New Funding to Catalyze the Disenfranchised Center
Inside Philanthropy, Garance Franke-Ruta — July 13, 2026
“Typically, the way we’ve worked is that we’ve made recommendations that our members have funded. This is the first time we have a standalone fund that has a mandate to invest in early-stage efforts and its own pool of capital to do so,” Leadership Now Project CEO Daniella Ballou-Aares told IP. The goal: supporting “innovative efforts to mobilize the center.”
In May, four-term incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John Cornyn lost his seat to a successful primary challenge by Trump-backed former Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who ran as a MAGA stalwart. In June, five-term incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat and one-term incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman fell to Democratic Socialist challengers in New York City’s Democratic primaries, and a third Democratic Socialist won a House seat in an open Democratic primary.
At a moment like this, moderates and centrists may appear outmatched. The New York-based Leadership Now Project, a bipartisan network of more than 400 leaders in the business space devoted to preserving political stability and a strong economy, is seeking to change that, backing through a new fund an array of groups seeking to elevate moderate and centrist voters and voices in a civic culture that is growing ever more partisan.
“Typically, the way we’ve worked is that we’ve made recommendations that our members have funded. This is the first time we have a standalone fund that has a mandate to invest in early-stage efforts and its own pool of capital to do so,” Leadership Now Project CEO Daniella Ballou-Aares told IP. The goal: supporting “innovative efforts to mobilize the center.” Leadership Now Project is a 501c4 with an affiliated 501c3, the Leadership Now Education Fund.
Read the full story at Inside Philanthropy, Garance Franke-Ruta