Stanford PACS

New research reveals algorithms’ hidden political power New research hijacks social media platform rankings to study how great an impact the algorithm has on political polarization.

Hear more from co-author @jiachenyan.bsky.social:

Reranking partisan animosity in algorithmic social media feeds alters affective polarization Today, social media platforms hold the sole power to study the effects of feed-ranking algorithms. We developed a platform-independent method that reranks participants’ feeds in real time and used thi...

Explore the full research article in @science.org:

Social media research tool lowers the political temperature A new method created by Stanford researchers reduces polarization by downranking antidemocratic and highly partisan posts on X.

“Social media algorithms directly impact our lives, but until now, only the platforms had the ability to understand and shape them. We have demonstrated an approach that lets researchers and end users have that power.”

Read the spotlight in the Stanford Report:

Social media research tool lowers the political temperature A new method created by Stanford researchers reduces polarization by downranking antidemocratic and highly partisan posts on X.

New research led by Faculty Affiliate @mbernst.bsky.social, former Postdoctoral Fellow @jiachenyan.bsky.social, and fellow scholars sheds light on the role of social media algorithms in driving political polarization and outlines new paths forward for both social media users and researchers.

There Is No Such Thing as Impact Investing (SSIR) There is philanthropic investing, and there is commercial investing, and there is nothing in between.

"Given the dramatic contraction of Big Aid, we need market-based solutions more than ever, and it’s a really bad time for impact investing to be failing us.

Luckily, I have a solution to the myriad disappointments of impact investing: Get rid of it."

New from @mulagostarr.bsky.social:

Navigating Challenges with Unity: Human Rights Day Reflections with Caitlin Heising - Stanford PACS On December 10 each year, a global community of human rights defenders observes the principles articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, first ratified by the UN General Assembly in 19...

“At the [Heising-Simons] Foundation’s Human Rights program, we’ve learned to prioritize supporting people who are leaders in their community, rather than focusing on specific policies, because ultimately power and understanding of a community’s needs lie with the people."

#OurEverydayRights

Navigating Challenges with Unity: Human Rights Day Reflections with Caitlin Heising - Stanford PACS On December 10 each year, a global community of human rights defenders observes the principles articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, first ratified by the UN General Assembly in 19...

In honor of #HumanRightsDay, Caitlin Heising, Vice Chair of the Board at @heisingsimonsfdn.bsky.social, board member for @hrw.org, and advisory board member for Stanford PACS, shares her approach to advocating for and investing in #HumanRights protections in the U.S.

Woody's Dedication As mentor, leader, and friend, Woody Powell defines what a scholarly community member should be. For much of his career, he's done it at CASBS. Now a CASBS study has been dedicated in his name.

CASBS study dedicated in honor of Woody Powell

About 100 people gathered here recently to celebrate Woody Powell. Because he has been who he is for about 15 years of his career here, he has achieved certifiable super-community member status. He bleeds CASBS red.

casbs.stanford.edu/news/woodys-...

Election Administration, 2024 to 2026: Lessons Learned and Causes for

🗳️ How do lessons from 2024 shape what to expect in 2026?

On Dec. 4, Nate Persily joined CDDRL to break down what went right, what went wrong, and why election administration remains a critical vulnerability for U.S. democracy. https://ow.ly/Ob0K50XE89z

When USAID Shut Down, Its Lessons Nearly Vanished. AI Helped Recover Them (SSIR) A final sweep of 60 years of evidence reveals durable truths about how development succeeds and fails.

For 60 years, USAID’s memory lived in PDFs. The agency commissioned over 100,000 evaluations, stacking up tens of millions of pages.

But the system was human-bounded by three limits that defined it:

- Cognitive load
- Timing
- Incentives

So what do you find when you can finally read everything?

New Research Could Help Nonprofits Attract Millions of Online Donors Massive experiments with PayPal users show that small tweaks to a charitable ask can boost giving.

“We can, in this very short space, communicate information about smaller charities in a way that reassures people about their quality and opens up this channel to a wider range of charitable giving.”

#Philanthropy #Giving #Nonprofits

New Research Could Help Nonprofits Attract Millions of Online Donors Massive experiments with PayPal users show that small tweaks to a charitable ask can boost giving.

Stanford PACS Faculty Affiliate @susanathey.bsky.social shared takeaways from her research with @gsbsilab.bsky.social on how small changes to charitable asks at checkout in an online store can have a big impact.

Learn more via Stanford GSB ⤵️

The impact of advanced AI systems on democracy - Nature Human Behaviour This Perspective from Summerfield et al. considers the impacts of advanced artificial intelligence systems on the process and function of democracy. The authors explore a wide range of potential risks...

A recent paper co-authored by former Senior Research Fellow Luke Hewitt considers the potential impacts of advanced #AI systems on #democracy, including implications for the information ecosystem, functioning of elections, and the health and strength of foundational democratic principles. ⤵️

How to Spot Democratic Backsliding (SSIR) Data can guide investment priorities in strengthening global democracy.

Where should pro-democracy forces focus their efforts?

How can they distinguish causation from correlation?

This new article examines potential leading indicators of democratic backsliding across five elements that scholars agree impact democratic health.

