climate, and fortifying our communities lies firmly with the people. Democracy is not a quick victory; it’s the long, collective work of resisting, reimagining, and building, again and again. For philanthropy, this means holding steadfast, irrespective of any specific outcome, and continually backing communities and their movements. To win, we must make sure movements have the conditions they need to drive lasting changes. The strength of democracy anywhere depends on its defense everywhere.

Solomé Lemma is the President & CEO of Thousand Currents, which supports grassroots groups and movements from the Global South that are working for food, climate, and economic justice.