THREAD

MacKenzie Scott’s billion-dollar bet on vibes A billionaire’s spiritual guide to letting go — of $19 billion.

“There is this misconception that trust-based philanthropy is not strategic. What trust based means is that it does away with these additional layers of administrative and bureaucratic burden that foundations and donors were putting on nonprofits...You can still be strategic.”

MacKenzie Scott’s billion-dollar bet on vibes A billionaire’s spiritual guide to letting go — of $19 billion.

Stanford PACS Executive Director Priya Shanker spoke with @vox.com about MacKenzie Scott's approach to #giving and the value of #TrustBasedPhilanthropy.

Getting Youth Engaged in Democracy (SSIR) Young people do turn out for elections—when they are registered. By getting all youth enrolled in high school, we can help achieve universal participation. Here's how to get it done.

Our newest voters (18-year-olds) will graduate from from high school in a few short months. If we want them using their voices in the 2026 midterms, the time to register them is now.

Read more in our cover story, out now! ssir.org/articles/ent... @ssir.org

Group of people doing a GivingTuesday campaign

Group of people, smiling gathering donations

People putting together donations

Two people smiling holding a heart shaped box

Today is the day! 🥳 

Share your story with #GivingTuesday and tag us so we can show you some love. Grab any last-minute resources at GivingTuesday.org/Participate ❤️

Transforming Data for Equity and Justice (SSIR) Data is a powerful tool that affects every part of our lives, especially our individual and collective health. Civic data—a diverse array of data that captures the realities of life and well...

Public health is profoundly informed and shaped by the diverse array of civic data that captures the life and well-being in communities.

But data isn’t neutral or objective.

In fact, it’s often rooted in structural racism, patriarchy, and other systems of oppression.

Thank you to @myra.bsky.social for her recent insightful presentation on how sycophantic AI can reduce people’s willingness to take responsibility and repair interpersonal conflicts! @robbwiller.bsky.social

Stanford PACS Welcomes 2025-26 Cohort of Faculty Affiliates - Stanford PACS The Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society is thrilled to welcome our 2025-2026 inaugural cohort of faculty affiliates.

We look forward to sharing the insights and perspectives of our faculty affiliates with the broader Stanford PACS community as we continue our work to bridge research and practice.

Read the announcement:

Faculty and Lecturer Affiliates - Stanford PACS Stanford PACS hosts more than 30 affiliated faculty and lecturers—representing disciplines from all seven schools across campus—who conduct research and teaching on philanthropy, civil society, nonpro...

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new Faculty Affiliates program!

Our 2025-26 cohort brings together more than 30 affiliated faculty members, representing disciplines from all 7 schools across campus, who are leading research related to #philanthropy, #CivilSociety or #SocialInnovation.

The Seduction of Nonprofit Mission Creep (SSIR) An excerpt from The Nonprofit Crisis on why nonprofits should resist the lure to extend their reach

"A good mission statement performs a similar function to the role the US Constitution plays (on a good day) for the American government: It helps to keep an organization grounded and offers an important reference point for resolving conflicts about vision and direction."

Thank you to Kasey Rhee for an exciting recent presentation on her work analyzing how party registration has shifted across demographic groups using an unprecedented dataset of six billion voter records! @robbwiller.bsky.social

Today, I have an article in @SSIR.org on lessons from our first decade, including:

(1) The importance of choosing causes
(2) Field-building pays off hugely
(3) Great philanthropy is possible anywhere on the risk spectrum
(4) Balancing maximization and moderation is hard

🧵
ssir.org/articles/en...

ACLU v. Trump (SSIR) The American Civil Liberties Union is leading the fight in the United States against the Trump administration's executive overreach. We asked them for a status update.

Where exactly are we in terms of civil liberties in the United States?

We spoke with the leaders of the @aclu.org, who went deep on their battles with the Trump administration, how they are prioritizing issues, the Supreme Court, and implications for civil society.

Why Following Your Dreams Isn't Enough - Hidden Brain Media Entrepreneurs typically have no shortage of passion. But there are other elements that may matter more when it comes to whether their projects succeed.

Had the pleasure of returning to @hiddenbrain.bsky.social for a follow-up convo with Shankar Vendantam (I’m on in the second half!). I answer questions about how to talk across divides, what to do with people who seem awful, and when to walk away. Check it out 👇

www.hiddenbrain.org/podcast/why-...

Community Makes All the Difference: Reflections on National Philanthropy Day - Stanford PACS National Philanthropy Day is a time to honor the ways we give our time, talent, treasure, and ties. As we celebrate together today, we’re reminded of the power of community in advancing social impact....

To mark this year's #NationalPhilanthropyDay, Kathryn Zekus of Next Legacy shares insights from leading members of the Next Legacy and Stanford PACS communities on how funders can use their time, talent, treasure, and ties to uplift local #nonprofits and strengthen communities.

Join us TODAY at 5PM PT!

Thank you to @joshcjackson.bsky.social and Dan Medvedev for a fascinating recent lab presentation on how attitudes toward the rich vary globally! Innovative methods and fascinating findings, all around. @robbwiller.bsky.social